What is the Three Act Structure?
The 'Three Act Structure' is a narrative theory placed forward by French-Bulgarian critic Tzvetan Todorov. Todorov's theory revolves around every narrative having some form of middle, beginning and end, incorporated into which are 5 stages;
In the beginning; Stage 1 - Equilibrium
Stage 2 - Disruption to equilibrium
In the middle; Stage 3 - Recognition of disruption
Stage 4 - Attempt to repair disruption
In the end: Stage 5 - New equilibrium is established
These 5 stages are usually present in any film, be it a short or feature length. However, this narrative structure is not fixed and has been played around with - for example Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) uses this structure in a ciclic manner - establishing and re-establishing new equilibriums as Scotty's relationships with Midge, Judy and Madeline unfold. In addition to this, Todorov's traditional narrative structure can also be completely rejected, as is the case with surrealist cinema.
In terms of my screenplay, I did try to stick to this structure. Stages 1 and 2 can be seen with Lily settling into her new home, though realising this may not be what she wants. Stages 2 and 3 can be seen with her and Leo having the conversation that she is not sure she wants to live with him, then the attempt for them to resolve their issues leading to an argument, with stage 5 being the end of the argument and their new equilibrium being that they are no longer together.
In the beginning; Stage 1 - Equilibrium
Stage 2 - Disruption to equilibrium
In the middle; Stage 3 - Recognition of disruption
Stage 4 - Attempt to repair disruption
In the end: Stage 5 - New equilibrium is established
These 5 stages are usually present in any film, be it a short or feature length. However, this narrative structure is not fixed and has been played around with - for example Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) uses this structure in a ciclic manner - establishing and re-establishing new equilibriums as Scotty's relationships with Midge, Judy and Madeline unfold. In addition to this, Todorov's traditional narrative structure can also be completely rejected, as is the case with surrealist cinema.
In terms of my screenplay, I did try to stick to this structure. Stages 1 and 2 can be seen with Lily settling into her new home, though realising this may not be what she wants. Stages 2 and 3 can be seen with her and Leo having the conversation that she is not sure she wants to live with him, then the attempt for them to resolve their issues leading to an argument, with stage 5 being the end of the argument and their new equilibrium being that they are no longer together.
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