The Nine-Act Structure by David Siegel
| This brief skeleton does seem to resemble many plots of successful recent movies, especially those produced by big studios. This structure builds on what is known as the 'Two-Goal Structure'; that is, the hero pursues one goal, realises it is the incorrect goal (the reversal) and pursues the correct goal. The Nine-Act Structure expands on it by adding specific filmic sequences as well as defining several key characters. This structure is one instantiation of a possible larger morphology for all movies. David Siegel qualifies his instantiation by stating that it is not meant to be a definitive guide of a successful movie plot, but rather an observation of a formula that many successful movies have adopted. Many unsuccessful movies also use the Nine-Act Structure, which leads us to wonder why the argument for the Nine-Act Structure is so convincing. |