Documentary Editing Tip #12: The Forgotten 2nd Act Climax
It’s a common mistake that I see time and again. Filmmakers editing a three-act documentary fail to include a second act climax.
The result? A film that looses momentum three-quarters of the way through, lulling viewers to sleep before the final rally.
Ideally, each act in the three-act structure ends with the highest emotional moment in the film thus far.
Imagine a timeline with three arcs representing three acts. Now, delete the second arc’s peak.
What’s left? A peak at the 25% mark, representing the emotional spike of the first act climax, followed by a long, slow ascent to the film’s final climax around the 95% mark.
If test audiences find that your rough cut feels sluggish toward the end, check to see if you have structured a second act climax around the 80% mark. Aristotle, the designer of the three-act structure, was a genius to devise this double hump of emotion toward a story’s end.
For a great example of a second act climax, check out “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz”, short-listed for an Academy Award in 2015.
At 77 minutes into this 105-minute film, the drama intensifies as the protagonist Aaron Swartz helps defeat the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), a series of bills which would have blocked “blacklisted” internet sites.
This exciting spike of drama at the 74 percent mark sustains the film at the critical ¾ juncture.
In my opinion, the film suffers slightly at the end with too many people weighing in about Swartz’s tragic demise, but the second act climax remains spectacular!
To learn more about structuring your documentary, register for our upcoming Inner Circle. The early bird deadline is March 31st, and I’m accepting six filmmakers. Learn more at:
