The second act is split in two parts mostly because of the importance of the story’s
midpoint.
It’s called that because it’ll happen pretty much exactly halfway through your
script.
It’s another complication, like the end of the first act. But it also acts as the point
of no return for your protagonist.
The stakes get higher and now our hero must see the
journey through. Shit gets real at the midpoint.
In Star Wars, the midpoint is when they get sucked into the Death Star and are deep in
enemy territory. In Jurassic Park, it’s when the power gets shut off and all the dinosaurs
are loose.
In the Cheers pilot, the complication is a bit softer but coincides with the
episode’s commercial break.
Diane’s fiancé Sumner has still not returned from his ex-
wife’s house and she’s stuck with these strange people in this strange bar. It’s not a
huge beat, but it marks the moment where Diane starts being doubtful about her fiancé
and their engagement.
Something changed inside Diane even if dinosaurs aren’t loose
in the bar.
Haunted Bakery’s midpoint seems to me like it would involve the ghosts going one step
further than they had before. Instead of just messing with our protagonist personally,
they ruin an entire order for a potential client right as it’s due, jeopardizing the bakery’s
opening. Now it’s not a matter of them playing tricks or scaring her — now the ghosts are
directly interfering with her livelihood.
Things are different because of the midpoint and
now the second half of the script has a new urgency.
