The Narrative of Flippy Johnson: The Three Act Structure - Criticisms and Alternatives Script and Script Analysis

Abstract

In this feature screenplay, I have incorporated the complexities of an intertwining multi-strand narrative, while manipulating the materials of time and space. This has enabled me to begin my exploration into finding a suitable structure in which to tell a story that features a number of characters, all of whom are intended to represent some of human nature's darkest emotions. I have attempted to distinguish my script from the standard three-act structure. However, I do believe it is a fundamental requirement to know all the rules of a classical three-act structure in order to subvert its conventions. The three-act structure has long been a successful model for transmitting a story to the screen. It has provided the basis for many a film where a character triumphs over adversity; where good defeats bad and heroes fall in love. But what about characters that are not heroes? Protagonists who cannot be defined under the even broadest definition of heroism? Can these people thrive within the strict guidelines of a three-act structure, with its strong reliance on a hero's journey? Is there an alternative structure that can deal with these characters, a structure that can incorporate them in a narrative? This MA will attempt to answer these questions, while also investigating if the materials of time and space can be manipulated and understood when working outside the guidelines of a formulaic structure. The materials of time and space are unique to all films and they are both dealt with in different ways by screenwriters and filmmakers alike. Temporal and spatial characteristics have been studied in depth by many critics including, of particular importance to this MA, David Bordwell. Bordwell has used time and space as a way of making sense of narrative and of engaging with a film. This is something that I am attempting to achieve in the following script and commentary. Furthermore, I will try to articulate the manipulation of time and space, with the challenges of multiple strands of narrative and multiple protagonists.