How To Use A Midpoint

Summary

This video explores the importance of the midpoint in screenwriting, a pivotal moment that shifts the story's direction. It discusses how the second act can often be confusing, and how establishing a strong midpoint can provide clarity and momentum. Examples from films like 'Parasite', '10 Cloverfield Lane', and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' illustrate how the midpoint serves as a dramatic turning point, affecting the character's journey. The video also references Gustav Freytag's pyramid and Dan Harmon's story circle to emphasize the midpoint's role in narrative structure, encouraging writers to consider their characters' desires and the costs of achieving them.

Takeaways

• 📝 The video discusses the importance of maintaining a strong narrative in the middle section of a screenplay.
• 🎬 Screenplays are often thought of in three acts: beginning, middle, and end, with the middle being a challenging section to write.
• 🔑 Understanding the midpoint of a story can help writers focus the middle section and provide clear direction.
• 🌟 A strong midpoint involves a major event that shifts the story and sends it in a new direction, affecting the characters' actions.
• 🎥 Examples given include 'Parasite', '10 Cloverfield Lane', and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark', where the midpoint significantly changes the story's trajectory.
• 📚 Gustav Freytag's technique of drama and his pyramid emphasize the importance of a climactic turning point in the middle of the story.
• 🔄 Freytag's climax is a turning point, not the resolution, causing characters to face a new situation that alters their path.
• 🔄 Dan Harmon's story circle also incorporates a midpoint where the protagonist gets what they want and then faces a heavy price.
• 🤔 The video suggests asking two key questions for story development: what the character wants and what cost they will face upon achieving it.
• 🎞️ The technique of using a midpoint is not mandatory for all stories but can be beneficial for maintaining drama in the second act.
• 👍 The video encourages viewers to look for midpoints in their favorite films and suggests that identifying this can improve story structure.

Q & A

What is the main challenge screenwriters often face in the second act of their screenplay?

The main challenge screenwriters often face in the second act is maintaining a strong dramatic narrative, as they struggle with making the story focused, avoiding confusion, and preventing a loss of momentum.

What is the purpose of a midpoint in a screenplay?

The purpose of a midpoint in a screenplay is to create a major event that dramatically shifts the story and sends it in a new direction, providing focus and direction to the middle section of the story.

Can you provide an example of a film that effectively uses a midpoint to strengthen its second act?

One example is 'Parasite', where a major turn takes place at the center of the film, revealing a secret that drastically changes the direction of the story.

What is Gustav Freytag's contribution to understanding the structure of a drama?

Gustav Freytag, a German novelist and playwright, contributed the concept of the 'Freytag's Pyramid', which includes a climax at the midpoint of the story, serving as an extreme shift or turning point.

How does the climax at the midpoint differ from the climax at the end of the story?

The climax at the midpoint is not the resolution of the story but an extreme shift or turning point that throws the characters off their previous path, while the climax at the end is the resolution of the story.

What is Dan Harmon's Story Circle and how does it relate to the midpoint?

Dan Harmon's Story Circle is a narrative structure tool that includes a midpoint where the protagonist gets what they want and then pays a heavy price for it, often represented as points 5 and 6 in the circle.

How does the midpoint in '10 Cloverfield Lane' serve as a turning point for the story?

In '10 Cloverfield Lane', the midpoint occurs when Michelle discovers Howard's dark secret, which destroys the peace and stability they had achieved, forcing her to act against Howard.

What does the midpoint in 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' involve?

In 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark', the midpoint is when Indy finds the Ark of the Covenant, but the Nazis take it from him, creating a new situation where he must retrieve it.

Why is it beneficial to consider the midpoint when writing a screenplay?

Considering the midpoint when writing a screenplay is beneficial because it helps maintain a high level of drama, provides a clear direction for the story, and strengthens the second act.

What two questions should a screenwriter ask themselves when considering the midpoint of their story?

A screenwriter should ask themselves: 'What does my character want?' and 'What major cost will come when my character gets what they want?'

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Understanding the Midpoint in Screenwriting

The first paragraph introduces the topic of the video series on screenwriting and storytelling fundamentals. It discusses the common challenge of maintaining narrative strength in the middle section of a feature-length screenplay. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of the midpoint in a story, which serves as a major event that shifts the direction of the narrative. Examples from films like 'Parasite', '10 Cloverfield Lane', and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' are used to illustrate how a strong midpoint can add focus and momentum to the second act of a story.

05:00

📚 The Climax and Turning Points in Storytelling

The second paragraph delves into the concept of the midpoint as a dramatic climax, referencing Gustav Freytag's pyramid, which positions the climax at the story's midpoint rather than the end. It explains that Freytag's climax is a turning point that redirects the character's journey. The paragraph uses the same film examples to show how the midpoint serves as a pivotal event that forces characters to adapt to new circumstances. It also introduces Dan Harmon's Story Circle, highlighting how the midpoint fits into the narrative structure where characters get what they want and then face a heavy price.

10:01

🔍 Strengthening the Second Act with a Midpoint

The final paragraph offers advice on how to use the midpoint to enhance the second act of a screenplay. It suggests asking two key questions: what the character wants and what major cost will come when they get it. The paragraph encourages viewers to analyze films at their midpoint to identify significant events that change the character's situation. It concludes by emphasizing the value of understanding the midpoint in maintaining dramatic tension throughout the story and hints at the next video in the series, which will focus on the essential element of a screenplay: the scene.

Keywords

💡Screenwriting

Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for films, television shows, or any other visual media. It is a fundamental aspect of the video's theme as it sets the stage for discussing the structure and narrative techniques of storytelling. The script mentions screenwriting in the context of understanding the three-act structure and the importance of the second act, which is crucial for maintaining dramatic tension throughout a film.

💡Three-Act Structure

The three-act structure is a model used in narrative fiction that divides the story into three parts: the beginning (setup), the middle (confrontation), and the end (resolution). The video emphasizes this structure by explaining how the middle section, often the most challenging to write, can be effectively managed by focusing on the midpoint and the obstacles faced by the characters.

💡Midpoint

The midpoint is a pivotal moment in a story that occurs roughly halfway through the narrative and serves as a major turning point, changing the direction of the plot. The video script discusses the importance of the midpoint in creating a strong second act, using examples from films like 'Parasite' and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' to illustrate how the midpoint can shift the story's focus and increase dramatic tension.

💡Dramatic Narrative

A dramatic narrative is a type of storytelling that relies on conflict and emotional engagement to maintain the audience's interest. The video's theme revolves around the challenges of sustaining a dramatic narrative throughout the middle section of a screenplay, highlighting the role of the midpoint in creating a dynamic and engaging story.

💡Obstacles

In the context of storytelling, obstacles are challenges or barriers that the characters must overcome to achieve their goals. The script discusses how obstacles should be presented to the characters in the middle of the story to drive the narrative forward and create a sense of progression and conflict.

💡Climax

The climax of a story is the turning point at which the conflict reaches its most intense moment before moving towards resolution. The video explains how the climax, according to Gustav Freytag's pyramid, occurs at the midpoint, serving as a major shift that propels the story and the characters into a new direction.

💡Gustav Freytag

Gustav Freytag was a German novelist and playwright who is known for his book 'The Technique of the Drama,' which analyzed the structure of successful plays. The video references Freytag's pyramid to illustrate the placement of the climax at the midpoint and its significance in the overall narrative structure.

💡Story Circle

The story circle is a narrative tool developed by Dan Harmon that outlines eight steps to create a complete story arc. The video mentions the story circle to explain how the midpoint fits into the overall structure, particularly points five and six, where the protagonist gets what they want and then pays a heavy price.

💡Character Development

Character development refers to the process by which a character's personality, abilities, and relationships evolve over the course of a story. The video script discusses how the midpoint can serve as a catalyst for significant character development, as characters are forced to adapt to new situations and confront their desires and fears.

💡Resolution

Resolution in a story is the final part where the conflict is resolved and the narrative is brought to a close. The video script uses the concept of resolution to contrast with the midpoint, showing how the climax at the midpoint sets the stage for the final resolution and the characters' ultimate fate.

💡Dramatic Conflict

Dramatic conflict is the central struggle or problem that drives the plot of a narrative. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining a high level of dramatic conflict, particularly in the second act, by using the midpoint to introduce a significant turning point that redirects the story and the characters' actions.

Highlights

The video series covers the fundamentals of screenwriting and storytelling.

Screenplays are often structured in three acts: beginning, middle, and end.

The middle section of a story can be challenging to maintain a strong narrative.

Building a midpoint can help focus the middle section of a story.

A strong midpoint involves a major event that shifts the story in a new direction.

Examples of films with effective midpoints include 'Parasite', '10 Cloverfield Lane', and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

The midpoint can cause characters to face new obstacles and change their course of action.

Gustav Freytag's pyramid includes a climax at the midpoint, not the end of the story.

The climax in Freytag's model is a turning point that redirects the character's path.

Dan Harmon's story circle also emphasizes the importance of the midpoint.

In Harmon's story circle, the midpoint is where the protagonist gets what they want and then pays a heavy price.

The midpoint can be identified by a major event that changes the character's situation significantly.

Not all stories require a strong midpoint, but understanding it can help maintain drama in the middle section.

Writers can improve their stories by considering the use of a midpoint to enhance the second act.

The next video in the series will focus on the fundamental element of a screenplay: the scene.

Transcripts

welcome to the ninth video in this

series covering the fundamentals of

screenwriting and storytelling

if you'd like to watch the rest of the

videos you can find them linked below

or on the end screen of this video

when you're writing a feature-length

screenplay it can be easy to understand

how you want your story to start

and maybe where you want it to end but

it can be hard to figure out how to

maintain a strong dramatic narrative

for the long middle section of your

story a lot of writers think of their

screenplays in three

acts the beginning of the story

establishes the characters and starts

the conflict

the middle of the story is where things

progress and the character must face

many different obstacles

and the end is where the climax is

reached and the story resolves

this is a pretty standard understanding

of stories but what is actually supposed

to happen

during that middle section of the story

how do

things progress what kind of obstacles

should the character be facing

when i listen to screenwriters talk

about their story's problems

one thing i hear a lot is that their

second act is confusing or unfocused

they also say that they feel the story

loses momentum or they simply lose

track of where the story is supposed to

go if you're struggling with the second

act of your screenplay

understanding how to build a midpoint

can help you focus that middle section

of your story

and give you much clearer direction

today i'm going to take a look at some

ways that you can build your story

around your midpoint

let's begin when you use a strong

midpoint you set up a major event that

happens right at the center of your

story

which will dramatically shift your story

and send it in a new direction

so before the midpoint you can build to

this moment

and after the midpoint you can force

your characters to deal with their new

situation caused by the midpoint let's

take a look at a few examples of films

that used a midpoint to strengthen their

second

act parasite has one of the strongest

midpoint turns in recent memory

right at the center of the film a major

turn takes place

the kims have gotten everything they

wanted they have fooled the parks and

found solid jobs

but the old housekeeper comes back and

reveals a massive secret

that turns the story and sends us in a

completely new direction

in 10 cloverfield lane it seems like the

characters have finally found

stability and are settling into their

new life in the bunker

the characters finally feel that they

can trust one another

but then the air filtration system

breaks down forcing michelle to go fix

it

and she finds out that howard has been

hiding a dark secret

in indiana jones and the raiders of the

lost ark indy finds what he's looking

for

the ark of the covenant all his hard

work has paid off

but the nazis take the ark from him

sending him into the second half of the

story

attempting to take the ark back out of

nazi hands

doing this gives focus to that long

second act

and it gives momentum and purpose to

your story

gustav freitag was a german novelist and

playwright

he also wrote a book called the

technique of the drama where he analyzed

how great plays were created

freytag found that many great plays

revolved around a high point

of drama that took place right in the

middle of the story

he referred to this point as the climax

this

is fry tag's pyramid here we see

frytag's understanding of how many great

plays worked

the beginning of the story was called

the exposition then rising action led us

towards the climax in the middle

then falling action led us away from the

climax to the denouement

where the story was resolved but doesn't

the climax take place at the end of the

story

why does fry tag place the climax at the

midpoint

freytag's climax is not the resolution

of the story

it is an extreme shift or turning point

in the story

the character has now been faced with

something that radically turns the story

and throws them off their previous path

let's look at some examples

in parasite the kim family starts out

trying to move up in the world

by conning the parks into giving them

jobs the kims are continuously

successful in their scheme

they secure jobs for each member of the

family

at the midpoint or the climax we have a

major shift in the story

the old housekeeper comes back and

reveals a massive secret that turns the

story

and sends us in a completely new

direction

now the kims must adapt and hide this

new secret from the parks

so that they can keep their jobs and at

the daenuman

the story resolves when the kims can no

longer hide the secrets of the basement

and their scheme blows up in their faces

in 10 cloverfield lane

in the beginning of the story michelle

wakes up in a strange bunker

howard and emmett tell her that it's

dangerous to go outside

because the air is toxic michelle

doesn't believe this

and thinks howard has trapped her down

here against her will

until she sees evidence that the air is

actually toxic

michelle now believes howard is telling

the truth which creates peace in the

bunker

until the air filtration system needs to

be repaired and michelle finds evidence

that howard has trapped a girl down here

before

michelle then formulates a plan with

emmett to get free of howard

until the day newman where michelle acts

on her plan

and escapes from the bunker in indiana

jones and the raiders of the lost ark

it is brought to indy's attention that

the nazis are looking for the ark of the

covenant

so indy goes to search for it and find

it before the nazis do

at the midpoint indi finds the ark of

the covenant but the nazis take it from

him

so now indy must follow the nazis and

retake the ark from them

until the denouement when the ark's

power destroys the nazis

think of freytag's climax as the largest

turning point in your story

it may be helpful to think of your

characters as actively pursuing a clear

goal in the first half of your story

then being completely derailed at the

midpoint and reacting against the events

of the midpoint

until the resolution of the story

another great way to incorporate a

midpoint is to use dan harmon's story

circle

if you've been following this channel

you will have heard me talk about

harman's story circle

in the story circle the midpoint usually

takes place at numbers 5

and six where the protagonist gets what

they want

and then they pay a heavy price for it

if we return to our past three examples

we see how their midpoints work with

this idea

in the middle of parasite the kim family

has gotten what they wanted

they have inserted themselves into the

wealthy park family's life

they are making great money and have

completely fooled the family

this is point five on the story circle

but

this comes at a cost which is point six

on the story circle

the old housekeeper is back she forces a

massive reveal

throwing the family into a completely

new situation where they could lose

everything they've built not only that

but this cost

continues the park family comes home

requiring everyone to secretly sneak out

of the house

and once the kim family is able to sneak

out of the house they return to their

own home

to find it completely flooded this is a

major turning point for the story

and it sends us into the second half

what will the kim family do

now that they have lost so much halfway

through 10 cloverfield lane

it seems like the characters have

finally found stability

michelle howard and emmett have worked

out their differences

michelle believes howard is telling the

truth and they have gotten the piece

they wanted

this is 0.5 in the story circle and now

it costs them

we move to 0.6 something flies over the

bunker

vibrating the bunker and causing the air

filtration system to break down

michelle is the only one small enough to

crawl through the air ducts

but like in parasite this is only the

beginning of the move to six

because once michelle gets to the air

filtration system

things get much worse this destroys the

peace and stability the characters just

achieved

now michelle knows howard is hiding

something dark and that she

is in danger in indiana jones and the

raiders of the lost ark

indy finds the ark of the covenant at

the midpoint

this is 0.5 indy has gotten what he

wanted

however this comes at a cost we move to

0.6 when the nazis take the ark from

indy and leave him to die

this creates a completely new situation

for indy he must figure out how to

survive

and retrieve the ark back from the nazis

fry tag and harmon both place heavy

emphasis on the midpoint of a story

they both see the midpoint as a high

point of dramatic conflict that defines

the first

and second halves of the story this

isn't to discount a common idea of a

climax taking place at the end of a

story

what it does do is give a different view

on how a story's conflict builds and

changes in the middle of the

story rather than a middle section

dedicated to

fun and games or further complications

something specific

is happening a major turning point is

reached which sends the characters in a

completely new direction

not all stories have to have a strong

midpoint but understanding this can help

you maintain

a high level of drama as you move

through the tricky middle section of the

story

so as you go to write ask yourself these

two questions

number one what does my character want

number two what major cost will come

when my character gets what they want

if you want to see just how many films

use a midpoint

i suggest taking a look at some of your

favorite films and simply skipping to

the very middle of the run time

what's happening a lot of the time you

will find a major event

that dramatically changes the character

situation

obviously not all films have this and it

isn't necessary for every story

but many stories can be improved by

using this technique

and yours just might be one of them so

now you have an understanding of a

midpoint

and how you can use it to strengthen the

second act of your story

and in the next video we're going to be

taking a look at one of the most

fundamental elements

of a screenplay the scene so if you want

to watch the rest of the videos in this

series

click the card on the screen now and if

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