How To Build Suspense

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ACT III – THE END Time is running out, it is do-or-die for the protagonist. The goal is seen clearly now but also the obstacles that stand in the way. These are the biggest faced thus far but the protagonist has to face what lies ahead. The protagonist wants to achieve their goal with such urgency that nothing will stop them now. Which is not to say that the story must end happily. Hope can live on with the smallest of glimmers or with the passing of the torch. Which can lead to a sequel of course. Screenwriting is about laying out your problems and then solving how it is that these flawed characters can resolving their story. Any ending must feel plausible and complete but not contrived with the tie up of all loose ends too neatly. The Climax …show more content…

Organized. No new characters. No new locations. The story is unraveling. TWIST: The final twist is a surprising, explainable, and motivated change in direction of the action. FINAL CULMINATION: Up to this point, our hero has been tested, has tried everything he could, and there is only one way left, because all the alternatives were presented and eliminated, and therefore, comes the final culmination, often where the main plot and sub-pot collides, which propels our hero head on into a new confrontation with the inevitable. CHARACTER ARC: The main character is now in a new situation with a new tension, and he/she must have opportunities to go back to the old character and see if there is a change. There should be. OBLIGATORY SCENE: The obligatory scene the scene the at the end of the film in which the viewer has been waiting and looking forward to. If tension is an eager anticipation of the future, then the obligatory scene is one that the viewer almost consciously expects. In a way, it has been promised to the audience. RESOLUTION: This is the end. The third act conflict is complete, character arc complete, all issues resolved, and the audience sees the new status quo – or what the future holds for the

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