
Write a Script in 10 Weeks

Syd Field says the midpoint is where the protagonist seems furthest from fulfilling the dramatic need or objective.
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
If your stakes all feel a bit pointless and random, consider this – have you raised the stakes for your antagonist too?
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
the hurdles don’t hurt the protagonist, they aren’t strong enough.
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
A story’s theme is dramatised through the protagonist’s choices and behaviour, affecting how the story is resolved in a positive or negative manner.
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
The midpoint is a useful place in your script to raise the stakes and jeopardy beyond a point of no return; to ensure something happens to compel the protagonist further so they can't back down. Up until now, the hero has had the inciting incident (will they/won't they get involved in the story?) and the end of act one (they decide to actively solv
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TV STORY SHAPE Once you nail your core concept, you're ready to tackle the story shape for the pilot episode. In TV, this is pretty straightforward: a teaser and four acts. The teaser is usually something dramatic or intriguing to pull the audience in. The first act develops the situation (the cops discover the murder) and ends on a story developme
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This is identifying what the protagonist stands to lose if he doesn’t take part in the story.
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR THE STORY?
Tim Clague • Write a Script in 10 Weeks
It's about clarity of story purpose: what is your story ultimately about? What is it trying to say? And how is it saying it through the protagonist's experience and ultimate story outcome?