Act Two 202: How to Survive the Hardest Part of Your Script

I love writing so much, but that journey from page 30 to 80 makes me wish I had been born good at something else. It crushes me every time I cross the threshold. I want to get good at writing the second act. I think I get better at it every time I write a script, but man, it’s so hard.

Act two is difficult because it is an escalation. We monitor growth on an emotional level and also monitor physical actions.

It’s hard to write because it’s the ‘because’ stage. We follow the cause and effect of where each action leads.

Yesterday we discussed the first act, but today I wanted to focus entirely on the second act and see what we can do to make writing these pages easier. Let’s watch this video from Campfire Technology and get started.

How to Write Act Two

The second act is the ‘confrontation’ part of the three-act structure. Many writers, including myself, have the most difficulty writing the second act of their screenplays. We’ve set up the world and the characters, now we have to see what happens when they tackle their problems head-on.

We’ve created this overview for what act two needs. Check it out.

This is not an absolute list, but I hope it helps you get started. I’m generally good at coming up with a concept for a screenplay and sometimes I can see the ending in my head, but the second act is the map of how to get there.

And that card is not always easy to line up.

So what do readers and viewers expect from the second act of your screenplay?

Act two is when the core of your story happens. We are swept up in the forward motion of the story, and our characters must begin trying and failing to achieve what they want.

In my opinion, the second act ends with your character suffering the worst loss imaginable. Blake Snyder calls it “the dark night of the soul,” but I prefer to classify it as the “oh crap” moment.

To make the “oh crap” land, you need the second act to keep raising the stakes and making us fall in love with the characters so that it hurts when you punch us in the gut. Your characters spend act two delving deeper into the mystery, learning more about why they love each other, and getting quite far in their road trip.

I like dealing with act two by figuring out what each character wants and having them fail over and over to get it.

The other crazy thing about the second act is that you also find your B story here (and C, D and E if you have a Lord of the rings film). The second act is super important and does the heavy lifting for your script. Here you get the answers you ask in the first act, and you can ask more questions that could pay off in the third act.

The second act always frustrates me, so I take that out on my characters.

Let’s look at a few examples from company two to see how these ideas play out on the page.

Act two examples

So the first act just ended and you’re moving the story forward. Your characters have a mission, but you’re not sure how to get them to complete it. Let’s look at a few movie examples that show some excellent moments in act two.

Drama: Mud

One of my favorite underrated films in recent years was Jeff Nichol’s Mud.

In the film’s second act, the boys help the titular character fix up a boat so he can leave town. Our main child also has to deal with the b-story of his parents going through a nasty divorce. Compare that to Mud looking for love in all the wrong places while being chased by the southern mafia, and you have a second act that never lags behind.

Horror: Midsummer

How about a movie like Midsummer?

From my experience, horror movies have the most fun second acts because that’s usually when the most people die and we get all the exciting clues.

For Midsummerwe learn about the culture of the people they visit, including the crucial scene of self-sacrifice and the breakdown of a relationship. We even get to see a scene of a drink that definitely has something in it…watch the movie to find out what!

The point is that the second act gets them into deeper trouble both physically and emotionally.

Comedy: Crazy rich Asians

Finally, I want to look Crazy rich Asians, which I think had an excellent second act. It was my favorite part of the movie. In a comedy, the second act increases the jokes and the stakes. In this movie we learn what the crazy rich are actually like. We see the division of wealth in the country and we learn about the strict mother-in-law. Will there be a wedding? What will be sacrificed for the engagement?

We also expand the world of the b-characters in the story.

Second action checklist

Okay, now that you’ve seen the general statement and examples, take a look at our checklist to guide you through the rest.

Summary of the second act

I know this was a lot, but I really think studying structure leads to better writing. What are some of your biggest concerns and fears about the second act?

Is there anything else we haven’t covered or you have questions about?

Let me know in the comments.

As always, happy writing.

Much of what we talk about at No Film School when it comes to screenwriting is summarized in our new eBook. It will also help you create a 10-week writing plan that will allow you to actually complete your script.