Pinch Points: Fixing Your Second Act

character arcs are easier said than done we all know what characters arcs are supposed to accomplish a character should hold a certain belief at the start of the story and then hold a different belief at the end sounds simple and many writers are able to do just that however what many writers fail to do is make clear and believable transitions between the two sets of beliefs often amateur writers have their character arcs feel too rushed too slow or even non-existent this is where pinch points can come in handy in this video i wanted to find what pinch points are explain how they work and illustrate how you can use pinch points according to different character arcs this way you can create believable belief transitions for your own characters let's begin first we must define what a pinch point is if you look up the definition of pinch point you will find many different and often confusing explanations you may hear that pinch points are moments where we remind the audience of the stakes of the story or when we foreshadow what is to come next even though these are valid characteristics of pinch points none of them give writers practical advice on how to navigate the second act or their character arcs in a meaningful way instead i'd like to use concepts put forth by author km weiland in her books as well as her website and propose a practical definition of a pinch point i want to create pinch points that not only focus on external elements but also philosophical and internal elements a pinch point should be a specific story event that challenges a character's beliefs and moves their character arc forward in other words pinch points are specific events that cause gradual steps of change and a character arc they act as stepping stones to get a character from belief set a to belief set b each pinch point brings them further away from their initial set of beliefs and closer to a new belief system now let's talk about how pinch points work in the past i've talked about midpoints and how they can be used to turn the story in a meaningful way pinch points not only work similarly but can be used to complement a midpoint in order to create a series of increasing belief changing events let's take a look usually stories have two pinch points the first pinch point happens in between the first plot point and the midpoint in other words one quarter into the second act the first pinch point serves as the first big event that challenges the protagonist's beliefs the protagonist will have their belief threatened but they will refuse to change the midpoint happens halfway through the second act it is the middle of the story this is when the protagonist is confronted with the truth and can no longer question its existence the second pinch point happens in between the midpoint and the second plot point in other words about three quarters into the second act this is when the protagonists will take a big step towards the truth and away from the lie they believe in thus we can generalize each of the stepping stones with the following first pinch point struggle to see the new belief midpoint see the new belief and the second pinch point experience the new belief you should not see these pinch points as beats in a structural checklist instead see them as tools you can use as you see fit pinch point should be implemented in order to continuously progress your protagonist character arc let's see how pinch points and midpoints can be used according to various character arc types let's take a look at the positive flat and negative arcs first we'll take a look at miles morales positive change arc in spider-man into the spider-verse miles's lie is that he is not special and will never be skillful miles's truth is that in order to be skillful he must embrace what makes him different at the first pinch point this is the first big trial faced by the protagonist where they are confronted with an event that challenges their beliefs and they try to solve it by using their lie and pay a heavy price for it when miles meets peter parker at the collider he is too terrified to help because of miles lack of self-confidence he chooses to play it safe and staying to the side while peter does all the work i should go up there and help him oh my kid and i should not do that because of miles's lack of trust in his own abilities peter parker fails and kingpin murders him get rid of the body at the midpoint this is when the protagonist comes face to face with the truth they lack when escaping the lab with the goober miles is faced with a situation where he must be skillful in order to survive peter b parker teaches miles how to web swing this is the first time in the story when miles is able to trust himself and successfully use his web maybe self-confidence is the only way to success [Music] double tap to release and whip it out again okay swift and release him [Music] at the second pinch point having struggled and seen the truth the protagonist is finally able to apply it on his own and is rewarded for it miles discovers that the prowler is his uncle aaron the prowler chases miles down but miles successfully escapes him by using his newfound abilities [Applause] now let's take a look at diana's flat arc in wonder woman diana believes that humanity albeit flawed is worth fighting for since this is a flat arc her beliefs are challenged but she ultimately holds firmly to her positive view of humanity at the first pinch point this is when the protagonist is uncertain if the truth they hold is capable of defeating the lie when steve and diana tried to warn the british high command about ludendorff and dr poison the commanders refused to listen as a result diana and steve are forced to disobey orders and find their own way to the front in a flat arc the midpoint is less about the main character seeing the truth and more about them showing the truth to the world around them where i come from generals don't hide in their offices like cowards they fight alongside their soldiers they die with them on the battle that's enough you should be ashamed refusing to leave a village to the germans diana reveals her true self and storms no man's land as a result she shows the truth to the rest of the characters and this inspires the british to follow her at the second pinch point this is when the lie-driven antagonist attacks forcing the protagonist to take an increasingly hard decision that cements her belief in the truth steve and diana infiltrate ludendorff's supposedly celebratory gala diana believes ludendorth to be aries when she realizes he is about to test his new gas on a village and diana races off to prevent it let's look at kate's arc and sicario kate starts the story by believing that crime should be stopped through ethical measures she ends the story understanding that justice is not black and white and the world is much more complicated than she realizes at the first pinch point the protagonist uses their lie only to pay a price the team swiftly kills several gunmen and makes it safely back to el paso they are actively committing murder and endangering civilians rattled by the experience kate explodes at matt for dragging her into a mission that she now knows isn't only illegal but morally rotten matt shuts her down humiliating her in the meantime just sponge everything up you see learn that's why you're here tries to act ethically and is silenced and put back in her place at the midpoint this is when the character is faced with the truth but unlike in other arcs does not accept it yet despite the warning given by matt kate disobeys his orders and attempts to pursue manuel diaz through banking activity however her attempts at avoiding illegal measures backfire and she ends up making herself a target kate can no longer deny that her by the book tactics are ineffective however she is not yet fully compelled to join the other side at the second pinch point not having accepted the truth the protagonist only grows frustrated with the new truth and the ineffectiveness of the old lie because cia can't operate within u.s borders without a domestic agency attached i told you'd be useful here matt reveals to kate that the only reason she was ever a part of this entire mission was because matt couldn't operate without an fbi agent attached to the operation kate realizes that she hasn't had any power from the beginning and that her attempts to make this mission legal and by the book were impossible from the start now let's take a look at tyler durden's fall arc and fight club tyler believes that society is crooked and the only way to succeed in it is to adopt nihilism and he has a fall arc he clings to his lie and rejects the truth leading to his eventual demise at the first pinch point this is when the character has glimpses of attempts at following the truth but these are usually ineffective when marla calls for help the call is picked up by tyler tyler goes to milo's apartment takes her to his place and begins a relationship with her for once tyler has an attempt at having a meaningful relationship with someone he has a glimpse at the truth and a chance at dropping his nihilistic views however he doesn't his unwillingness to give up on his nihilistic beliefs only leads him to treat marla like a sex toy marla doesn't need a lover she needs a [ __ ] caseworker need some wash sport [ __ ] at the midpoint this is the first time the character is confronted with the truth but unlike in other arcs they reject the truth and double down on the lie when lou the owner of the bar where fight club is regularly held tells the men to leave tyler is faced with the first big societal opposition to his beliefs what they are doing is illegal and possibly morally wrong but tyler chooses not to leave instead he allows lou to beat him up while laughing hysterically [Laughter] this shows that tyler really does not care about anything this freaks lou out convincing him to allow them to stay you don't know where i've been luke oh my god inspired by the encounter tyler assigns homework to fight club members signaling the expansion of his views to his followers at the second pinch point this is when the character sinks deeper into the lie leading to effective but destructive results tyler begins project mayhem he recruits members of fight club to act as his own personal guerrilla force in increasingly destructive acts of social terrorism the project is successful sparking widespread chaos now we can look at michael corleone's arc and the godfather michael starts his arc by already seeing the truth knowing that there is no necessity for brutality to achieve power and happiness however michael is corrupted resulting in him becoming just as violent as his family at the first pinch point this is when the protagonist is torn between the truth they believe and the lie they will eventually embrace michael takes refuge in sicily hiding from his family's enemies in the states although it is clear that he will never be capable of returning to the life he formerly desires michael has not yet committed himself to the life of a mobster he is caught between worlds that of a regular citizen and that of a cold-blooded mobster at the midpoint the protagonist embraces the lie without rejecting the truth when michael's brother is killed he returns home to take over the leadership of his family he moves from a reactionary role to fully taking an active role in his new corrupted destiny at the second pinch point the protagonist resists the cost that comes with the truth michael goes to vegas and proceeds to build power for himself and his family in their war against the five families michael promises his second wife kaye that he will legitimize the family business here even though michael acts as if he is still a regular citizen he is no longer able to pay the cost that comes with that lifestyle he is no longer refraining from acting unethically or in hunger for power instead he is fully in the life of a mobster [Music] all right you have now learned what pinch points are how they work and various examples of how they can be applied in different character arcs there are a few extra elements i'd like to highlight about pinch points firstly the best pinch points are not simply events that push a character arc but choices made by the protagonist this is because when a character has to choose between their lie and the truth their transition to a new set of beliefs is much stronger than if they simply passively witness an event secondly you can have more than two pinch points in my video on me earl and the dying girl i talk about multiple turning points that serve to transition greg's beliefs you can do the same in your story again pinch points should not be structural beats in the checklist but narrative devices you can use to create as many progressive stepping stones as you need lastly just like the midpoint you can navigate the second act by writing towards the upcoming pinch point as well as reacting off the previous one this makes outlining your story simpler and more intuitive with these tips you can ensure your character is not only progressive but believable and if you are stuck on page 15 of your screenplay and confused as to how to actually get to the end of that first draft without hating every piece of it then i have a video for you to watch that handles the three things you need to actually get that story out onto the page click the first link in the description to watch for free now this video was written by alberto halfeld a member of the practical screenwriting team [Music] you

Channel: Tyler Mowery

Views: 48,210

Keywords: film analysis, movie review, tyler mowery, nerdwriter, lessons from the screenplay, every frame a painting, screenwriting, script breakdown, writing, workshop, writing course, teach screenwriting, oscar best screenplay, film school

Id: sxOcO6mJruI

Length: 15min 25sec (925 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 08 2021