Media A2

1. THE THREE-ACT
STRUCTURE
Emma Dempsey

2. WHAT IS THE THREE -ACT
STRUCTURE?
 The Three-Act Structure is a model used when writing and
evaluating modern storytelling which divides a screenplay into three
parts called the Setup (beginning), the Confrontation (middle) and the
Resolution (end).

3. THE FIRST ACT
 The first act is used to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world around
them. The protagonist is usually presented as content in their situation so that when it is
interrupted, the protagonist wants to fight to regain their world. Earlier in the first act, a
dynamic, on-screen incident occurs that confronts the main character, whose attempts to deal
with this incident leads to a second and more dramatic situation, known as the first turning point,
which signals the end of the first act, ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist
and raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film. The dramatic
question can be many things for example; Will X recover the diamond?, Will Y get the girl? Will
Z capture the killer? All these questions are valid as long as the dramatic question calls the
protagonist to action. This is known as the inciting incident, or catalyst. As an example, the
inciting incident in the 1972 film The Godfather is when Vito Corleone is shot, which occurs
approximately 40 minutes into the film.

4. THE SECOND ACT
 The second act, also referred to as "rising action", typically depicts the
protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only
to find themselves in ever worsening situations. Part of the reason the protagonist
seems unable to resolve their problems is because they do not yet have the skills to
deal with the forces of antagonism that confront them. They must not only learn
new skills but arrive at a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they
are capable of, in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who
they are. This is referred to as character development. This cannot be achieved alone
and they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and co-protagonists.

5. THE THIRD ACT
 Finally, the third act features the resolution of the story and its
subplots. The climax, also known as the second turning point, is the
scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are
brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question
answered. The protagonist can never return to the same life they lived
before the confrontation occurred however; they are left with a new
found sense of who they really are.