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A
film has to have a beginning, middle and the end. This basic
structure can be identified by many conceptual tools. It is
very common to divide a film into three acts. This division
comes from the theater and in its foundation one can see the
structure of three-act or five-act play (cf. Freytag's
formula).
The structure is a tool of expression,
not a value in itself. For the makers mastering the structure
is part of being professional. The viewer senses a functional
structure as satisfaction. Robert
McKee observes, justifiably, that the story is
about principles, not rules. "A well-made film"
is made respecting the principles of cinematography (and not
the rules!), form
and content are an entity. The inexperienced follow imaginary
or learned rules. The rebels and the ignorant break these
very rules. The artists master the form. They have "cinema
sense".
The structure can also be outlined as follows:
The outline of drama structure by German researcher Gustav
Freytag dates back to 1863, but it also applies
to film:
- exposition or presentation
- conflict or the appearance of conflict
- complication or development
- crisis or climax
- final resolution
According
to the Swedish film dramaturgist Ola
Olsson, the drama structure of a
fiction film has six parts:
- start-up
- sequence
- presentation
- amplifying
- culmination of conflicts (acceleration, heating up, clashing)
- resolution (solution)
- fade
out (vanishing)
Both
Olsson's and Freytag's models are meant for analyzing films
(drama). Just as well, films could be divided into three or
nine acts. The essential thing is to realize that understanding
the structure (form) helps in telling the story in a dramatically
pleasant way.
David
Siegel: The Nine-Act Structure Home Page. [mwriters.com/Visionback/Issue%2015/websitereview]
Films on a Shoestring [Film Script Structure (with examples) - Films On A Shoestring]
Screen Craft [10 Screenplay Structures That Screenwriters Can Use - ScreenCraft]
Phillip
Noyce: Dead Calm [us.imdb.com/Title?0097162]
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