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  MINUTE 42

  SURPRISE REVEAL

  Ally/Hero reveals something surprising

  Our ears perk up when our friends tell us something surprising, don’t they? Same trick works in storytelling, which is used during Minute 42 to reel in the audience. Sometimes the Surprising Reveal is a negative surprise, sometimes positive, as we’ll see in the following examples . . .

  SKYFALL

  Bond’s (wounded) arm gives way while holding onto the elevator.

  THE AVENGERS

  Captain America flings his shield, which strikes Loki.

  THE HANGOVER

  Stu’s stranger-wife gives him a surprise passionate kiss.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Alicia tells John that she tried to count all the stars. She made it to 4,348.

  THE CONJURING

  The oldest daughter shows fear for the first time.

  GONE GIRL

  Nick’s girlfriend shows up at Margo’s place — he’s been having an affair.

  MINUTE 43

  SURPRISE REVEAL 2

  Ally reveals something even more surprising

  What if your friend, who just revealed something surprising to you, followed up with something even more surprising? We’d be riveted and would want to know more. So will the audience. Death, or the mention of possible death, seems to be a popular surprise reveal during Minute 43.

  SKYFALL

  Drawing his Walther PPK, Bond sees the enemy agent cutting a hole in the high rise window.

  THE AVENGERS

  Iron Man’s explosives drive Loki backwards.

  THE HANGOVER

  Stu’s new wife is wearing his grandmother’s Holocaust ring.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Alicia wants John sexually.

  THE CONJURING

  The oldest daughter rolls on the floor as if something is attacking her.

  GONE GIRL

  Nick’s girlfriend is much younger than him.

  MINUTE 44

  NEW NEWS

  Hero reacts to new news

  During this minute the hero either reacts to last minute’s surprise, like Indiana Jones does in Raiders of the Lost Ark (by drinking heavily after Marion’s death), or the hero reacts to new news during this minute, like Don Corleone does in The Godfather when he sees two armed men approaching him. Here’s how our case studies react to New News:

  SKYFALL

  Bond realizes that the enemy agent is going to shoot somebody in the neighboring building. He wonders if he should intervene.

  THE AVENGERS

  After seeing Thor grab Loki, Captain America says: “That guy’s a friendly?”

  THE HANGOVER

  Surprised Stu learns that his new wife is a stripper/escort.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John sees code patterns emerging in the newspapers and magazines.

  THE CONJURING

  Ed reacts to his students’ overwhelming response.

  GONE GIRL

  Nick’s girlfriend takes off her shirt. He starts foreplay.

  MINUTE 45

  OUT OF THE ORDINARY

  Hero does something brave and out of the ordinary for him

  This is the minute we see another side of the hero — something Out of the Ordinary. It’s a moment when the hero shows courage. This moment makes us respect the hero on a subconscious level because we admire people who show this quality. Why? Because stepping out of your comfort zone is extremely difficult to do. If they can do it, maybe the audience can too.

  SKYFALL

  Bond allows the enemy agent to kill his target.

  THE AVENGERS

  Captain America leaps from the plane.

  THE HANGOVER

  Stu waits at the police station to be processed.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John types in the code imbedded in his arm.

  THE CONJURING

  Carolyn attends a ghost hunter talk.

  GONE GIRL

  Amy says that Nick uses her for sex.

  TURNING POINT 45

  Between Minutes 44–47, there’s another big Turning Point. Keep in mind that major Turning Points happen in the middle of the story — Acts 2 and 3 — every fifteen minutes to keep the audience off guard, engaged, and guessing (Minutes 30, 45, 60, and 75).

  Usually someone attacks the hero during this Turning Point, as happens in The Avengers, The Hangover, and A Beautiful Mind, which you’ll see below. Other times something surprising is revealed that will send the hero down a wildly different path, as in The Conjuring and Gone Girl.

  SKYFALL

  Bond witnesses Silva’s henchman assassinate someone important. Bond and the henchman try to kill each other. (Minute 45)

  THE AVENGERS

  Thor shows up in a dramatic lightning storm, attacks the Avengers, and kidnaps Loki. (Minute 45)

  THE HANGOVER

  Cops burst through the door and arrest the guys. (Minute 44)

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John becomes certain that he’s being followed. (Minute 44)

  THE CONJURING

  Lorraine begs the Warrens to come to her house. “I’m so afraid this thing wants to hurt us,” she pleads. It’s the first time the Warrens and Lorraine meet. This meeting will change the course of both their lives. (Minute 46)

  GONE GIRL

  Nick has sex with a young student whom he’s been secretly dating. (Minute 44)

  MINUTE 46

  THE REVELATION

  Something significant is revealed

  Revelations, doled out bit by bit, are like clues left on a trail leading somewhere interesting for the audience. The Revelation comes in four different forms during Minute 46: 1) Revelations that rock the hero’s world; 2) Revelations about the ally; 3) Revelations about the hero; 4) Revelations about the bad guy.

  SKYFALL

  The woman in the other room has seen Bond.

  THE AVENGERS

  Loki tells Thor: “I remember a shadow. Living in the shade of your greatness.”

  THE HANGOVER

  A cop reveals that they found the guys’ Mercedes parked in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Someone drives by and looks at John. They are watching him.

  THE CONJURING

  Carolyn tells Ed and Lorraine: “I have five daughters who are scared to death.”

  GONE GIRL

  Amy tells Nick she wants a baby.

  MINUTE 47

  THE ESCORT

  Ally takes, or will take, the hero somewhere

  One of the functions of the ally, especially during Minute 47, is to lead the hero somewhere. This action drives the hero, and the story, forward into fresh territories, like in Jaws when Hooper takes Brody out into the ocean at night, or in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Sallah says he will take Indy to the old man, and in The Matrix when Tank says he will take Neo to his training.

  SKYFALL

  Bond finds a clue that will lead him closer to the list.

  THE AVENGERS

  Iron Man forces Thor away from Loki.

  THE HANGOVER

  The cop tells the guys that he will take them to see the judge Monday morning.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Alicia takes John on a picnic.

  THE CONJURING

  Carolyn takes Lorraine to meet her daughters.

  GONE GIRL

  Detective James accompanies Detective Rhonda into a crack area.

  MINUTE 48

  NEEDED KNOWLEDGE

  Ally gives/shows hero needed knowledge

  The next three minutes are devoted to giving the hero knowledge. The knowledge the ally gives the hero (and the audience) during Minute 48 aids the hero’s goal or situation, or shows him what he needs to do next. You’ll also notice that during these three minutes the knowledge becomes more and more ominous as the minutes progress . . .

  SKYFALL

  M says: “(The hacker has) posted the first five names. Get them out now.”
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  THE AVENGERS

  Iron Man tells Thor: “He (Loki) gives up the cube, he’s all yours.”

  THE HANGOVER

  Stu asks Phil: “What are you getting at?” Phil tries to get them out of their situation with the cops.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Alicia kisses John — she accepts him for who he is.

  THE CONJURING

  Rogers tells Ed that the banging noises come in threes. Ed says it’s an insult to the trinity.

  GONE GIRL

  Crack addict/informant tells Detective Rhonda that Amy wanted a gun.

  MINUTE 49

  FOREBODING FACT

  Hero is given more knowledge/warning, often ominous

  During this minute, a dark undertone accompanies the Needed Knowledge the hero learned in the previous minute. For example, during Minute 49 in The Godfather, Tom is told that Don Corleone is dead. In Forrest Gump, Forrest discovers that Lt. Dan is wounded.

  Here are the Foreboding Facts in our case studies:

  SKYFALL

  Eve tells Bond that the enemy has broken the encryption. British agents’ lives are in danger.

  THE AVENGERS

  Iron Man turns Thor’s power against him.

  THE HANGOVER

  The cop tasers Stu.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  Charles tells John that his sister died in a car crash.

  THE CONJURING

  Lorraine hears screaming noises in the basement.

  GONE GIRL

  Margo saw Nick with the young girl and calls him a fuckin’ idiot.

  MINUTE 50

  THE PORTENT

  Something potentially deadly is seen or explained

  Portent means: An indication that something calamitous may occur. The knowledge given during this minute is laced with possible danger or even death. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sallah spots the dead monkey and catches the poisoned date before Indy eats it. In Little Miss Sunshine, the literary agent informs Richard that his book deal fell through — his dream is dead. In Juno, Juno tells us that Paulie’s mom doesn’t like her (deadly to her and Paulie’s relationship).

  SKYFALL

  Bond hands Eve his razor.

  THE AVENGERS

  Captain America strikes Thor in the head with his shield.

  THE HANGOVER

  The boy who Alan kicked at earlier volunteers to taser him.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John asks Charles if he should marry Alicia. “How do you know for sure?”

  THE CONJURING

  April tells Lorraine that something bad happened to her imaginary friend Rory.

  GONE GIRL

  Margo tells Nick that he’s “a liar and a cheat just like Dad.”

  MINUTE 51

  THE ENGAGE

  Hero and/or ally engage the enemy, the enemy intimidates the hero

  Now that the hero has his knowledge, or has been warned, the enemy shows up — I call the moment The Engage. It’s where they mix it up for a bit, like fighters in a ring feeling each other out, testing each other’s endurance for the remaining rounds. And the enemy shows up for the next three minutes:

  SKYFALL

  Bond looks at the dragon he’s about to enter.

  THE AVENGERS

  Loki grins at Banner.

  THE HANGOVER

  The cop tasers Alan until he collapses.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John is late again for dinner. Alicia glares at him.

  THE CONJURING

  Lorraine sees a ghost in the mirror.

  GONE GIRL

  Margo shows Nick the TV news, which makes him out to be a bad guy.

  MINUTE 52

  SAY UNCLE

  Pressure is applied to the hero or ally

  When I was a kid, bullies would seize weaker classmates, put them into headlocks, and make them to say “Uncle” before releasing them. The phrase originated from the similar sounding Irish word “anacol,” which means “an act of mercy or quarter.” The experience was always humiliating for the victim. That’s why the phrase is fitting for Minute 52. Not only does the enemy intimidate the hero in the previous minute, now he almost defeats him, which draws even more sympathy from the audience.

  SKYFALL

  Bond tells Eve over his headset: “I’ve got three exits, lots of blind spots.”

  THE AVENGERS

  Loki tells Fury: “It burns you to have come so close . . . to have the Tesseract; to have power.”

  THE HANGOVER

  Grief overcomes Alan because Doug might be dead.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John wants to ask Alicia to marry him, but the notion unsettles him.

  THE CONJURING

  Lorraine sees a dead body dangling behind Ed (which overwhelms her).

  GONE GIRL

  The TV show host calls Nick a sociopath, which stuns him.

  MINUTE 53

  THE INTIMIDATION

  Enemy intimidates hero

  In the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, the Philistine’s nine-foot-tall super-soldier stood on the opposing hillside and hurled taunts at the much smaller Israelite soldiers. He did this to intimidate them; to show them who’s boss. The bad guy uses this same intimidation against the hero during Minute 53. And sometimes the bad guy is simply life.

  SKYFALL

  The bodyguard stares at Bond.

  THE AVENGERS

  Thor tells The Avengers that Loki has an army.

  THE HANGOVER

  A man leaps out of the trunk and attacks Phil.

  A BEAUTIFUL MIND

  John weighs Alicia’s data and wonders if he should marry her, or if she will marry him.

  THE CONJURING

  Lorraine tells Roger and Carolyn that a dark entity has latched onto their family and is feeding off them.

  GONE GIRL

  A detective states that it’s Amy’s blood all over the kitchen.

  MINUTE 54

  THE LIGHTBULB

  New positive or negative revelation is made

  Another revelation is made during this minute — a lightbulb blinks on in the mind. The lightbulb will either illuminate something positive or negative. Whichever one it is, you must reveal something here to keep the audience interested in your story, as in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy discovers that the sun’s rays work through the medallion (positive revelation), or when Jester surprises Maverick with an unexpected attack in Top Gun (negative revelation).