The Grand Finale

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  • The Grand Finale

    Can't think of a good ending for your film? Neither can I.
    Don't despair.

    Think of your two or three favourite films and for each of them, in one sentence, describe the climax.

    In those movies the finale is unforgettable.
    When I put those endings into words, well, all the magic is gone.

  • #2
    Re: The Grand Finale

    Satisfying endings work in part because of originality and spectacle, but even more because of your characters' goals and problems that the audience has been waiting to have resolved. What is your audience waiting for in the way of the goal being reached, the people who've been apart finally getting together, revenge against someone who deserves it, safety for those we've been worried about, etc?

    If you figure out your big ending before you start writing, that helps you make your ending even better. That way, you have the entire length of the script to set up issues that need to be resolved. The more the audience knows about, cares about, and has a chance to worry about your characters' continuing unresolved issues, the bigger the emotional payoff when the issues finally get resolved. Also, you have the chance to set up the emotionally resonant and visually interesting place early in the script that will be the big arena where you want everything to get settled at the end.

    If you already started writing without an ending in mind, you may have to go back and retrofit your script, set up your final arena and the goal and characters' problems we're waiting to see resolved.

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    • #3
      Re: The Grand Finale

      Joaneasley

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      • #4
        Re: The Grand Finale

        I LOVE you, Joan! That's exactly right. Few people would ever take a vacation without first knowing the destination. You have to know where you are going in order to get there.

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        • #5
          Re: The Grand Finale

          I have to agree with Joan. Usually I think of the ending first, or at least straight after thinking of the main idea of the script. I write the end first and then think of what I need to get there.

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          • #6
            Re: The Grand Finale

            Just add a monkey and the story will write itself!

            Actually in all seriousness, i dont even start writing until i know what my ending is.

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            • #7
              Re: The Grand Finale

              I never know my endings before I start, cause I like to be surprised, but I always know they'll payoff a combo of themes, visuals and arcs from the beginning and middle.

              So, I always figure my themes and visuals from the beginning and middle should be cool so the end can be waaaaaaaay cool.

              https://actbreakdown.com

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              • #8
                The Grand Finale

                Originally posted by boski
                I pretty much always know how I want a script to end in the abstract: my Hero kills the monster, say. But actually executing that ending in an entertaining and satisfying way that hasn't been done a million times before is the big rub....

                The deeper into a story you get, the harder it is to execute with any kind of genuinely surprising or intriguing novelty.
                How do they all end?

                "They lived happily ever after."

                "The cowboy rode his horse into the sunset."

                "It was beauty killed the beast."

                What I find quite humouress is the bonus of "alternate endings" added onto the DVD of so many Hollywood films. Didn't anyone realize that the original ending wasn't satisfactory before the screenplay was selected? A cliché?

                If my aim in writing a screenplay is only to entertain, (and make some money), I would stick to the old formulae of the hacks; but, I want to change the thinking of the audience, as well as the protagonist, by the end of the film, so much so, that I'd let them decide, (or puzzle), over the ending. For example, most courtroom dramas end either in jubilation over the "not guilty" verdict for an innocent protagonist or the solemn "guilty" verdict that defeats the antagonist. The audience doesn't have to think, just watch justice be done. I say, be creative. Agatha Christie did this with the ending of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION; and, I'd be nasty enough to end with the foreman of the jury beginning to read the verdict, without the revelation of "guilty" or "not guilty," (to let the audience decide how the story ends, and make them think, not just be entertained).
                JEKYLL & CANADA (free .mp4 download @ Vimeo.com)

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                • #9
                  Re: The Grand Finale

                  I always have to know the ending of my story before I start, because it mirrors in some way the beginning. It's also the end of the protags arc, so I have to have at least a general idea of how it will all end up. Sometimes I've even started with the end, and worked backwards.

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                  • #10
                    Re: The Grand Finale

                    I like happy endings.
                    "Tone is now engaged in a furious Google search for Leighton Meester's keester." -- A friend of mine

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                    • #11
                      Re: The Grand Finale

                      In contrast to Ralphy, my endings are usually along the lines of "well, everyone died, but at least they accomplished good along the way," and "at least they killed the bad guy before the cops hauled them off." Best case scenario? Usually "hey, at least SOME of them survived!" or "at least they saved the kid!" Of course, when I write a script that doesn't involve people dying (which I plan on doing fairly soon), then I'm sure I will write a few genuinely happy endings.

                      And to address the topic more directly, I'm also one of the writers who doesn't write until they know the ending. The ending is what drives me forward in my writing and makes it all worth while. I tend to base my theme and character arcs entirely around the ending (and of course the beginning).
                      For more of my thoughts on screenwriting, check out my blog.
                      Jonny Atlas Writes!

                      - Sic Semper Tyrannis.

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                      • #12
                        Re: The Grand Finale

                        No, I mean I like *happy endings*.
                        "Tone is now engaged in a furious Google search for Leighton Meester's keester." -- A friend of mine

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                        • #13
                          Re: The Grand Finale

                          Originally posted by Ralphy W View Post
                          No, I mean I like *happy endings*.
                          For more of my thoughts on screenwriting, check out my blog.
                          Jonny Atlas Writes!

                          - Sic Semper Tyrannis.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: The Grand Finale

                            Originally posted by Ralphy W View Post
                            I like happy endings.
                            Your end makes me happy, Ralphy.

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