going at the end of Act I, spinning the action around in another direction. Now there’s
no turning back for the hero.- In Act II new information is coming out. Our hero keeps revising his plan because
it’s not working. A high point is likely about halfway through the script. Everything
looks good for the hero, and it appears that he’ll attain his goal. But the hero has a
defeat or apparent defeat, giving the villain or antagonist an advantage. This starts
the downward slide for the hero. - There’s another turning point toward the end of Act II, spinning the action around
again. - The major crisisis the lowest point in the story for the hero. It’s the reverse of what
the hero wants. Often it’s here that he’s faced with his critical choice (whether to go
after the gold in the chest that’s nearing the edge of the falls or to save his best friend).
This crisis might be the turning point at the end of Act II (more likely in a feature),
but it can’t come too soon or the third act will drag. If the major crisis is at the end
of Act II, it requires a short third act. - In Act III the hero comes back and tries harder. This is the biggest battle. It’s best
when it’s a physical battle and a battle of values. The hero wins! This is the climax!
Everything must build to this point. - Resolution. Wrap up quickly.
This method works best for longer material: a feature or an hour or at least a half-hour
story. It works best when you want more character, more plot, and less belly laughs. The
steps are general, a structure to work toward. Your story may be slightly different.
Second Method
This method is the same as the first method, but if you don’t yet know your characters, the
steps will be in a different order. Here you may want to start with the theme or lesson that
your protagonist is going to learn—what the story is really about, the second bullet in the
first method. Then go to back to the first bullet: Create a protagonist or hero that can best
benefit and learn from that theme and an antagonist that is best suited to fight or oppose
that theme and that hero.
Third Method
Some longer stories have all the elements of the previous, but they have more than one plot:
an A-plotand a B-plot, and sometimes even a C-plot. The B-plot is a subplot that compli-
cates the main plot or places an obstacle in its way. One plot may be an action plot and the
other a character-driven plot. The character plot may revolve around the hero, and the action
plot may revolve around the villain. Both plots must advance the story. The subplot must
Basic Animation Writing Structure 113