Beat by Beat Page 11
SKYFALL
Bond learns that Silva is headed toward the courthouse to kill M. (Minute 91)
THE AVENGERS
Thor is unable to lift his hammer. (Minute 91)
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John has secretly stopped taking his medication. (Minute 90)
THE CONJURING
Possessed Carolyn drives her daughter back toward the evil house. (Minute 90)
GONE GIRL
Tanner Bolt arrives in Missouri to help Nick avoid the death penalty. (Minute 90)
MINUTE 91
SUFFER THE WEAK
Hero or ally expresses weakness
When we see someone we care about suffering, or they are brave enough to tell you their weakness, we pity or sympathize with them. We’ve all had those moments of suffering and weakness and can relate. So it is with the characters we’ve been watching on the screen . . .
SKYFALL
Scared M learns Silva has escaped.
THE AVENGERS
Thor can’t pick up his hammer.
THE HANGOVER
Melissa yanks open Stu’s mouth. Stu says: “Ow.”
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John’s paranoia returns because he hasn’t been taking his pills.
THE CONJURING
Ed tells Lorraine: “I can’t lose you.”
GONE GIRL
Nick tells Tanner Bolt: “She’s taking me on a tour of my infidelities, rubbing my nose in it.”
MINUTE 92
HUGS AND KISSES
Hero and ally/love interest show affection
The hero and ally have been through hell the last fifteen minutes, and as a result they’ve grown closer and will show affection toward each other in the next two minutes. Here’s how our case studies hug and kiss during Minute 92:
SKYFALL
Tanner supports M during the Prime Minister’s attack.
THE AVENGERS
Black Widow tells Hawkeye: “You’re going to be alright.”
THE HANGOVER
Stu and Alan join forces against Melissa.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John tells Parcher that Dr. Rosen said he (Parcher) is not real.
THE CONJURING
Lorraine reaches out her arms to help Roger’s daughter.
GONE GIRL
Nick and Tanner Bolt help each other build a case against Amy.
MINUTE 93
HUGS AND KISSES 2
Hero and ally express even greater affection
The hero and ally continue their affection toward each other during Minute 93, like when Quint, Brody, and Hooper laugh and sing together in Jaws, or when Maverick says he’s “not leaving without my wingman” in Top Gun, or in The Sixth Sense when Malcolm sits beside the sleeping Anna and talks lovingly to her.
SKYFALL
Mallory sticks up for M.
THE AVENGERS
Hawkeye thanks Black Widow.
THE HANGOVER
Stu and the guys do a group hug.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John tells Alicia that he’ll draw the baby’s bath, which makes her smile.
THE CONJURING
Lorraine, Ed, and Roger try to help Carolyn.
GONE GIRL
Nick and Tanner Bolt discuss protecting Margo the accomplice.
MINUTE 94
THE AGGRESSOR
Hero or bad guy shows aggression
As mentioned earlier, we gave the hero and the ally — and the audience — an emotional breather for a couple minutes. But now the action kicks in again as the bad guy shows aggression . . .
SKYFALL
Silva blows out the wall behind Bond.
THE AVENGERS
Hawkeye says: “If I put an arrow in Loki’s eye socket I’d feel better.”
THE HANGOVER
Phil gives Doug’s marriage “six months.” Stu calls Phil a dick. The End
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Alicia sees that John’s paranoia has returned.
THE CONJURING
Lorraine yells at Ed: “I’m not leaving!”
GONE GIRL
Amy says: “I’m not the asshole,” and strikes the ball hard.
MINUTE 95
THE SEPARATION
Hero and ally separate
The Separation is another trick writers have up their coffee-stained sleeves. Separation creates a longing because we immediately desire for the separated parties to be reunited. It’s an unresolved issue that must be followed up on somehow. Here’s how our case studies create separations, either physically or emotionally:
SKYFALL
Silva climbs the ladder away from Bond.
THE AVENGERS
Black Widow wants to fight Loki, but Hawkeye doesn’t want her to be part of a war.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Alicia runs from John.
THE CONJURING
Lorraine leaves Ed to get the book.
GONE GIRL
Amy’s new neighbor (now the aggressor) teases Amy and heads back to her cabin.
MINUTE 96
DEATH AND DYING
Some kind of death is shown or expressed
Showing or speaking about death always grabs attention, that’s why it’s used a few times during a movie. Death and Dying are primal. Death threatens our very existence. Death supercharges our fight or flight response . . .
SKYFALL
Silva’s men kill the security guards.
THE AVENGERS
Stark and Captain America talk about Coulson’s death.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Parcher tells John that countless people will die.
THE CONJURING
Crows slam into the house.
GONE GIRL
Tanner Bolt tells Margo: “(Nick will be) a trained monkey who doesn’t get a lethal injection.”
MINUTE 97
TAPING THE KNUCKLES
Hero prepares for, or heads toward, the battle place
Football players strap on their helmets . . . boxers tape their knuckles . . . soldiers load their rifles as they prep for the battle place. Anticipation fills the air as the hero prepares himself for the Big Showdown . . .
SKYFALL
Bond runs toward Silva.
THE AVENGERS
Captain America tells Black Widow: “Time to go.” — They’re heading to Stark’s building where Loki will be.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John battles his imaginary friends.
THE CONJURING
Ed asks everyone to hold Carolyn still.
GONE GIRL
Nick and Tanner Bolt prepare to go on nationwide TV to discuss Nick’s infidelity.
MINUTE 98
KISS OR SPIT
Hero or bad guy shows aggression/affection
The story can go two different ways in the next three minutes. If the movie is ending here on an upbeat note, the hero shows affection (kiss). If not, aggression is shown (spits), which continues the story in most cases.
SKYFALL
Silva shoots at M (Spits).
THE AVENGERS
Captain America marches toward the plane, ready to fight (Spits).
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John prevents Alicia from driving (Spits).
THE CONJURING
The demon shrieks at Ed (Spits).
GONE GIRL
Amy’s new neighbors force their way into her cabin (Spits)
MINUTE 99
KISS OR SPIT 2
Hero or bad guy shows even more aggression/affection
The hero or villain kiss or spit even more during this minute, like when the Green Goblin drops Mary Jane (Spit), or in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy beats up a German soldier and steals his clothes (Spit), or when Forrest shows affection toward Bubba’s mother by giving her money in Forrest Gump (Kiss).
SKYFALL
Bond tells M (in the back seat) that it’s time to “get out in front; change the game.” (Kiss)
THE AVENGERS
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John refuses to take meds again (Spits).
THE CONJURING
The demon turns Carolyn upside-down (Spits).
GONE GIRL
Amy’s neighbor attacks her (Spits).
MINUTE 100
KISS OR SPIT 3
Hero and/or bad guy show even greater aggression/affection
And the kissing and spitting continues for another minute. In The Matrix, Neo and Trinity shoot the security guards (Spit). In Pulp Fiction, Butch knocks out The Gimp (Spit). In Top Gun, the Chief shakes Maverick’s hand and smiles (Kiss).
SKYFALL
Bond orders M to get in (Spits/Kiss).
THE AVENGERS
Loki tells Stark that his army is coming (Spits).
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John yells at Dr. Rosen (Spits).
THE CONJURING
The demon tells Roger that Carolyn is “already gone.” (Spits)
GONE GIRL
Amy’s new neighbors steal her money (Spits).
MINUTE 101
DEEPER DEEPER
Hero heads deeper into trouble
The deeper the hero goes, the deeper into trouble he gets. The deeper into trouble he gets, the more the audience gnaws on their nails, wanting to see how he’ll get out of it, like in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy follows the Nazis deeper into the mountains, or in Jaws when the shark pulls the crew further out to sea.
SKYFALL
M asks: “Where are we going?” “Back in time,” Bond responds.
THE AVENGERS
Stark tells Loki: “There’s no version of this where you come out on top.”
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John tells Alicia: “I will try to figure this out.”
THE CONJURING
Ed climbs deeper into the house after Carolyn.
GONE GIRL
Nick rehearses in St. Louis for his nationwide TV interview.
MINUTE 102
THE BLOW-UP
There’s an emotional or physical blow-up
And there’s bound to be a Blow-Up the deeper into enemy territory the hero goes. The villain feels threatened and retaliates. It’s inevitable. Nothing like a physical or emotional blast to jar the audience, which is Minute 102’s purpose . . .
SKYFALL
Mallory walks in on Q and Tanner breaking MI6 rules.
THE AVENGERS
Iron Man’s beam strikes Loki.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John’s life and family have been destroyed because of his illness.
THE CONJURING
Carolyn violently throws up.
GONE GIRL
Amy calls her creepy ex-boyfriend for help.
MINUTE 103
THE BLOW
Hero or bad guy administers some sort of blow
Another Blow follows the previous minute’s blast. The one-two punch, as it were. Again, this can be a physical blow or an emotional blow, as we see in Spider-Man when the Green Goblin strikes Spidey hard with his foot, or when Han says he’s not going to help the cause (an emotional blow to Luke) in Star Wars.
SKYFALL
“How old were you when they died?” M asks. “You know the answer to that,” Bond replies coldly.
THE AVENGERS
Iron Man blows up the approaching enemy.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John doesn’t know what else to do.
THE CONJURING
Ed and Lorraine defeat the demon and restore Roger and Carolyn’s family.
GONE GIRL
Nick’s college girlfriend makes a nationwide TV statement about her affair with Nick.
MINUTE 104
THE UPPER HAND
Hero or bad guy gets the upper hand in an aggressive manner
The phrase “The Upper Hand” evolved when kids gathered to pick sides for sandlot baseball games. To decide who chooses first, one team captain would toss the other captain a baseball bat. The two captains then took turns gripping the bat one fist over the other until there was no more room at the top. The last one to fully grip the bat’s handle had control, or “The Upper Hand.” The hero and the bad guy play this same game, but for much higher stakes during this minute.
SKYFALL
Bond forces M to go with him to Skyfall.
THE AVENGERS
Loki’s beam strikes Thor.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Alicia tells John: “I need to believe that something extraordinary is possible.”
THE CONJURING
Ed tells the doubters in the final title: “The fairy tale is true. The devil exists.”
The End
GONE GIRL
Amy’s mother decries Nick on nationwide TV.
MINUTE 105
THE DECEIT
Deceit is shown or expressed
Deceit works well three ways. If it is against the hero, we hold our breath and anticipate what’s going to happen next; if it’s against the bad guy, we cheer; if it’s against us, the audience, we silently applaud the storyteller for getting one over on us . . .
SKYFALL
Someone’s been hiding in the house.
THE AVENGERS
Thor tackles Loki — he wasn’t as wounded as he appeared to be.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
John shows up unannounced at Hansen’s office.
GONE GIRL
Nick stares at the interviewer, acting calm and collected.
TURNING POINT 105
If your story is continuing, another major Turning Point happens between Minutes 104–106. In fact, as I mentioned in this book’s opening pages, if you want to expand your story indefinitely, simply add a big Turning Point every fifteen minutes — a Turning Point that will take some doing for the hero to unravel or resolve. This is a longtime secret trick writers use to extend any story, a trick you can use at Minute 120 to keep the story going if the story requires it, and again at Minutes 135 and 150 and so on . . .
SKYFALL
Bond discovers that Kincade, the groundskeeper, still works at Skyfall. He can help them fight Silva. (Minute 105)