The Nine-Act Structure by David Siegel
| Many successful recent films seem to overtly defy the Nine-Act Structure. Pulp Fiction throws several Red Herrings into the pot, but its underlying structure still uses the principles of the Nine-Act Structure (clue: assume Samuel Jackson's character is the hero and his final goal is to quit being a hitman). These simple examples suggest that there are many ways to work with the suggestions of the Nine-Act Structure and play with the arrangement of scenes and characters. However, the Nine-Act Structure is still a fairly decent formula for producing an interesting plot that does not overly confuse modern film-viewing audiences. It is also stresses the importance of building a desire in the audience (a revelation of the mystery) and satisfying it at the appropriate time. This principle is as applicable to multisequential stories as it is to movies and is worth bearing in mind. |