Surprise Surprise

The worst complaints lodged against Hollywood's annual produce are lack of originality and numbing predictability. I am loath to blame screenwriters for such universal problems and point my finger at development process which tends to curtail creativity.

Unpredictability contributes a major component of interest within a story. A screenplay should aim to spring at least three major surprises on the viewers. By this I mean that the three main turning points in the story should embody unexpected reversals that redefine where the story is going. A possible reason this rarely happens could be in several recommendations to avoid anything so abrupt.

• Foreshadow what would otherwise be unexpected future events or character changes.
• An advanced technique called Formal Patterning and repetitive designation in much the same form.
• Avoid unnecessary incidents and characterizations. Which means  anything in the screenplay should have it reason for being there.

Two independent concerns must be fulfilled when it comes to creating unpredictability. The first is the element of surprise or the unexpected reversal, the second is plausibility which must not mandate additional suspension of disbelief beyond that required by the story premise.

Where - Anatomy of a Tuning Point

In terms of the larger structure of the story the main plot point of the three act structure will all benefit  from the element of surprise

• The end of the first act representing the protagonist's entry into the other world. The more clearly the new world is indicated the more concrete this transition will appear. In a fantasy story the other world is often literal. In serious fiction rooted in the here and now the writer communicate this change by indicate new rules and assumptions.
  In Training Day (2001) Denzel shows his rookie partner that rules of police procedure as he has learned them no longer operate in the Jungle. This is pointed out time and time again and is the lesson the the Rookie will eventually master to beat his twisted mentor.
• The second turning point in the middle of the movie the the direction of major relationship will be reversed usually sexual tension into romance. At the end of the second act.
• The third major turning point is an excellent location for a betrayal.
  In Training Day (2001) Denzel abandons his partner with a Latino Gang with the understanding that they will execute him. This reversal of fortune is the result of confrontation with fellow currupt policemen in in the previous sequence. But just as this initial reversal is expected, the next one in not. The  discovery that the Rookie has possession of the  wallet of the lead gangster's cousin is about to turn ugly when the gangster contacts the girl and decides to let him go in recognition of his high moral standing and the point of view which they represent. The Protagonist ends leaving this corkscrew reversal sequence much as he initially expected with the significant difference of a new goal the  confrontation with his antagonist - his former mentor.

This does not mean that there should not be surprise scenes elsewhere but that major plot point will be more memorable and satisfying if they embody surprising reversals.

Structure of Reversal - Reflection and The Corkscrew

A contra indication: The trade off - the greater the gap (surprise) the less plausible the incident. This is a quick indicator that the surprising incident is no good.

There are generally two forms of reversal. The classic reversal represented by a single point of reversal. If the gap is sufficiently small a simple reversal is always the best choice. The more complex type of reversal is represented by a rapid sequence of changes in direction. This second type of reversal can contain several small direction changes or even a sequence of changes going back and forth.   to the direction of the story In the end both amount to the same thing a radical shift in the direction of the story.

References V for Vendetta. Three Days of the Condor; Star Wars A New Hope, and The Empire Strikes Back.

The two, not mutually exclusive categories of surprise are those that come though reversals of fortune and those that come from breaking the conventions of story.

The Good = The Plausible

Hitchcock who is the all time grandmaster of suspense was never without a few surprises up his sleeve. One of the greatest in movie history is in Psycho when the protagonist of the story is Murdered by the antagonist. This is an example of why Hitchcock was considered an Auteur - he understood what the rules meant and broke them to his advantage -- thereby augmenting the viewers experience instead of damaging it.

How to breaking rules. [Genre rules]
Expectations
Betrayal

The Bad = The Annoying

Annoying as in straining the suspension of disbelief.

How not to break rules it. While rules are made to be broken you need to understand the rule (hows and whys) or you will only be breaking your screenplays.

Horror surprises - shocking scenes. The false surprise as part of extended suspense scenes.

Bad timing.

The Ugly

The ugly as in the ugly truth of insulting the audience.

The inscrutable, inconsistent, story holes.

Breaking the rules in the wrong sense

An Advanced Technique or Two

Careful using of the double edged sword of humor can change enhance the value of a surprise scene more so if it is releasing  tension build through suspense.

A Final Trick that is often missed is the infamous trick ending. So long as the writer is true to his moral premise and keeps it plausible a surprise ending can top off almost anything that  took place before. It is important to keep this surprise true to the value change seen in the third act climax and not to reverse it.