Christopher Straker: Screenwriter in Southampton, United Kingdom.

First, word of caution: not every script must be a “save the cat” copy. That said, fun and games are the promise of your movie. You shouldn’t need to get through it. They’re supposed to be fun, in the way you promised us. This will change in the middle point, but now it’s time to see the feature as announced. If it is a pirate movie, that’s the time where they will set sails and rob the ships. If it is a race movie, show us some races, motors and cars. War movie? Time to have battles and explosions. Romance? Kisses, love and a good view of those gorgeous, sexy actors that give life to your story. That’s the point you’ll do what your movie is about, what the viewers are already expecting, before you launch us in a different, unexpected direction, in the middle point. That’s the point of the story where you give the fans what they want.

the fun and games section can be where the main characters do something fun for themselves from ball room dancing to a montage of them painting with another character. you might like to make a list of things my character can do or wouldn't be expect to do and put this into your fun and games section.

Check out John Truby's 22 Building Blocks. Or you could switch from Blake Snyder to the 8-Sequence System in scriptoutliner dot com

Hi Scott.

Chris, screenwriter since 2013 with some educational background . Completing an MFA in screenwriting (final project due March 2019). I run a writer's group across the waves and have recently set up a meetup group in Southampton.

So you're looking to build a writer's group?

Chris

I would like to ether build one or join an existing one. My aim is to find writers with interests in my genres, mainly dark urban fiction, and feedback support each other so we can all rise up together. This can be a physical or online group.

Hey, Scott, welcome. I write screenplays, novels, and have taken on the challenge of creating my own streaming series. This is a great platform and everyone here loves to help one another. We're all just a message away :)

Thanks for the kind words, Everybody! It just takes one yes in a sea of NO.

Congrats. I'm on that same list, too.

Congrats, Bill. What category?

What Erik Jacobsen said. Equilibrium is essentially the establishment of a "new normal" - that doesn't mean "happy" necessarily. But as Laura Scheiner said, it needs to be emotionally satisfying. And what is or is not "emotionally satisfying" depends on the specific genre. A mystery that doesn't find the killer isn't satisfying. A "romance" where the hero dies or the couple otherwise don't get together isn't emotionally satisfying(and no, romeo and juliet is not a romance; it's a tragedy ... and in that context, it is emotionally satisfying.).

Oh no! Not another theory to worry about! I'd squeeze Todorov in my toolbox but Syd Field and Joe Campbell might get testy.

One person's miserable ending is another's happy ending.

An example to me is "A walk on the moon" with Viggo Mortensen & Diane Lane.

Indiscretion, cheating and lying to a spouse was the theme to some.

Finding sexual satisfaction, a moment of carefree-happiness was the theme to others.

It's pretty hard to get a definition "happily ever after" anymore. Things don't really work that way these days.

I would argue that the more important issue is the ending has to stay true to the script. And the script has to connect with the audience - whomever that may be... Men, women, children, those that want to be happy, sad, frightened.... There's a movie for everyone.

http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/how-filmmakers-connect-with-audienc...