The Nine-Act Structure by David Siegel

David Siegel is a man with many opinions and an ego to support them. He is a figure of controversy in the 'Look versus Content' holy wars that rage on the Internet. He firmly believes that the aesthetics of web pages should take priority over the cross-platform concerns of HTML. Now, he directs his opinions at the structure of commercially-successful movies, proposing that his 'Nine-Act Structure' analysis of movies can be a major factor in determining the popularity of a movie plot.   The Nine-Act Structure states that a compelling plot typically has the following elements (paraphrased here): The scene that no one sees: the backstory An establishing scene Something bad happens: an action of the evil characters Introduction of the hero and evil front man Commitment of the hero to action Hero pursues a wrong goal The reversal: clinching information is disclosed Hero pursues the right goal A really short concluding scene Why the Nine-Act Structure?

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