2nd act problem

Started by tpfkabi, March 27, 2004, 08:56:15 PM

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tpfkabi

almost a year and a half ago (or longer) i started to get an idea for a film.
about a year ago, i finally wrote down my idea and got the first act, 30 or so pages.
i already know how the film will end and pretty much have a good idea what will happen in the third act.
here is my problem:
the first act can pretty much be summed up as this......
lonely college age guy (yeah, i know, it has a Graduate feel......but it sure is hard as hell to avoid that film......and i happen to love it too).......along the way he meets a girl.....blah blah blah........at the end of the first act they pretty much get together........
the second act will almost be total shift from the melancholy of the first act to an almost romantic comedy vibe......this is where i'm stuck.
basically i have several ideas of them hanging out together......dates, whatnot.........and then about 2/3rds through Act 2 she breaks it off and there's really no reason.........he treated her like a queen, there's not another guy or anything........she just did........and i don't want any explanation for it.......and there's not always one in real life.
so i guess my thought is that people will hate this because here i've shown them having so much fun (i guess i should have some minor arguments, but nothing major)........and then she breaks up with him kind of out of the blue........no set up, he doesn't cheat or neglect her.......he's simply the best boyfriend ever..........then of course, the breakup leads to other things and gets the story moving a bit..........
but, theoretically, could you just string a bunch of scenes, not necessarily linear, together and then break it off without a concrete reason? would this turn viewers off?
any help would be appreciated.
i'm not wanting story ideas really. i want it all to come from my head, so the question is more of a - can i do this and not have people switch off my movie?
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

Weak2ndAct

Did someone say my name?

The answer to your question: NO.  If you think it's disjointed filler, the reader's going to think it's just that and worse.

It sounds like you don't have a real grasp of what your movie's about.  The 2nd act is the hardest part of a story, and if you can't hold it together through there, then who's going to give a shit what happens in the last 20 pages?

tpfkabi

i left out a lot of the story because i didn't want to be too detailed. i don't really want story ideas.
i guess i would say that mainly the film is about loneliness and how people deal with it.......whether that be relationships, friends or charity........and that even though you might be a good person,everything won't necessarily work out right........the main character treats the girl with all respect, etc etc.....but she still ends it.......and i don't want it to be the cliched other guy.....or that's she's too busy.......or that he's cheating or neglecting her.........when she comes over to break up with him, i don't even want you to be able to hear the dialogue.......when she begins to speak you only hear a song and the camera "wanders" off
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

molly

as a member of the audience, i can tell you that loose ends are annoying. There is always some explanation, even wrong one. In this case that explanaion would only strengthen the story, but you don't need to spend half an hour of the movie on it. It all depends on the pace, and on the characters, try doing so it shows their  nature. See High Fidelity and how it was done there. You don't have to copy(i hope), it might spark the creativity in you.

i've never watched films and looked for that division in acts. Hm. Something completely new to me.

tpfkabi

i saw some of High Fidelity a few weeks ago on Bravo.
what part of it do you mean exactly?

i'm not good at articulating this, but i don't want too much focus on the relationship........it just makes up a good deal of the 2nd act and puts into motion other events that lead to the climax......sheese, i don't know.
thanks for the comments so far.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

molly

Quote from: bigideasi'm not good at articulating this, but i don't want too much focus on the relationship

make it a part of the story somehow. I didn't think on some particular part of High Fidelity. The character is going through his five relationships. He is focused on himself, not the relationship.