How To: Write the Action/Adventure Screenplay: Act 2

So our GUY has traded wallets with a  gangster, met a beautiful Grocery Store cashier, and used the Gangsters credit card. 

Act 2

   Now that GUY has used the gangster's credit card, this is a great time to show MUGGER (the villain). Let's say some things about MUGGER in the following scene. Lets say we want MUGGER to live with his mother perhaps he has an alcohol problem.  I always like to portray my villains as losers, because it is only natural that losers lose.  However, you can do just about anything with your characters. The matter of who is the Hero or the Villain in the story is simply a matter of who we follow, PROTAGONIST, and who tries to stop him, ANTAGONIST. You could even have your hero destroy some wildlife in order to build a mall. Hero builds mall, environmentalists try to stop them but fail, Hero wins, even if what the Hero is trying to do is wrong. That is why it is important in Act 2 to develop both the Protagonist and the Antagonist. 

So MUGGER is a loser gangster wannabe who lives with his mom and GUY is an average Joe trying to get laid. Fair enough. Once you have this communicated to the audience, the fundamental changes must begin in the Protagonist for the story to be meaningful. So GUY is simple he only wants some food to feed himself and a woman to please, if only for a short while. Through dialogue you can present this in any number of ways. Say a friend wants to start a business but GUY is pleased with his position in life, no sense in rocking the boat. He wants to get laid, but he needs no relationship. That is GUY in simplest form. Say he takes the girl on a date, and again through dialogue and interaction we learn about each character. GUY is asked about his aspirations by the girl and he says he is fine where he is. Unless you are writing a mystery, when a question is asked, answer the question. Lets say GUY wants to be a lawyer secretly. He confides in this young lady. (Character reveals himself, opens up). Note that, Man vs Woman is very easy to pull off as a writer, since both men and women choose each other totally at random, almost anything works. One thing I like to remember is "If he isnt going to chase her, Im not putting her in the story" AND VICE VERSA. Don't get carried away, "Hey" "Hey" "Dinner" Get to the point with these things when you are writing. Women like assertive types anyway. If she is not the main girl, you wouldn't have written about her. Remember, in a story we are writing about a specific event, occurance, Adventure. etc. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Time for that adventure. Once you have made a backdrop, it is time to get to the adventure. You can place action and adventure in Act 1, in fact I recommend it, but it is not crucial to the story to do so. Well we have GUY a CHICK and a MUGGER. Lets do this. MUGGERS momma yells at him because her credit card was used. He grabs his knife and begins searching the town. BINGO He finds GUY walking with CHICK down the street. He texts his BUDDY "Yes, im getting Lucky" and BOOM, MUGGER hits GUY barely misses CHICK. CHICK helps GUY escape. Nice time for your chase scene. MUGGER crashes car, then says something ominous like "You messed with the wrong guy." Foreshadow, END ACT II

So remember Act 2 is about developing the characters and then getting the ball rolling. You had Act 1 to set the tempo but now you have kick it up a notch and really hammer out the development of your main characters as well as your story.

Hope this one was helpful.