3 Act Story Structure
This is one of the most common thing we have heard when we
were learning how to write a story. Obviously we all have the idea of the three
basic elements; Beginning, Middle, and the End. The 3 act structure is the heart
of the film, as if this fails then the movie would also do. In a three act
structure of a film, for example, if it’s a two hour movie the first act (Act I)
will be about 30 minutes the second act (Act II) will be around 60 minutes, and
the last act (Act III) will be approx around 30 minutes. The first act basically just establishes the
characters, the plot where your story revolves, and the time of the story (for
example if it’s history or the current century). Usually after the Act one, in
the 30 minute mark our protagonist faces a conflict which takes the story to
Act two. In between of the act two there will be a dramatic turn in the story
which is termed as the ‘turning point’. Well in my point of view, the turning
point also attracts the audience attention even while watching a film. The key
to success for this is to make the unexpected part to be expected. If your film
is predictable, then your viewers will surely get bored, but if your film takes
twists, and turns which will make the audience stay on their seats, it will be
a success surely. There is another
turning point in between of Act two which considers on how our protagonist
deals with the conflicts, which then shifts the story to Act three. Act three is the resolution of the film.
Before writing a story it’s very vital for you to decide how you want to leave
your audience; if you want to make them smile or cry. So for making that
succeed the level of intensity during Act three until the film is resolved is
very important to be interesting as well. .
While I was learning the 3 act structure, at start
understanding these points started to get things very complicated for me while
writing a story. I had later on then noticed that after keeping the 3 act
structure in my mind it made it much easier for me to write the stories, as
everything was fixed, and planned.
