Randall_Oelerich
Veteran
I see in one chart I have of story structure that at the Midpoint is the "Moment of Grace" or "Mind fu*k Moment". Can anybody explain how those relate to Midpoint, what exactly those two phrases are referring to?
Moment of Grace (midpoint) ???
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kylekmd
Well-known member
Mind fu*k Moment is Chris Soth's term--The Mini-Movie Method
It's at the midpoint of the movie, where the main character or audience realizes that everything they've been watching up until that point has not been real. The truth or the full extent of the horror is revealed. It's the thing that forces us to reconsider everything we've seen thus far, in a different light. In a con movie, the mark realizes he's being conned; in a Romantic comedy it's when the two main characters have sex (they look back at their relationship up til then and ask if they were really just friends); and in a horror movie it's when you discover the full extent of the horror (in the Hero's Journey, it's when you're at the "Inmost Cave") and realize there's little chance of escape.
Sixth Sense: the truth is revealed to Bruce Willis when H. J Osment says, "I see dead people."
The Matrix: the truth is revealed to Neo about the matrix being a simulation, that the world as he knows it is fake. The real world is a desolate, post-apocalyptic place controlled by machines.
The 13th Floor: the main character, who creates virtual reality programs for a living, learns that he is actually living in a virtual reality world himself.
Total Recall: Arnold is confronted by a man with a pill claiming that all this Mars stuff is fake, that Arnold is actually back at Recall Inc. on the table suffering from a schizoid embolism and not on Mars. It forces us to look back and question if everything up until then has been real or not.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: it's when Indy, Short Round, and Kate Capshaw peer over the cliff's edge at the Thuggee Sacrificial Ceremony and the horrific truth is revealed.
Wrong Turn: they climb to the top of the watch tower and, upon gazing across the vast forest, realize they are miles away from help in every direction.
The Descent: when the cavers come face to face with those freaky-ass, cannibalistic, bat-like humanoids--and realize the full extent of the horror.
Midpoint—The Moment of Grace: Here, grace is offered to the hero to change the method of achieving the goal. In terms of the Moral Premise this turning point is the most important, although it can also be the subtlest. It occurs about halfway through the movie. In a comedy, the hero embraces the grace and changes his methods to the virtuous side of the Moral Premise formula. In a tragedy, the hero rejects the grace and pushes the envelope on the vice side of the Moral Premise formula. The hero may not consciously realize what he is doing. But if properly structured, the strong hand of the antagonist will force the hero into the new method (or deeper into the old)—and the consequences will be logical and inevitable.
See the Stanley Wiiliams section of the Manual, page 6.
It's at the midpoint of the movie, where the main character or audience realizes that everything they've been watching up until that point has not been real. The truth or the full extent of the horror is revealed. It's the thing that forces us to reconsider everything we've seen thus far, in a different light. In a con movie, the mark realizes he's being conned; in a Romantic comedy it's when the two main characters have sex (they look back at their relationship up til then and ask if they were really just friends); and in a horror movie it's when you discover the full extent of the horror (in the Hero's Journey, it's when you're at the "Inmost Cave") and realize there's little chance of escape.
Sixth Sense: the truth is revealed to Bruce Willis when H. J Osment says, "I see dead people."
The Matrix: the truth is revealed to Neo about the matrix being a simulation, that the world as he knows it is fake. The real world is a desolate, post-apocalyptic place controlled by machines.
The 13th Floor: the main character, who creates virtual reality programs for a living, learns that he is actually living in a virtual reality world himself.
Total Recall: Arnold is confronted by a man with a pill claiming that all this Mars stuff is fake, that Arnold is actually back at Recall Inc. on the table suffering from a schizoid embolism and not on Mars. It forces us to look back and question if everything up until then has been real or not.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: it's when Indy, Short Round, and Kate Capshaw peer over the cliff's edge at the Thuggee Sacrificial Ceremony and the horrific truth is revealed.
Wrong Turn: they climb to the top of the watch tower and, upon gazing across the vast forest, realize they are miles away from help in every direction.
The Descent: when the cavers come face to face with those freaky-ass, cannibalistic, bat-like humanoids--and realize the full extent of the horror.
Midpoint—The Moment of Grace: Here, grace is offered to the hero to change the method of achieving the goal. In terms of the Moral Premise this turning point is the most important, although it can also be the subtlest. It occurs about halfway through the movie. In a comedy, the hero embraces the grace and changes his methods to the virtuous side of the Moral Premise formula. In a tragedy, the hero rejects the grace and pushes the envelope on the vice side of the Moral Premise formula. The hero may not consciously realize what he is doing. But if properly structured, the strong hand of the antagonist will force the hero into the new method (or deeper into the old)—and the consequences will be logical and inevitable.
See the Stanley Wiiliams section of the Manual, page 6.
Last edited:
EJ Pennypacker
Well-known member
Excellent post Kyle. That's a keeper.
I saw BOLT recently, and to add it as a list of examples, it's at the mid point that BOLT realizes that he's just a dog, and not a super-hero-dog with super-powers. This is a mind spinning revelation to the character, and sets the tone for the second half.
Often the mid point is the 180 turn the story takes where it re-frames for the second half of the plot.
In TERMINATOR 2, Sarah Conner realizes that to get rid of Skynet, she can nip this in the bud if she simply takes out the software program(s) that created Skynet (by visiting the man who created it at home and destroy his PC's that way), this re-frames the story entirely and sets it up for the second half nicely.
Mid point is a vastly important plot point that elevates the second act of your script and without it can feel very flat and repetative.
It's also a moment when characters discover "ticking clocks" (i.e. they realize they only have 24hrs left before XYZ happens) and characters often turn from passively solving their issue to actively solving their issue, the T2 example of Sarah is a good example where she realizes that instead of running (passive) she can take this issue out at its very core (active move) by visiting the home of the dude and destroying his PC's.
EJ
I saw BOLT recently, and to add it as a list of examples, it's at the mid point that BOLT realizes that he's just a dog, and not a super-hero-dog with super-powers. This is a mind spinning revelation to the character, and sets the tone for the second half.
Often the mid point is the 180 turn the story takes where it re-frames for the second half of the plot.
In TERMINATOR 2, Sarah Conner realizes that to get rid of Skynet, she can nip this in the bud if she simply takes out the software program(s) that created Skynet (by visiting the man who created it at home and destroy his PC's that way), this re-frames the story entirely and sets it up for the second half nicely.
Mid point is a vastly important plot point that elevates the second act of your script and without it can feel very flat and repetative.
It's also a moment when characters discover "ticking clocks" (i.e. they realize they only have 24hrs left before XYZ happens) and characters often turn from passively solving their issue to actively solving their issue, the T2 example of Sarah is a good example where she realizes that instead of running (passive) she can take this issue out at its very core (active move) by visiting the home of the dude and destroying his PC's.
EJ
Randall_Oelerich
Veteran
Kyle, thank you so much for clarifying that. As I read your post it became crystal clear what my mind f*&k moment would be in my horror I am sequencing right now. Okay i gotta go type that into my google doc! Cooking up a pot 'o chili to see me through some heavy writing today.
:beer:randall
:beer:randall