How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

[Jonathan_Bentz]

Hi, everyone. In my current script (the one I posted the logline for) I've laid the groundwork somewhat for a revelation about the security consultant/vigilante and his ability to bend a Psionic field around him that allows him to do what he does without appearing 'too abnormal'. His gift becomes more powerful as the film goes on. But the question is, how late is too late to bring that in? I know that generally, things go to hell for a character 30 minutes to an hour in, so would be somewhere in that time frame be right?

Something tells me I'm going to be told "You just answered your own question" but on the off-chance this helps someone else, I'll post it anyways....

[cshel]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

Since no one else dove in, and I may be wrong, and I don't know your story, and I may be misunderstanding your question, but:

It seems to me that, whether this power existed for your protag before the story starts, or whether he's discovering it for the first time during the story, you need to at least hint at it almost from the get-go. If the protag already knows he has this power, it could be revealed in off-hand ways, keeping a little mystery about it to the reader/audience at first. If the protag is just discovering it himself, let the reader/audience discover it along with him. This power is one of the things that makes the protag, and the story, unique, and would draw the reader/audience in right away. No?

As a dumb example, if no one already knew the Superman story, you wouldn't have a movie go along for like an hour being about some dork named Clark Kent, and then out of the blue, halfway through the story, he suddenly puts on tights and starts flying around.

But in the end, it's your script, do what feels right to you. Best of luck.

[Jonathan_Bentz]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

I do hint at it, I just don't reveal what it is. There's a point where someone asks him if he's ever going to tell them how he does what he does without getting any injuries, to which he replies, "Need to know."

[Manchester]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

I have no idea how what you've described is a "subplot".

In any event, ya know the classic thing about the opening pages revealing a gun over the fireplace - which is all fine and good, as long as someone uses it in Act III? Based on your posts, it seems you establish early your version of the gun over the fireplace. So again, I don't see what your issue is.

Now, are you asking - if you have established his power early one - how late is too late for him to have reason to use it?

As long as you really have established it, and have given us a taste along the way so we have a sense of its attributes (since in your story, it's not merely a gun, and everyone understands guns), I dunno that there is a "too late". But again, maybe I've missed your point/the "subplot" thing.

[nmstevens]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

Hi, everyone. In my current script (the one I posted the logline for) I've laid the groundwork somewhat for a revelation about the security consultant/vigilante and his ability to bend a Psionic field around him that allows him to do what he does without appearing 'too abnormal'. His gift becomes more powerful as the film goes on. But the question is, how late is too late to bring that in? I know that generally, things go to hell for a character 30 minutes to an hour in, so would be somewhere in that time frame be right?

Something tells me I'm going to be told "You just answered your own question" but on the off-chance this helps someone else, I'll post it anyways....

I'm not exactly sure that what you're talking about constitutes a "sub-plot" but in any case the real test isn't so much how far it is from the opening of the story.

What you're talking about is setting something up that's going to be paid off later on. And whenever you have to deal with issues like that, the real question you have to deal with is the distance between the set-up and the pay-off. You never want the two to be too close. You want to find a way to establish the set-up early enough and in a way that seems to, in effect "pay off" the set up so that it isn't left hanging.

That is, audiences think that there's a reason for whatever-it-is to be in the movie, other than to set something up that's going to show up later.

So whatever it is is set up and (ostensibly) paid off far enough away (the farther the better) so that the audience pretty much forgets about it -- until the moment when it's once again brought to mind by the moment when its real significance brings it once again to mind and they realize, "Oh, now I get it. That's the real reason that thing was there earlier -- to set this up. How clever."

NMS

[Gssstudios]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

Sounds to me as if it is a great detail, a setup for a payoff / something that will come to his aid in the end.

I would plant it early, with just a quick shot. It should be in a way that grabs our attention and screams "hey, that was interesting," only leaving us with the question of what significance it will have.

Depending on how big it turns out to be for the main plot, I would sneak it in around pp 15-20.

[Jonathan_Bentz]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

Sounds to me as if it is a great detail, a setup for a payoff / something that will come to his aid in the end.

I would plant it early, with just a quick shot. It should be in a way that grabs our attention and screams "hey, that was interesting," only leaving us with the question of what significance it will have.

Depending on how big it turns out to be for the main plot, I would sneak it in around pp 15-20.

Thanks. I know exactly the place to sneak it in, too.....

Also, realized it's not so much a 'subplot' as 'character element', if that makes any sense to you guys saying it doesn't sound like a subplot. I guess I considered it such because it has to do with an actual subplot about the importance of the character to the people employing his current adversary.

[Gssstudios]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

Yes. That sounds more right. Adding that early, and then reintroducing it much later in the plot, especially if it is significant, will be a wonderful soupçon of a setup for the audience.

[Manchester]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

soupçon

Good. I'm hungry.

[wcmartell]

Re: How Late Is Too Late To Introduce A Subplot

7:38 PM PDT

One thing to note: The audience usually identifies with your protagonist and basically "becomes them" for the movie, so that what happens to the protag creates an emotional reaction in the audience. When you withhold something critical about the protag for too long, the audience may feel tricked. So be aware of what you want the audience to feel and don't screw that up.

- Bill