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Every screenplay needs an attention-grabbing beginning and a satisfying ending, but those elements are nothing without a strong, well-crafted middle.
The second act is where most of the action is: where your characters grow, change and overcome the obstacles that will bring them to the resolution at the end of the story. Naturally, it’s also the hardest act to write and where most screenplays tend to lose momentum and focus.
Author Michael Halperin helps you slay the dragon with Writing the Second Act, designed especially for helping screenwriters through that crucial 60-page stretch. Structural elements and plot devices are discussed in detail, as well as how to keep the action moving and the characters evolving while keeping the audience completely absorbed in and entertained by your story.
What people say
“Michael Halperin’s second work on screenwriting is a welcome event. No screenplay writer, director, film executive or college instructor should miss the opportunity to study this remarkable book on the most crucial element of film structure. His insights and deep knowledge of the subject illuminates this most dreaded part of screenwriting: the second act. I can’t think of another book published in the past decade that deals so succinctly and wisely with this difficult and delicate subject, that explains the pitfalls and the dangers filmmakers encounter in the process of writing and directing.”
George Kaczender,
Director, Canadian Academy Award Recipient
“If you want to be a success in movies, you’d better buy this book. And I don’t even get a percentage.”
Graham Masterton,
Novelist and author: The Chosen Child, Spirit, Black Angel