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BASIC INSTINCT, BLADE RUNNER, inevitable surprise, plot twist, SEVEN, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE SIXTH SENSE, TOTAL RECALL - February 09, 2022

CRAFTING THE TWIST ENDING

A plot twist at the end is always fun. And when it comes to the thriller genre, a twist ending is almost a requirement. However, I have read a lot of thriller scripts that lack the end twist. Or: the writer is aware of the need for a twist, but simply dumps it on the page without crafting the story toward it; the twist is just a thing that happens, empty non sequitur. Instead of “Ah-ha!” it’s “Er… huh?” The best way to get a twist ending to land is to craft it around what is called “inevitable surprise.” That...

Denouement

The denouement is the final beat in three-act structure. It is the last scene or sequence in the story. The denouement is incredibly important. Because: the denouement is the last opportunity for the film to communicate with the audience before credits roll. It can determine how the audience feels as they leave the theater, and how they perceive the film as a whole. If the denouement lands with a wrong or sour note, the audience comes away with the movie dwelling on their freshest memory: of that wrong or sour choice. But if we end well, we send the audience...

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