Me and You and Memento and Fargo by J.J. Murphy - 1640 Words

Structure in any form of narrative is vital, whether it be in films, books, theatre, etc. It is a frame for a story to work within. While there is a traditional method and formula to structuring a film narrative, filmmakers all over the world have experimented with breaking the norm and trying new ways to structure a film. It tested the viewer’s notion of what structure is and how a narrative can be told. It was also new and something that audiences were not used to. Even now, a film that moves too far away from the traditional three-act-structure, is highly experimental and usually only seen in independent or student films. In this essay I will look at the film â€Å"Slacker† (Linklater, 1991) and see how they structured the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Act I, the screenwriter sets up the story, establishes character, launches the dramatic premise (what the story is about), illustrates the situation (the circumstances surrounding the action), and creates the re lationships between the main character and the other characters who inhabit the landscape of his or her world.† (Field, 2005:21) At the end of the first act there is a turning point, also known as the ‘inciting incident’, that signals the start of the second act which is what Field (2005:24) calls â€Å"Confrontation†. While act one and act three usually translates to about roughly a quarter of the story’s length each, act two is usually half of the entire script. â€Å"During this second act the main character encounters obstacle after obstacle that keeps him/her from achieving his/her dramatic need, which is defined as what the character wants to win, gain, get, or achieve during the course of the screenplay.† (Field, 2005:25) â€Å"†¦resolution means solution.† (Field, 2005:26) In the third and final act, the resolution, the story and characters reach a climax. Here the character usually faces his fears, overcomes his biggest obstacles and defeats the antagonist, though not always. There is a de-escalation in act three. In the book â€Å"Story† (McKee, 1997:105-106) Robert McKee defines the function of structure and character: â€Å"The function of STRUCTURE is to provide