3 Critical Keys to a Captivating Act 3

1. Give your protagonist ownership of the final act.

I’m sure you’ve read that The Dial of Destiny flopped or at least did not perform up to expectations. How did Indiana Jones mis-dial? There are a variety of reasons, most of which are out of the writer’s hands. Let’s look at just one reason that is in the writer’s hands and derive a useful lesson doing our A-B-C’s.

A. This is the fifth movie in the esteemed franchise. What is one reason most people wanted to view this film? To see Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) do Indy things (like race a horse through a parade) and save the day at the end.

B. What is a key character-and-story maxim for the final act of any movie? The central character (protagonist) should be the most active character in the third act with rare exception.

C. Who is the most active character in the final act of The Dial of Destiny? Helena, Indy’s goddaughter. She’s a wonderful character, but I’m betting most fans would prefer to see Indy chase down that plane and jump onto the landing gear. Helena takes over the movie at the end to the point that she punches out Indy’s lights and brings him home. It’s a nice twist, but perhaps not as fulfilling as seeing Indiana Jones save the day just one last time.

Your story should build to a final showdown or climax featuring your central character or protagonist overcoming impossible odds.

2. Create a surprising but believable twist.

You can probably remember the shock you felt when you first watched The Sixth Sense. “You mean he’s dead; Malcom Crowe is dead!” Here are a few writer actions that made that surprise twist work. Think of them as writer tools.

First, the writer (M. Night Shyamalan) knew how he wanted his movie to end. Second, and this is crucial, the writer presented a convincing deception. I’ll explain.

After Malcolm is shot, the first thing we see is Malcolm meeting with Cole in a church; he seems perfectly normal because he’s introducing himself as Cole’s doctor. The clincher is a little later when we see Malcolm sitting across from Cole’s Mom at her apartment, implying that they have been talking, probably about her son. And then Cole arrives. At this point, there is no question in our minds that Malcolm is alive and normal like everyone else. After these two incidents, we choose to see things from that false perception.

But how do you make the twist believable? You foreshadow the hidden truth. In the scene referred to above where Malcolm sits across from Cole’s Mom, they do not say a word to each other. After all, she can’t see him, but her son Cole can because he sees dead people. When we watch the movie a second time, we see scenes from a completely different frame of reference or perception.

The same is true for the scene where Malcolm arrives late for an anniversary dinner with his wife. She has finished her meal. He apologizes and tries to pick up the check, but she grabs the check before he can and says, “Happy Anniversary.” The second time through the movie, it’s clear that she cannot see him, but she is at the restaurant because she misses him on their anniversary. He provides a clue in this scene: “I just can’t seem to keep track of time.” And he admits that they’ve been “distant” lately.

The key here is to write scenes that can be seen in two different ways. You lead the audience into the false perception. The truth is hidden, but foreshadowed in a way that is not predictable.

The most effective foreshadowing comes when Cole confesses to Malcolm that he sees dead people. Malcolm asks about these dead people, and Cole says, “They don’t know they’re dead” and “They only see what they want to see.”

3. Craft a meaningful ending.

Must your script have a happy (Hollywood) ending? Whether it is happy or not, your ending must be meaningful and emotionally satisfying.

A happy ending can be emotionally satisfying if we're rooting for that happy ending. This is the case with most love stories, rom-coms, and action movies. There were a few happy endings that were not emotionally satisfying to me because I didn't connect with the characters.

A bittersweet ending is emotionally satisfying if we connect with the meaning or theme. In Casablanca, Rick gives up love to contribute to defeating the Nazis. We see that he is fulfilled by his tough decision. When that movie came out during WW2, audiences clearly identified with the theme of sacrificing for a greater cause. It's an emotionally satisfying ending for most people. There must be some “sweet” to go with the “bitter.” The “sweet” is the meaning.

A downer ending can be emotionally satisfying if it affects the reader or audience emotionally and they’re satisfied with their time investment. My personal reaction to the novel Grapes of Wrath (haven't seen the movie) is that it is a downer ending. And it made me angry, and I suspected John Steinbeck was angry when he wrote it. It affected me emotionally in a way that made me glad I had read it. Thus, for me, it was an emotionally satisfying ending. When everyone loses, or when the good guy flat-out loses, there had better be a reason—something we can take home. It's hard to make a downer ending emotionally satisfying unless there is meaning associated with it.

Is the ending of the original Planet of the Apes (starring Charleton Heston) a downer? I think one can see it as that. The first time I saw the movie, I stayed in my seat for 10 minutes thinking about that classic ending and its ramifications, and the feelings (emotions) I had about it. I'd say it was emotionally satisfying. There is meaning there.

Emotionally satisfying endings grip the audience emotionally because the ending has meaning for them. The secret is not in the type of ending, it's in how the characters are developed and how involved the reader or audience gets with them. Their involvement with the characters involves them with the meaning of the ending.

In summary, make your protag the focus of the third act, create a believable twist, and give your ending meaning, and you will be on your way to crafting an emotionally compelling ending.