The Drive to the Finish
The decision that dictates Sequence 6: The Drive to the Finish is the midpoint.
Structure
Act 3 reveals the structure of your story.
There is an expression about how you can determine your real values based on how you allocate your resources. This is true for screen time as well.
The vital job of Act 1 that not enough people talk about
A huge part of Act 1's job is to get the audience to believe the protagonists's often outlandish choice that drives us into Act 2.
Does the relationship trump the dramatic question?
How could a movie possibly work when the dramatic question is answered at the end of Act 2?
Screenplay structure is fractal.
I approach each screenplay structure as a fractal and have found that the most satisfying screen stories follow this pattern.
After the midpoint.
The midpoint doesn't change the character. It just changes their direction.
How the monster movie structure can help you with any genre.
When structuring your story, you don't have to start from scratch. There are plenty of places to look for inspiration, and one of them is genre.
Keep the audience engaged as you keep secrets.
You never want the audience to wonder what the story is. Let them think they know. And then reveal it to be something more.
Your Subplots Are Story, Too.
There is no “B Story”; only the main story.
And that main story has subplots that support and deepen it.
The two key elements to narrative momentum.
Narrative momentum is the force that keeps the audience compelled to continue watching. It's why a good 3-hour movie can go by so much faster than a bad 90 minute film.
The two most important decisions in your screenwriting.
One of my primary goals as a writer and a teacher is to simplify. We need to get out of our own way. We do this through a process.
The most important part of Act 3.
The moment when a character earns ownership of their change by surrendering something they once valued but is no longer aligned with their new value system.