Screenwriting Structure Part 18 Complications and Higher Stakes
Everyone says this is the hardest part of the screenplay to write.
I respectfully disagree.
As long as you’ve done your homework.
Now of course prior to the mid point, we’ve HOPEFULLY already had complications and higher stakes but now we’re into the home stretch… We’ve got to have more and even though this is arguable, my opinion is that they are much more important NOW than they were earlier.
Before we get into that however, let’s understand the definition of complication:
complication: Something that introduces, usually unexpectedly, some difficulty, problem, change, etc.
You’ve got to remember that. Too many screenplays just don’t do this ENOUGH. The complications just aren’t there or if and when they are, they just aren’t strong enough to keep us interested in how the Protagonist overcomes them on the way to accomplishing his or her goal.
Higher stakes are a little trickier to pin down because they really need to be comensurate with your Protagonist’s want and or need and specifically related to his or her character makeup. This again, is where screenplays tend not to contain the necessary goods i.e., the stakes simply are not HIGH ENOUGH and or they’re not well suited for the Protagonist you’ve given us.
Another problem higher stakes presents…
What set of stakes at what time? What may be higher stakes to YOU may not be higher stakes to me. You’d think this would be cut and dried but it ain’t…
So what do you do?
Make it obvious.
In other words, out of your list of ever increasing higher stakes, map out the pecking order of that list so YOU absolutely fucking know which stake is higher than the stake preceding it.
I guess we should read the definition of stakes just in case…
stakes:
Okay… That’s what stakes are. Something at risk. Could be death, reputation, prison, money, etc. Of course we already know what “higher” means but just in case you need a refresher…
higher: Far or farther from a reference point.
So let’s take it to the extreme for a minute… What if in your story, all that was ever at risk was money? Let’s take it a little further and say that the amount of money at risk gets higher as we progress through the story.
Certainly one could say that this story contains higher stakes since the amount of money keeps increasing but if your story doesn’t have that much to do with the world of money, OR if you’ve not set the stage of your story so that the increasing amounts of money makes sense for your Protagonist to place himself or herself at risk for, then you’re probably veering off track.
In other words, increasing amounts of money at risk makes perfect sense in a movie like WALL STREET but would it make as much sense in a movie like I AM LEGEND?
All I’m saying is to make sure the stakes make sense. They need to be stakes that MATTER to your Protagonist. That doesn’t mean you should force your story so that your Protagonist cares about the stakes. The stakes must be comensurate to the Protagonist’s character. Indiana Jones doesn’t really care about money as much as he cares about the item he’s looking for and the people giving him a hand.
Even Bud Fox in WALL STREET topped out on the money when he realized Gecko was simply going to bankrupt the airline and put it out of business. At that point, money no longer mattered to him.
I can’t tell you how many of us get this WRONG. A lot of us. Remember, more complications and higher stakes is what a lot of your story is going to be about… And even more important in the last half of your story so make sure the stakes increase but even more important than that, MAKE SENSE.
Unk
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25 Responses to “Screenwriting Structure Part 18 Complications and Higher Stakes”
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This is a critical issue but not always that easy to attend to. Personally I welcome seeking a shift in the stakes element. In other words, unless (as you point out) if money is truly at the heart of the film, that its not just money that increases but there is a shift say from material stakes to personal ones. Would you say that is generally the case (with notable exceptions)? That the stakes shift from losing property or money to losing say credibility, respect etc?
I noticed elsewhere you spoke of 7-8 ‘adventures’ that the protagonist needs to face. I read that and thought..heck!..but stakes and adventures are really one and the same? I actually find it easier to see increasing tension points when I write an idea out as a short story. This said, I am now more critically aware of what a short story does NOT contain that an outline needs to.
But the overall building of tension really takes craft because I have seen a number of awful scripts where that tension was generated via ‘convenience’ and don’t you think convenience generally comes across so very badly in anything bar comedies?
“I cannot get into this door and they are chasing me. If I can only get through the door I will be saved. Oh. Oh. What can I do. Oh! Here, in this disused factory abandoned in 1943 is the door key under the mat!”
That is probably not the best example but I’m sure you know what I mean. :)
Susan,
I think you’re talking about the 4 Act Structure document I shared with you. That’s completely different and separate from this series on structure.
All I’m covering HERE is what I absolutely believe should be in every screenplay that anyone sits down to write.
And I should add to this that I am talking about specs… Once you are a sold screenwriter, certainly you can do whatever you want… LOL.
The 7 or 8 success/failure reversals mentioned in the document are simply there for reference. When I created that document, I had absolutely no intention of sharing it with anyone. As I went on in my attempts to explain structure to different screenwriters over the years, I ended up sharing that document so they understood MORE of what I was talking about.
Having said that… The document has been used in so many different ways… I personally use it as nothing more than a reference sheet and brainstorming tool so as I create a very short outline of my story, I use the document to remind me of story elements and their APPROXIMATE placement within the story.
Nothing more.
What the document is NOT is a list of everything that should be in a screenplay although some screenwriters I’ve given it to try to do exactly that with it.
Which is fine.
However you can get it to work for you is fine. Again, I just use it to map out my story and then it’s my characters that really create the overall structure.
The point of my post is that the increasing stakes need to matter to the Protagonist. Yes, they can absolutely change throughout the story to anything you want as long as it makes sense. Present a new set of circumstances and a completely different set of stakes are now at risk.
However…
The real point here is that the stakes need to INCREASE. That’s where it gets DICEY. That’s where it gets TRICKY. You may have a Protagonist escape death early on and by the end of the story, all that’s at risk is his reputation or maybe a prison sentence. On the face of what I just wrote, it might not seem like those stakes increase but properly set up — they could very easily increase.
I understand what you’re saying about TENSION and you can definitely proceed this way if it works for YOU.
Tension to me is defined as:
Hope vs. Fear = UNCERTAINTY = TENSION
What the audience HOPES will happen vs. what the audience FEARS will happen makes the audience UNCERTAIN what will happen.
Otherwise known as TENSION.
I find what’s easier for me is to actually come up with complications that increase what’s at stake for the Protagonist. Then I try to tweak that complication and stakes to create tension.
I progress this way INSTEAD of trying to figure out tension points. I’m not saying that creating tension points doesn’t work — it could easily work for you and if it does — stick to it!
However, for me personally, I find that coming up with new and different complications and increasing the stakes via those complications help keeps me away from cliché country.
But that’s just me…
Unk
I will point out that I’m not using a 4 act structure as such. I started learning with 3 act and find it easier, however, this said, I find multiple elements of what you gave me extremely useful. I have the doco on my table and often pick it up and re-read a section and think about the salient points. It does help with that long Act 2.
I absolutely agree re complications and that’s what I am doing – allowing tension to emerge from management of a complication. Perhaps within the orbit of this topic we can mention SURPRISE. I love twists and turns and those lend to uncertainty also. Tension arises as you say, if you tweak well.
I think, in my simple way, that tension really has to get on a roll from the II. There is a small break or breather after that (or so I see it) but from the Act 1 turning point you really need to canter and then break into a gallop and ultimately race for the ribbon.
Hi Unk,
This is fantastic. Very Helpful.
I recall 4 years ago I paid this “reviewer” big money to give me notes on my script.
And he said that my script lacked “high stakes” but he did not give me any notes on how create or understand “complications” in a story. Instead I got 5 pages of examples from all these unrelated Academy Award movies. And they were movies from the 70s????
Thanks Unk for this fantastic posting. Very helpful. Good notes.
Cheers!
I miss the PDF button at the top of your posts.
Susan — Two quick things:
1) There always needs to tension in every scene, regardless of the stakes. Rising stakes doesn’t factor in to that.
Yes, going from a guy sitting alone in a room doing nothing, to a guy sitting alone in a room with a gun pointed at him is raising the stakes –
– but that guy shouldn’t be sitting in a room alone to begin with.
2) Raising the stakes is not necessarily surprise.
Let’s take a quick look at INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.
Indy’s quest is — to save his father. He refuses to pursue the grail throughout the ENTIRE movie. The only reason he goes on the journey is because his father, who was seeking the grail, has become lost. Indy goes to find him.
What propels the final act, and actually gives Indy motivation to pursue the grail is –
Donovan SHOOTS his father. “Only the healing power of the Grail can save your father, now.”
That is raising the stakes. Indy’s choice is to work for the bad guys or let his father die.
Many, many, many, many, many current / modern movies are missing this step. This final raising of the stakes is what propels your final act. It makes the audience want to see the end.
Don’t we all know Indy is going to be triumphant? In the end, he is going to save the day and win.
Isn’t it great when he succeeds?
Why, do some movies work when others fall flat, even when it feels like they are hitting all the right steps with the plot and characters?
Answer: Because they are missing this step. They didn’t raise the stakes to propel the last act.
Look at INDY IV –
It’s horrible. Are the stakes ever raised? Hell, are there even stakes? Nothing is ever at risk for Indy in Indy IV and the movie BLOWS because of it.
James,
That is a really interesting point and I appreciate you took the time to raise it. Your example re the dialectic of grail/father is intriguing because, in script outline terms, there is a maintained refusal on one issue until the very end when the stakes are raised as you point out. I guess this is an example of II being two pronged? I ask because I am a tad locked into II, beat, refusal, beat, mentor, beat, accept challenge and so on (read that list liberally) and you’re giving me a refreshed way to approach that. You’re right of course. That upgraded shift in stakes, that added complexity, is really what lifts the ending. It adds another layer of satisfaction for the audience of course also.
Benny,
Sadly, some of us do tend to throw back to the 70’s. The mushrooms were of an excellent vintage that decade. :)
Perhaps shop around for a consultant who can offer you outlines or consider purchasing one of the better books in the field. It’s very good of these folk here who have experience to offer their time as generously as they do however.
Benny,
Thanks.
Mowery,
I’ll look around for another plugin that does that when I have the time… The old one became incompatible with the latest version of WordPress.
James,
I don’t agree that there should be tension in every scene.
Conflict YES.
Tension NO.
One could say that I’m splitting hairs because conflict creates tension.
And of course it depends on the story but it’s always good to release tension every once in a while to give the audience a minute feeling of relief.
One could say that you could create tension within a scene AND release it within the same scene but even doing this TO ME might be a little too much tension — depending on how it’s accomplished.
The TENSION LINE that runs through the screenplay is usually better off when it is attached to the ever increasing stakes — putting things at risk to the Protagonist that are near and dear to him or her so that we care and hence, actually feel the tension.
If the Protagonist also feels the tension based on what’s at risk and we like the Protagonist or at the very minimum, care something about him or her — then we also feel that tension. Of course the Protagonist doesn’t always have to experience the same tension we do but it’s worth mentioning.
This is why it gets DICEY and TRICKY… We have to give some kind of shit about the Protagonist and the Protagonist has to be set up properly so that we at least have some kind of conscious OR subconscious feeling about his or her core values.
Whether those core values be money, a stakes character, death, prison, reputation, whatever. This needs to be set up as we watch and ABSORB the character so that when we raise the stakes we really do feel the tension because the stakes are believable.
A lot of screenplays simply do not properly MATCH this feeling of tension with the right stakes so as to make the tension work.
Great discussion!
Unk
A film that has tension that had me in all sorts of wiggles was GLADIATOR.
Everytime Maximus was in the ring fighting for his life, my palms began to sweat and I was literally on the edge of my seat.
That’s a movie I can always watch.
Interesting discussion indeed. I absolutely agree with light and shade. An audience would find it really hard to sit through an hour and a quarter of sustained tension without the occasional release. I recall a movie once creating so much tension in me – it was SO oppositional to my value set and soft heart place – that I had to get up, walk out and sit in the lobby.
How about we look at an example…
Susan has an argument with Unk.
“Unk, I do NOT mind you pissing outside but please don’t pee on my bonsai!”
The material naturally leads to a laugh but if we think of this in a serious way, is this TENSION or CONFLICT?
It’s a conflict. The tension would be added because of some issue to do with stakes – e.g. if say each time he did it I went and used a knife to cut through his belongings – and each time I raised the stakes of that moving to items that were increasingly precious to him. A kind of war of attrition.
Let’s say I try and end the conflict by moving the bonsai and he follows it and does it again!?
This once again this lends to comedy and I’m raising this deliberately now because sometimes people want to write a serious piece but wind up making it cheesy because of treatment. I have been increasingly seeing this, how a sequence flow could, with different treatment, be funny rather than critically tense.
I think we emerging writers need to be watchful of this.
As another issue, isn’t it the case that each sequence in a script is like a mini story with say (speaking roughly) beginning, middle and end.
I have watched Ratatouille for example and seen that. All these neat little mini tales within the ‘whole’. Now, if that is true, there is obviously an art to creating building tension while providing neat snap off endings. The protagonist is driving away from a car full of shooters..car chase..phew..got away..hell..I am stuck on a train track and a train is a’comin!
Now that is a typical example is it not..that wee moment of..phew..he’s got away..oh no!!
I will add to this:
“I think we emerging writers need to be watchful of this” with..
“I think we emerging writers need to be watchful of this AND choose material incidents carefully”.
As I sit here and think about tension. Would you say tension differs from action, drama, romance, comedies, etc…?
Does it vary in forms like this…
Action
GLADIATOR’s tension is when he’s fighting for his life in each of his battles as a gladiator.
Is he gonna live or die???
Comedy
DUMB AND DUMBER(Probably not the best example BUT bare with me).
In the beginning Lloyd drops Mary off at the airport and she sets her breifcase down and leaves for her flight. Lloyd slides in grabbing her case trying to get it back to her.
Does he deliver or not???
As I write my script that’s a comedy. I want to have these tension parts comedic and that’s why I ask.
Unk You… Da… Man!!!
Hi Ryan,
Action or Comedy?
The gladiator is in the circus and the lion is released roaring. The gladiator, has a wide eyed, innocent look of..ooooopsss. The lion runs towards him and the gladiator begins to run around the circus..”maximus, maximus, let down your hair!” The lion catches him and rips off his garment. The gladiator squeaks..”oh, you ARE awful”!
Now that is almost pure Carry On movie treatment. That somewhat camp response and actions never really hurting but causing the potential for an amusing response.
In comedy I think of an audience thinking “oh heck” or..”awwwwwwwwwww” rather than the “Oh my fucking god” that they will experience via an action film.
Tension in comedy is pretty light as the stakes are not that high. The gal might be turning her back on the guy but the audience kinda thinks she really IS interested. (The protesteth too much thing).
A post I did two hours ago has not appeared..
Try again
Hi Ryan,
Action or Comedy?
The gladiator is in the circus and the lion is released roaring. The gladiator, has a wide eyed, innocent look of..ooooopsss. The lion runs towards him and the gladiator begins to run around the circus..”maximus, maximus, let down your hair!” The lion catches him and rips off his garment. The gladiator squeaks..”oh, you ARE awful”!
Now that is almost pure Carry On movie treatment. That somewhat camp response and actions never really hurting but causing the potential for an amusing response.
In comedy I think of an audience thinking “oh heck” or..”awwwwwwwwwww” rather than the “Oh my fucking god” that they will experience via an action film.
Tension in comedy is pretty light as the stakes are not that high. The gal might be turning her back on the guy but the audience kinda thinks she really IS interested. (The protesteth too much thing).
Susan,
I agree on your last paragraph.
Ever since I’ve been doing this(writing scripts), I’ve been looking into the wrong things and asking ALL the wrong questions. Stuff that is irrelevant to the level/stage of writing that I am at.
Unk knows exactly what I mean. I just had a discussion that he’s probably embarrassed that he’s even associated with me. LOL
I’m just getting ahead of myself. I think it’s the impatientness kicking in cause I’m no where close to where I freakin’ wanna be.
Ryan,
You’re right that asking questions is really vital. The trouble is, you need certain knowledge TO be able to ask the right questions. :)
I got stuck on an outline recently. I think I got to number 8 or something and I could feel the frustration maxing. On Friday night I was sitting looking at something in the room and a new idea came to me. I’ve got that down and although I know at least one sequence is weak and the ending is not quite as strong as I would like it to be, I basically got it. And in getting this down reasonably well I now know what is amiss with my first one. Character arc. This last one I really knew what that was and that helped enormously.
I also think not continually flogging an outline may be important too. Despite knowing this has flaws I am going to leave it and move to another that is ready to go up to the next level. I think we can get so close to our work that we no longer see it. It’s a typical issue for emerging writers so you’re not alone by a long stretch!
Very astute article, as ever
The key sentence for me in this is “this shouldn’t be difficult, if you’ve done your homework.”
For me both the conflict at a scene level and also the raising of the stakes are controlled by the work done on the protagonist’s character development at the start of the process and also the way in which their wants and needs conflict with the wants and needs of other key characters.
Where the two differ is that conflict comes out of the areas in which the protagonist’s needs are at odds with other characters… but the raising of the stakes is often linked to the ways in which the protagonist is connected to other characters.
So if conflict is born out of what obstacles are placed in the protagonist’s path, then stakes relate to what they are afraid to lose in the process… which is why a raise in stakes is often presented as a dilemma… or in other words “choose what is most important to you?”
I find myself continuously doing research and studying the craft as I try to write my first screenplay, and the more I read on this site, the more I realize I have found the right place to learn. Clive, thanks for always putting your two cents in, because although Unk’s posts always challenge me to think, and give me so many “ah-ha!” moments that make things click, you (and several others!) are always right there alongside, reinforcing, and sometimes simplifying things to help me understand. Everyone’s comments are always worth reading, even if they challenge my way of thinking, because when they challenge, it forces me to defend my position, which makes me think harder about my beliefs. Sometimes, I change my mind, other times I remind myself that everyone is entitled to their own opinion! But I haven’t found anywhere else on the net with such a vast amount of knowledge, and such generosity to share it. So thanks, to Unk, Clive, and everyone. For making me, and everyone who tunes in, a better screenwriter.
No problem, Holly, my pleasure… I’ve been using Unk’s techniques for about four years now, so I’ve had time to absorb, put them into practice and adapt them for my own writing style… which is a little more art-house than Unk’s (LOL)
I know his stuff works because I produced a couple of features before finding his techniques and know how even minor structural flaws can effect the end product.
One of the important things here, as Unk says in the comments, is not to apply the techniques literally.
The truth is for every “rule” there are a raft of relevant exceptions… but where many people go wrong is in believing the exceptions invalidate the principles. They don’t. They just prove that screenwriting is more than just technique.
I only go back to the template when I’m giving notes on a friend’s script, because it’s the easiest way to identify flaws and give useful constructive notes. It’s easy for a producer to say “it feels a bit slow,” but essentially it’s not that useful… however, if you can write “it’s a bit slow in the first act because there is no inciting incident and you’re still setting up the story on page 37″ well that at least gives the writer something to work on.
In terms of the actual writing, if you’ve done enough research of the subject matter and really, really understand your characters the rest just falls into place… in any situation there should only one be way your character can react, even if the decision is a difficult one (in fact your job is to make their decisions difficult)… the eventual decision can surprise the audience but only if by the end of the film the choice makes sense.
Most screenplays suffer from one of three problems (or often all three)
1) lack of structure, so the story doesn’t flow
2) lack of emotional intelligence, so the characters don’t seem real and do things for no reason
3) a poorly defined central concept
Any script that gets over those hurdles is automatically ahead of the pack.
Unk — I actually agree with you. On all accounts. You ARE splitting hairs :p Haha.
You’re right. It is the conflict in every scene that needs to be there. I was using tension synonymously with conflict.
I actually think you picked a good hair to split. Tension is more akin to suspense in a general sense. It’s an off and on thing — whereas conflict is present as long as a problem exists.
I wasn’t talking about tension, in the cheesy, “Look, a baby on a cliff! OMG!” maniuplative manner. I meant it in the — each scene needs to have two opposing forces that create conflict.
It’s a good clarification to make — as the comments have already turned to a debate between conflict vs tension, rather than what the thread was about — rising tension throughout the script as a whole.
Susan –
Brad Bird is one of my favorite screenwriters at the moment.
He’s very good at action-packed scenes that escalate the plot as a whole, while delving out necessary exposition in a spoonful of sugar manner, and at the same time paying off genre expectation.
Not only does he know how to craft a story, he knows how to give the audience what they want, and still present them with something they weren’t expecting.
The Incredibles is a great example.
You’ve offered a neat package there of critical points James. Thank you. I admire that ability, as you describe, of having a great impact with a small amount of information or stimuli. I was thinking about this from an acting perspective on the weekend as I watched Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. His face and manner is [was] superb. Small movements of cheek and eyebrow and lips that are so tremendously engaging.
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