The Hunger Games - Story Breakdown Part 2

Act II: Part 1 - to MIDPOINT

ACT II: PART I

SEQUENCE THREE

Act II starts at about 36.50 minutes in, the next morning, with an off-camera narration, which is very often used to signal and set up a new Act. The Opening Image is of a display case full of weapons. In the narration a Trainer addresses the Tributes directly, and clearly spells out the danger and STAKES: “In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. One will be alive.”

This sounds awfully on the nose, doesn’t it? But it’s not. You really can spell out the Stakes this boldly. When you tell the reader or audience flat out what they should be fearing and hoping, it engages them in the story.

Sequence 3 of The Hunger Games is a classic TRAINING SEQUENCE, right where a Training Sequence usually comes.

The Trainer continues to spell out the rules of Training over images of the Tributes: introducing the Team and the SECONDARY OPPONENTS amongst them (one of the FORCES OF OPPOSITION).  Over the montage of TRAINING there is a voiceover rundown of all the ways the Tributes can die out there (more DANGER, DREAD and STAKES).