The Mid-Point

This scene, as its name implies, is in the middle of Act 2 and therefore in the middle of the film. You will need to boost the action here, so the story doesn’t loose strength. Often this is the moment you give the account a new direction. An unexpected event takes place, a piece of information is revealed or a change turns the situation around and forces the hero to act in consequence. This means the hero has to change his/her plans, but not give up on the aim.

Example The hero discovers a clue during an investigation, which puts him/her on a trail he/she had neglected.

The hero is about to get married, but finds out the person he has always loved in secret has just divorced.

The hero has almost finished years of training to become an accomplished warrior and ready for a major battle, but on hearing some friends are in danger he/she decides to give up training to go and HELP them instead.

EXERCISE 29 According to your hero’s initial aim and the obstacles he/she has already overcome, imagine an event that boosts the action in a new way, without turning the hero away from his/her aim.

HELP The mid-point is sometimes known as the “point of no return”. Up to a certain point, the character can wonder or have doubts, maybe even not understand what is going on and be passive in the face of events. He/she could (theoretically) back out, abandon, give up or change his/her mind.

But comes a time when it is too late to step back. He/she has to act and go through with the adventure to the end. The hero has no choice. This is this point of no return. The dice are cast, no more bets, whether the hero succeeds or fails, you will have to answer the story’s central question: “Will the hero manage to achieve his/her aim or not?” And now, since there is no option but to go through with the adventure to the end, the hero will do his/her best to achieve the aim.