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Juggling multiple plot twists

Perhaps I failed to understand the question?

What is the Theme? The story has to be about something besides "plot twists"?
Is there a B plot? A C Plot? Is it action oriented or talk-talk? Does the audience know more than the character(s) do?

Is this a mystery? A stoner flick? A thriller? A love story?

What exactly are you looking for? A cheat? There aren't any.
You "handle" multiple plots, twists, and all the other elements in a script by being a Writer.

The only way to deal with multiple plot twists are through pacing and timing and interweaving them together in a coherent manner, just like writing a script WITHOUT multiple plot twist. This cannot be a real issue if the story is solid.

"Especially if there's enough for at least 2 movies?"

Non-sequiter. Enough "twist"? Enough plot?
How can there be enough for two movies in one? it's either one film or two.

Sounds like you need to identify your essential story elements.
 
its a thriller that I have trouble getting all the sttory elements right, I either introduce charachters too soon, get rid of ones before they seem to develop before they die or the main event in the movie comes too soon.

If i put it at the beginning thane there isnt enough plot, or story or its awkward, put it at the middle and it slows the script down and I lose the frantic pace that I want, put it near the end, and it seems there's not enough time to regenerate the mcgauffin for the climax. It was meant to be a movie that starts and doesent stop to explain much since there is not enough time, since the villain is 15 steps ahead of the heroes

All I know is that, the Britannic needs to be raised but not where to put it. I was going to introduce ET's but it felt like a ripoff of Aliens and skyline so i quit the alien thing.
 
Plot twists are like salt on your dinner; a pinch goes a long way.

I've written a couple thrillers, and I've found that when you add a twist you are asking the audience to accept something that goes against their expectations (particularly, if they missed your carefully planted clues). As a result you're asking them to trust the filmmaker, and make a leap of faith. Too many twists and the audience might tune out.

Leave them wanting more.
 
its a thriller that I have trouble getting all the sttory elements right ... It was meant to be a movie that starts and doesent stop to explain much since there is not enough time, since the villain is 15 steps ahead of the heroes.

If the story doesn't explain much, then the problem is with the story. The story has to be complete on the subjective level (emotional resolution) even if the objective level (visual story) has some dangling pieces. It could lead to a sequel but the movie feels "whole and entire" as it is. "Watchmen" is an example where the story develops but the heroes lose because the events leading up to it had been planned out in advance by the antihero. The reveal is the resolution.

It may be that your story is better told with a non-linear presentation. Start with the middle, cut back to the beginning to show the lead up then jump ahead to the conclusion that results from the event. This gets the Britannic raising out of the way but doesn't tell the audience enough to understand the significance. Then the rest of the middle, you show the events leading up to the raising which leads to the final segment where you reveal the impact or significance (and perhaps futility of the earlier efforts).

The hope and optimism, the challenge and then the frustration and failure is the emotional arc which needs to be completed. At least that's the sense I got from your short description. The actual events and McGuffin don't require as much resolution but provide the impetus for the character dynamics. Leaving the McGuffin unresolved allows for that second movie you mentioned. Just as "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" was the resolution of what was stolen by Moriarty in the first.
 
I find with thrillers and crime stories that there's a funny balance between writing a story that's both intelligent/clever enough to entertain the genre's average audience and one that's either too obvious or too incoherent.

It's similar to the "habitable zone": Not too hot. Not too cold.

The-habitable-zone.JPG


And to further complicate the craft it varies depending upon the genre audience.


First - give up on trying to keep everyone happy. Some people are too stupid, others too smart.
You're just shooting to satisfy those within the first standard deviation range.

Standard_deviation_chart.jpg


Write to make 68% of your audience happy.


Second - WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?
Figure out the demographic that would most likely like your story and THAT'S who you write for.


For myself the two recent gold standards for crafting complex stories with multiple main characters that remain coherent are 'Star Trek' and 'Marvel's The Avengers'.
Kirk. Spock. Bones. Scotty. Uhura. Sulu. Chekov. + support characters of Pike & Nero. All of these story lines intertwine in a sensible way that doesn't leave me thinking "Dafuq?" afterwards.
Stark. Hulk. Captain. Thor. Black Widow. Hawkeye. Coulson. Fury. Selvig. + Loki and Hill. All of these story lines intertwine in a sensible way that doesn't leave me thinking "Dafuq?" afterwards.

Can I do that?
Can I write that clearly?
 
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So far I have removed at least half of my twists, and I need the raising to happen a lot later in the movie, in the third act, and have a jump in the passing of time, so that the ship can be restored by the villain, as a ruse to keep the govt. (but not the charachters) from knowing his real intent. He's not a terrorist per se' he just wants an inordinate amount of money.

Not, just The fictional for the story 2 and half billion dollars worth of gold (in today's $ hidden in the ship's hull ) but ALL the gold in the Federal reserve as well!


I have written at least three treatments, that I have completed that don't have anything
to do with the new plot. But I am not to sold on the new plot since it sounds too much like "Die Hard sequals"

I have three approaches already

Approach, No. 1

Main Character is a master thief, (and gambler) who botched a heist, Her Client knows of her Plans to Recover $2 billion worth of gold that lies in the hull of the Britannic, she must organize and execute the heist in 2 or 3 months or get killed in a terrible way! She teams up with a professor and her college buddies and they Gamble away, in underground casinos all the while planning the operation!

Think Rounders meets the Italian job!

Approach 2.

A lot like a urban/countryfied bounty hunter story, with some steampunk stylisms, Main charachter has to stop the villain who tortured her from destroying Washington DC with the Victorian era weapon he recovered from the Britannic during a history festival. The ship is a ruse to distract the govt into thinking he's a good guy. The weapon his hidden in the ship.

Approach 3.

Main character is a passive aggressive, drone who gets her life transformed when she discovers she has the power to make guns levitate, catch bullets with her bare hands and fire bullets in impossible trajectories. She is recruited by a Mysterious man who is part of a cabal of supernatural assassins who gained their power through Supernatural experience.

A corrupt NSA agent who tried to develop his own supernatural hit man program is after an artifact that will make him the most powerful man in the world. Its in the hold of the Britannic and he will Never stop short of killing anyone who gets in his way to get it.

think wanted, meets Raiders of the lost ark.


I kind of love 1 & 3 Approach 1 since I get to make a 60's style hiest movie with some neat miniature effects and a well developed Usual suspects like story.

Number three, simply because I could try and reach above what I intend to get with crowd funding by making some neat effects with adobe After FX and miniatures, and I have some cool songs That I have written that would fit the movie not to mention it has the fastest pace pf all the ideas.

I plan on funding the movie through crowd funding so I need a worthy story to begin with. Part of the money will go into getting the gear, 2 DSLR's a TOTL laptop and all the software and stuff I need.
 
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