ITAP LECTURE 6

Three Act Structure

Every Film has to have a beginning, middle and end, but not usually in that order.

The “three-act structure” of story telling and fiction writing is a very old maxim. It is widely adhered to in writing today. Whether it is poetry, poems, novels, comic books, short stories, video games and the movies. Conan Doyle, Shakespeare, Aesop, Aristotle, Hitchcock all used this theory. Hollywood and Broadway use it so well it is irrefutable.

It is a simple formula which has been proven to be valuable for any screenwriter. There are alternatives but they can shock and disappoint.

Act I – Setup (Beginning)

Act II – Confrontation (Middle)

Act III – Resolution (End)

The beginning is usually used to set the scene and to introduce the characters and the world they live, in order for the audience to relate with the characters and to get to know them before the journey of the story begins. The beginning is used to establish, define reason and logic of the story.

The middle section is the main section and the majority of the film where usually a problem/crisis is introduce.

However, it doesn’t always have to be a problem but the middle section contains the main event. And can contain a subplot to keep the audience hooked and not bored. The subplot is a minor story layered under the main narrative.

The end of the film is where the crisis or problem is resolved, the final confrontation.

in some cases the ending may be the problem solved, others it may not be a happy ending, then sometimes you are left on a cliffhanger to decide the ending for yourself.  This act is usually the shortest in length as quickly after the second turning point of the script, the main character is face to face with the villain, showdown ensues, then conclusion.

Developing Character

Hero or Villain?

Hero, (Protagonist) or Good Guy, is sometimes used to describe the protagonist of a story in modern film. The hero is usually an ordinary person in extra ordinary circumstances.  In some fiction and fantasy, the hero may have superhuman qualities, strength or endurance.

Marty McFly - Hero

Biff Tannen - villain 

The Villain (Antagonist) or Bad Guy, typically the foil to the hero, is typically a criminal, wrongdoer. Usually a cruel and malicious character and causes the hero an uphill battle of some kind.

There are always good characters and bad characters in films. This enables the audience to feel different the emotions

In the back to the future trilogy of Films, Marty McFly, Played by (Michael J Fox) is the protagonist. Whilst the antagonist is a Character called Biff Tannen and his grandson Griff Tannen, played by the same actor Thomas E Wilson.  He was a passive aggressive, criminal and the “real” bad guy. His insult choice was to call everyone “Butthead”. He would always mix up his metaphors and knock on someone’s head and say” Hello, anyone home”?

The film had 2 sequels, all Directed by Robert Zemekis is a cult film from 1985

The Doc and Marty

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future

http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Doc's_perspective