2. What is the three-act structure?
The Three-Act Structure is a model used when writing and evaluating
modern storytelling which divides a screenplay into three parts called the
Setup (beginning), the Confrontation (middle) and the Resolution (end).
3. The First Act
The first act is used to establish the main characters, their relationships
and the world around them. The protagonist is usually presented as
content in their situation so that when it is interrupted, the protagonist
wants to fight to regain their world. Earlier in the first act, a dynamic,
on-screen incident occurs that confronts the main character, whose
attempts to deal with this incident leads to a second and more
dramatic situation, known as the first turning point, which signals the
end of the first act, ensures life will never be the same again for the
protagonist and raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the
climax of the film. The dramatic question can be many things for
example; Will X recover the diamond?, Will Y get the girl? Will Z capture
the killer? All these questions are valid as long as the dramatic question
calls the protagonist to action. This is known as the inciting incident, or
catalyst. As an example, the inciting incident in the 1972 film The
Godfather is when Vito Corleone is shot, which occurs approximately
40 minutes into the film.
4. The Second Act
The second act, also referred to as "rising action", typically depicts the
protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning
point, only to find themselves in ever worsening situations. Part of the
reason the protagonist seems unable to resolve their problems is because
they do not yet have the skills to deal with the forces of antagonism that
confront them. They must not only learn new skills but arrive at a higher
sense of awareness of who they are and what they are capable of, in order
to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are. This
is referred to as character development. This cannot be achieved alone and
they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and co-protagonists.
5. The Third Act
Finally, the third act features the resolution of the story and its subplots.
The climax, also known as the second turning point, is the scene or
sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their
most intense point and the dramatic question answered. The protagonist
can never return to the same life they lived before the confrontation
occurred however; they are left with a new found sense of who they really
are.
