Sunday, October 31, 2010

3 Act Structure

According to Professor Ramirez Berg, there are three types of movie narratives. Among these, there is the 3 act structure. The 3 act structure is very popular and widely used in the film industry. It is a structure that viewers are very familiar it. The 3 act structure consists of a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning, middle, and end are referred to as the introduction, complication, and resolution. According to Professor Ramirez Berg, Hollywood's 3 act structure is good for quest stories and triumphant stories. He listed various films that use the 3 act structure. The film I am going to use is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

The introduction is the beginning of the film. It typically lasts about 30 minutes. The introduction starts off the movie, introduces us the the characters, familiarizes the view with the setting, and gives us a feel for what the movie is going to be about. In the introduction of How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, we are introduced to the two main characters Andie and Ben. We are given a background on the 2 characters and get a feel for what each character is about. We are introduced to their professions, which dominate both of their lives. Andie is a journalist, who works for a successful magazine called Composure. She wants to write about important issues, such as politics, but her boss does not take her seriously. She decides to write an article called "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Ben is an advertising executive, who is eager to be incharge of his bosses new accounts. The 2 decide to use eachother to move up in their jobs, but end up falling in love. With the introduction, the writer has introduced the character and this leads us to act 2, the complication,

The complication is the middle of the story. This takes up the largest chunk of the story, which is typically 30-60 minutes. We are introduced to complication and obstacles, which then eventually leads to the climax. In How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, things get very complicated between Andie and Ben, when they find out that they were both using eachother

The third and final act is the resolution. This follows the climax, and is typically the last 30 minutes of the story. The resolution is the solution to the problem, and the point where everything falls together. The resolution in How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days is when Andie chases after Ben, who is about to move to a different city. The 2 confess their love for one another and live happily ever after.

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