Welcome to the sixth installment of my latest series entitled “The Craft Of”, a crash course on traditional 3 Act Structure which the vast majority of Hollywood films released over the last several decades have utilized.

Today we will be discussing the fourth of the five major plot points: The End Of The Second Act OR alternatively The Second Act Turn. The End Of The Second Act is more often than not marked by our protagonist reaching their lowest point, where the stakes have reached their highest point, where it appears that all is lost, often leading to our protagonist having to make a final do-or-die decision, which serves as the climax of the story.

NOTE: This series is not meant to rag on any particular screenwriting guide you fancy. If it works for you, stick with it. If you DO need a recommendation, go with Syd Field's "Screenplay", which I'd say is the gold standard.


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[00:00] - Intro/Shout-outs
[00:57] - The End Of The Second Act
[11:10] - Outro


SPOILERS:
Aliens (1986)
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Die Hard (1988)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Doubt (2008)
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Mean Girls (2004)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Oldboy (2003)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Matrix (1999)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)


MUSIC:

"Danse Macabre" by Kevin MacLeod:    • "Danse Macabre" Kevin Macleod  

"Ode To Joy (Nakatomi Plaza)" by Michael Kamen and Marco Beltrami:    • Die Hard 1 Nakatomi Plaza (Score) CD1...  

"Bicycle Thieves (Main Theme)" by Alessandro Cicognini:    • Bicycle Thieves (1948) Soundtrack-Mus...  

"Shawshank Prison (Stoic Theme)" & "End Title" by Thomas Newman:    • 02 Shawshank Prison (Stoic Theme) - T...