I was perusing Reddit this morning and came across this great post detailing a question that u/MorningFirm5374 asked on Threads.
The question asked was, “I wanna be a screenwriter and director (…) Do you have any advice in terms of how to create a better story?”
It was posed to writer, director, producer, and Co-Chairman of DC Studios James Gunn.
Lucky for us and the user, Gunn answered the question.
Gunn said, “In general (not always), spend half the production budget on the first two acts and the second half on the third act, especially with spectacle films. Producers often spread cost equally across the film, and it’s one of the many reasons (alongside storytelling deficiencies and not have scripts ready at the start of shooting) that films lag in the third act. For spectacle and action films you generally want the third act to pace up.”
This is some incredibly practical, wise advice when it comes to making movies.
By spreading the budget out this way, you leave a lot of cash available to keep raising the stakes in the movie’s back half without blowing it all on what happens in the first two acts of the story.
I understand a producer’s inclination to spread everything out evenly, and that would be my first thought as well. But the more I think about Gunn’s quote, the more I agree that many movies we see recently have third-act bloating issues because they feel like they have stopped fulfilling the promise of the premise.
And, hey, if you’re an aspiring producer, it doesn’t hurt to take note of this as well.
What’s your take on this?
Let me know in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
