Fear, Change, Grief and the Four Act Structure

Over the past two weeks or so I have discussed how to create an arc for your characters using the stages of Change, Fear, and Grief. So far so good. But how do these stages fit into screenplay structure? Of course, you can implement them anyway you wish, but for starters I will demonstrate how I do it by example.

Act I – Unity/Orphan/Loner

The Hero and his flaw:

CHANGE: Pre-contemplation – Protagonist is unaware of problem.

The Hero’s Redeeming Qualities:

The Hero’s Enabling Circumstances:

The Hero’s Motivation and Point of View:

CHANGE: Contemplation – Protagonist now knows a problem exists but he still hasn’t committed to take action.

The Opponent and the Hero’s Ally:

The Life-Changing Event:

FEAR: Taking small steps – Protagonist is overwhelmed. Strong flight or fight  response. Usually chooses flight.

Act II – Deconstruction/Wanderer/Explorer

The Objective and Subjective Storylines:

The Ticking Clock:

CHANGE: Preparation: Protagonist decides to take action.

Hero’s Emotional Reaction to the Life-Changing Event:

Hero’s Physical Reaction to the Life-Changing Event:

Hero’s Ally Offers Help:

FEAR: Concrete, positive motivation: Protagonist meets his mentor. Protagonist knows he must act. Point of no return.

Hero Determines the Course of Action:

Hero and Hero’s Ally Instigate the First Action Against the Opponent:

Opponent Counter-attacks and States His Point of View:

Ally Confronts Hero About Balk:

Hero Renews His Determination to Meet the Life-Changing Event:

Hero Expands His Area of Concern:

Hero Confronts His Character Flaw:

Hero Convinces Ally to Give Him Another Chance:

Hero Proves Himself to Ally:

Hero Partially Redeems Himself, Bonds With Ally:

Second Act Confrontation Between Hero and Ally:

Hero Reveals Part of His Character Flaw to Ally:

Ally Makes Demand of Hero:

Ally Reveals Own Struggles:

FEAR: Sees failure and rejection in a new light: learns from his mistakes. Realizes he has been chasing after a false goal. Learns the true goal.

Act III – Reconstruction/Warrior/Activist

Hero’s Choice:

Hero and Ally Unite Against Opponent:

Hero Expands His Area of Concern Wider:

The Opponent Counters Hero and Ally, the Unraveling:

Opponent Performs Act Forcing Hero to Completely Abandon His Flaw:

Hero Learns True Danger:

CHANGE: Action: Protagonist must modify his behavior/environment in order to overcome his problem. Requires considerable commitment of time & energy.

Second Circumstances, Challenge, Decision, Self-Definition, and Emotional State:

Final Expansion of Hero’s Area of Concern:

The Point of No Return:

FEAR: Being in the NOW: Protagonist must not let thoughts and emotions reside in the future or the past. Concentrate on the Goal at hand.

Act IV – Unity/Martyr/Death

All or Nothing:

Damage to Hero Mounts:

The Low Point:

Hero Discovers Way to Fight Back:

The Audience Discovers Full Extent of Opponent’s Threat:

Hero Learns of Increased Threat:

The Final Battle:

Hero Fully Engages Opponent:

Hero Restates Point of View:

FEAR: Redefining Self: Protagonist must understand/fix the inner problem before he can solve the outer problem. Protagonist must change.

Hero Defeats is Defeated by Opponent:

Hero, Changed by Events in the Story, Faces the Future:

CHANGE: Maintenance: Protagonist must not relapse. He should consolidate the gains/changes made during the Action phase.

Optional Final Twist:

Notice I did not include the Five Stages of Grief – not all characters will have to deal with the loss of a loved one so use at your own discretion, mileage may vary, etc. etc.

Try using the stages of Fear, Change, and Grief to add depth to you characters and depth to your screenplays. Feel free to let me know what you think and how it works for you.