Q&A: Act Climaxes on Stage and on Screen

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Act Climaxes on Stage and on Screen

Apr 07, 2010

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Anthony wrote

at Apr 13, 2010 - 11:18 AM

that 'reaction' better be cinematic!

screamingpanda wrote

at Apr 08, 2010 - 10:13 PM

Fine question and exploration of the different ways to handle an act climax. StevenG's point about balanced emphasis struck me as well.

StevenG wrote

at Apr 07, 2010 - 1:59 PM

The reaction would be, in the POV of the protagonist, in direct proportion to the action. As Mr. McKee states that humans are naturally conservative. Your reaction to an action is naturally proportionate, I think. As a writer you have the power to emphasize either one depending how you want meaning you want to give the audience. I wonder, what would the audience feel if both reaction and action were heavily emphasized, and why.

mysticpamela: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...

at Apr 07, 2010 - 12:41 PM

Good old Newton. He was wrong of course.
Sometimes actions and reactions are violently dissimilar, as Mr. McKee notes.
In defense of Chekhov's focus on reaction, I would have to say that offstage climaxes can also leave more to the imagination. This plus the heavy focus on character study in Chekhov's plays create a naturally stronger emphasis on reaction.
Chekhov is more poetic and mysterious when read in Russian, by the way.