The 2nd Act should take the story in a whole new direction....

At the beginning of the 2nd act of Monsters Inc, Sully & Mike discover Randal’s horrible, evil plot. Mike, ever the know-it-all, is determined to prove to Sully that Randal had no ulterior motive in giving him the key to access Boo’s door. (What bad guy ever helps the hero without an ulterior motive?) 

While Mike is trying to prove his point, he’s kidnapped by Randal. Sully and Boo can only watch as Mike is stuffed into a box and then into dummy ‘scream’ containers and carted off the scare floor. Sully is determined to find out where Mike has been taken, so, he and Boo follow Randal with as much stealth as the big guy can muster. For a brief moment, it appears as if Randal has eluded Sully; then presto, Boo discovers a secret passageway that leads into the bowels of Monsters Incorporated.

Let’s take a breather from plot for a moment and talk about the symbolism of Randal’s hide-out. Randal has hatched his evil plot in the very foundation of Monsters Incorporated. This location is redolent with symbolism for the rot or evil that pervades the story, originating at the very core of the company. Choosing this location is also economical on the part of the writer. The next action can simply happen in the basement of the location where all the other action has taken place. We’ve seen the upper floors of the factory a zillion times; it’s not that great a leap to grasp that there is also a basement or boiler room – and that it’s creepy!

This kind of convergence of story and theme is wonderful when it happens. The writer’s choice of location also impacts the emotional tone of the story. Sometimes this happens by accident; most often it happens by design in the rewrite (more on that later).

UDEMYLINK  https://www.udemy.com/course/screenwriting-essentials/?referralCode=585A754446F0C5BE18CD