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As things stand, aspiring screenwriters must pay attention to the vagaries of three act structure when pitching their ideas: in Hollywood especially, execs are very much in thrall to the notions popularised by Field, Key et al, mainly because it provides them with the analytical tools to get their teeth into your story, and suggest changes that, to an extent, can justify their role in optioning and pre-production.
However, as Thompson demonstrates, the vast majority of films as made diverge from the three act model, and in fact have a four-act structure.
This is a fundamental point, which will help any writer get over the perennial problem of that "difficult second act": here is a an analysis that demonstates that it's better to split your second act into two. Thompson shows that most Hollywood movies are in fact split into four equal parts, rather than three parts of unequal length.
Reductive, formulaic catch-all writing credos are antithetical to creativity, and in many cases are so loose in their criteria that they end up providing little of practical value to aspiring writers.
Thompson stresses the individuality, the virtuosity involved, the difficulty of good writing - and demonstrates that not only will you not write well overly adhering to three act formula - you will write a screenplay which will be difficult, if not impossible to film. So be warned.
Just to have an educated author present an argument against 3-Act structure is provacative (Hollywood wants formulas, not new paradigms). In the rush to collapse the shelves of bookstores across America, too many "how-to-write-a-screenplay" tomes have twisted the 3-act structure into a cliched checklist far removed from any aesthetic considerations. This book shows the limitations of not only the 3-act philosophy, but other screenwriting "rules" as well.
While the critiques of all the films were full of insights, I preferred the chapters which discussed the differences/similarities between "old Hollywood" and "new Hollywood" with regard to "classic" storytelling and today's movies' cookie-cutter-characters with every-plot-point-in-its-place.
For both writers and the viewers this book proves to be a thought-provoking read not only about film, but the nature of story itself. You'll never look at movies, or your own memories, the same.
Once through the book and I think you'll find all you need. This isn't one that you pick up again and again to get you through the rough spots. Borrow it from your local library, spend a day or two pulling out what you need and then return it. There are many other books that will be more useful to you as references.
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