Movies are such a visible and potent symbol of our times that everyone who has a great story idea thinks that they could turn it into a screenplay, make a ton of money, and walk down that red carpet at the Academy Awards. Sweet! (Not that anyone notices the screenwriters, but that’s another story.)
But even a great idea needs a great story wrapped around it. So after the idea comes the hard part: writing 120 pages of drama-infused, unique character-driven action that builds to an incredible visual and emotional climax, leaving the audience energized and wanting more. Sequel!
Story telling in screenplays is very different than for novels and short stories. The best films are visual feasts, not dialogue-laden novels. So, as with most institutionalized money-making endeavors (sports, TV reality shows, even product launches) there are formulas that make success more probable. Therefore almost all (American) screenplays follow the classic three-act story structure.
Act One reveals the hero and all his or her strengths and flaws and how they cope with life in their parallel world. By the end of Act One, the hero has been challenged by a life-changing event that will propel the rest of the film to its dramatic conclusion. Of course, if the hero doesn’t act on the challenge, the movie dies right then—just where most screenplay ideas actually die in draft stage. Great idea, but no story.
Act Two presents the challenges, defeats, and successes that bring the hero closer to—or farther away from—the goal. It introduces the helpers, the nemesis, and the many roadblocks to success. The end of Act Two often contains a dramatic shift that enables the hero to either regain confidence or obtain a new power or skill to overcome the challenge and carry on.
Act Two, by the way, is the other place where scripts die. The action fades, the story meanders, the writer can’t find the hero’s way. Ever notice that in many so-so films, you start getting antsy around 60 minutes in? That’s called Act Two blues. You never notice any lag during Act Two in a great film. It just keeps building.
Act Three of a film not only culminates in the climax of the story—where the hero overcomes all obstacles to achieve the goal, grail, love, or solve the ultimate puzzle—but also provides the opportunity for the moral resolution, the writer’s final gift to the audience. This is, after all, what they really came for: Enlightenment! Well, maybe popcorn. Ok, escapism too.
How does screenplay writing reflect on B2B marketing copywriting? Just like a movie, every product launch needs a great story to surround and propel forward “the great idea”. Structuring the story for a product launch like a dramatic screenplay can help you think outside the box. What are the hero’s (product’s) strengths and weaknesses? How does the hero’s journey (the product’s purpose) change the audience’s (customer’s) life? What challenges or nemeses can you anticipate during the launch and how does the hero (product) overcome them? What is the dramatic climax of your product’s introduction? Can you start thinking: “Sequel!”?
Write your story well and reap the rewards. Don’t lose your audience in Act 2 or you’ll never walk that red carpet of success.
