OK. So at the time being I'm trying to do my take on the structure of dramatic composition. After the intro and after the 4 act model, I had planned to write something more on how the structure of drama is very much like the structure of music. Been scribbling on it on and off during this week in between treatment writing for a feature and rehearsal for a theater production.
Then today I read this post over at The Rouge Wave. Of course it is not my exact words, but it expresses precisely my understanding and experience with structure. So instead of tiring myself out at this moment with a piece on the same subject - I want you to go and see what Julie L. Gray has to say.
The only major aspect that she doesn't touch upon in her well-written and well-supported piece is how the tonality of comedy and tragedy also plays into the musical understanding of dramatic structure. So there will be a bit left for me to expound on. Later.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Picasso's Desire and Fear
”Then I understood what painting really meant. It’s not an aesthetic process, It’s a form of magic that interposes itself between us and the hostile universe, a means of seizing power by imposing form on our terrors as well as on our desires;” - Picasso
Picasso states clearly – not only what painting is about – but also what all art is about. Specifically we come to the drama to experience in action, the forms of those terrors and desires that cannot be expressed in plain words.
For some years now this has been one of my most precious quotes. We make drama out of conflicts. They arise from the clashes between fear and desire. It is where I turn to when I am stuck in my process. It is my constant touchstone, where I test my ideas. Are they born out of my desire? Out my fears?
This dichotomy of what we want and what we run away from is engraved in our two basic nervous systems, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. They function in opposition to each other. This opposition can be understood as both complementary and antagonistic. The sympathetic system is responsible for our 'flight-or-fight'-reactions. When fear strikes us, it will pump out adrenalin, it will withdraw blood from the surface of our skin, it will accelerate our heart-rate and make us breathe quicker and more shallow. The parasympathetic system takes care of all things pleasurable. It will relax our muscles, send blood to the surface of our skin (making it more sensitive), make our breathing deeper, stimulate digestion and prepare our sexual organs for love-making.
This is our hard-wiring as organisms. Our ancient battlefield of internal conflicts and by proxy our external conflicts. Tune into it and let it be your guide to drama.
Picasso states clearly – not only what painting is about – but also what all art is about. Specifically we come to the drama to experience in action, the forms of those terrors and desires that cannot be expressed in plain words.
For some years now this has been one of my most precious quotes. We make drama out of conflicts. They arise from the clashes between fear and desire. It is where I turn to when I am stuck in my process. It is my constant touchstone, where I test my ideas. Are they born out of my desire? Out my fears?
This dichotomy of what we want and what we run away from is engraved in our two basic nervous systems, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. They function in opposition to each other. This opposition can be understood as both complementary and antagonistic. The sympathetic system is responsible for our 'flight-or-fight'-reactions. When fear strikes us, it will pump out adrenalin, it will withdraw blood from the surface of our skin, it will accelerate our heart-rate and make us breathe quicker and more shallow. The parasympathetic system takes care of all things pleasurable. It will relax our muscles, send blood to the surface of our skin (making it more sensitive), make our breathing deeper, stimulate digestion and prepare our sexual organs for love-making.
This is our hard-wiring as organisms. Our ancient battlefield of internal conflicts and by proxy our external conflicts. Tune into it and let it be your guide to drama.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
10 Reasons for the Danish Film Miracle OR How Europe Can Beat Hollywood
During the 90s Danish film underwent a small revolution. From being a small nation that occasionally would get a film into the international market, as well as seeing it run away with the box office at national cinemas, the Danish film industry now has record setting statistics in all areas. Of all European countries Danish films does the best in their national market, often beating the more glamorous American productions at the box office. Every year several Danish films sell well in the international market. Almost every year there is a serious contender for the foreign film Oscar nomination. And all this in a very small country (5 mio+ population). It really shouldn't be possible. Its a case of the bumblebee that shouldn't be able to fly. Here is a look at some of the reason and circumstances that have made it possible.
1. Script is the foundation
By the late 80s or early 90s it became clear to both producers and the National Danish Film Institute that the script is the all-imporant foundation for a good movie. This should be self-evident, but in many countries the script is the weakest link. And also so in Denmark before early 90s. And not just realizing it, but acting upon it, the early 90s saw the establishment of two new national educations for writing - the script line at the National film school and the National Playwright Education (which also dedicate periods of its 3 years to film, TV and radio scripts), as well as a dramatic increase in the Film Institutes support for development of scripts. The institute changed its strategy on scripts - from selecting a few that they would eventually also support the production for - to supporting the development of way too many scripts. The wisdom being that you have to get too many scripts to choose the best. This also meant more professional scriptwriters, as even the ones who didn't make it into production got paid (to some extent) for their hard work. It also became the standard that the consultants at the institute (who are the ones that single-handlely choose which scripts and film to support) would act as proper consultants, giving advice and know-how support to projects in development. Meanwhile the production companies also got the idea and began to develop more scripts.
2. Education is vital
Denmark has had a good National Film School since the late 60s, but by the 90s it became upgraded with the new script-department, and this also lead to the students learning to work in the all-important triangle of director-producer-writer. The script-department excelled at teaching the students to work with 'the natural story', the concept of its scriptwriting-guru Mogens Rukow, who insisted on using natural stories - the family party, the dinner, the business meeting - whatever social structure, which already has it's own fundamental natural story, as a framework for all situations in a script - or even as the basic framework for a whole movie (like his own small masterpiece - Festen (The Celebration) which uses the celebration of big family birthday as its framework). The other areas of the Film School managed to attract the best Danish and international talent as teachers, as well as setting very high standards for the admittance of new students. In the same period Denmark also saw the opening of other schools around the country, which would teach film making at a lower lever, the entry level. They became the standard road to eventually being admitted to the National School.
3. Teamwork over auteur
Denmark has always been torn between the continental idea of the inspired genius and the auteur versus the anglo-saxon idea of solid work creates success. The anglo-saxon idea incorporates the concept that art can be taught, while obviously a genius can't be taught, but is something almost god-given. In the 90s there was a shift towards the Anglo-Saxon view, that manifested itself in a belief in teamwork - the Film institute stressed the need of a collaboration between the trio of producer-director-writer, and it more or less became a requisite for financial support. The production companies were quick to adapt to it, as well as most directors and writers. It became about teamwork - and this also went hand-in-hand with the new generation of actors, who were not primadonnas, but mainly relied a lot on teamwork.
4. Critical mass
In the 70s and 80s most directors would go years between making a feature film. This is not good for developing your art and skills. During the 90s the Film institute and the companies managed to increase the number of yearly productions dramatically, due to their success - as they made more money and also managed to pressure the politicians into increasing the budget for the Film institute - to support the Danish Film Miracle. And it is necessary in the small country to have a substantial state support to carry the burden of risk, as a small country can't have the big money of major studios that allows for risk taking. Also the critical mass applies to the number of production companies, which increased throughout the 90s, both in numbers and in the number of 'continually producing companies'. The critical mass also has an impact on the audiences as they get used to going to the cinema to see a Danish film, they come to expect it, even to expect that a new Danish film has always just opened its run.
5. Companies help out new talent
A tradition already existed in Denmark for established companies to give a helping hand to young talents' no-budget productions by lending or renting out equipment for free or at a very low cost. This tradition became all the more important as the 90s saw a steady growth in the amount of young people seeking a life in film-making. By staying in touch with the new talent the companies were able to both stimulate them and harvest the best of them. The Lars von Trier company, Zentropa, is especially famous for this, as well for employing a big number of volunteers, often working a year without pay for the company. At the same time Zentropa and other companies were often quick to take a chance on new talent.
6. Actors are real stars
The 90s also saw a new generation of actors entering the screens and stages. This was a generation who played more 'natural', meaning they would speak lines more organic and less artificially - but most of all they understood to reflect modern society in their acting. They became stars in a new way. They didn't become Hollywood glamour stars, but real stars, in the sense of remaining to be real people that the audiences could relate to in a more real way. The producers of both films and theatre understood to take advantage of this new generation, and make them stars of a new kind - and thereby help to attract audiences.
7. Mainstream and art
The famous division between art and mainstream is not so divisive in Denmark. Many films which could be considered art house material are just about mainstream enough to do well in box office. Also the institute support both types of films, as the philosophy is that the two oft-estranged cousins of cinema actually help each other out. Its all one big pot - if the companies make money on mainstream they are better situated to take a chance on art.
8. Dogma
There's no way around mentioning the event of Dogma-films. The stunt played a major role in re-inventing Danish cinema. It brought everything down to earth, back to basic, and maybe most importantly it made it possible to produce more films, as they were quite cheap, because the rules of the Dogma-manifesto decreed the absence of all the superfluous, expensive stuff like effects, lighting and so on. It became all about the story and the actors. The fundamentals. The general lesson here is to focus for a while on some core values of film-making that can inspire and propel forward a new generation of filmmakers.
9. Film, TV and theater are connected.
In Denmark there is not a great division between the three, which means a lot of the same talent, especially actors, work in all three fields, but this also goes for some directors and writers. This means several things. The talent are able to earn a living, because they have more options. They are more well-rounded in skills. And they can bring the experience in one field to enhance the others.
10. Lars von Trier
As with Dogma, its impossible not to mention Lars von Trier as a major influence for the blossoming of Danish Film. By his personal example, by his Dogma-initiative and by the activities of his hugely successful insurgent company, Zentropa, led by famous pretend-maverick Peter Ålbæk (always sporting a big cigar) he has brought inspiration and helped open doors for other Danish filmmakers. No matter how you rate his films, there is no discussion that he has made a huge impact on the Danish film industry and his fellow filmmakers. And unlike Sweden, were Bergmann was a huge national symbol that almost blocked out anybody else (not intentionally of course) Lars von Triers personal success seems more generous for others, more like a catalyst, than an unreachable standard.
There are of course other reasons and circumstances. But these are the 10 most important in my opinion. Some of these are easily copied by other (small) nations, who wish to stimulate their film industry. And they should do so - because the smaller countries of Europe and around the world need to step up and challenge the hegemony of Hollywood. Smaller countries can't beat Hollywood at it's own game. The country and the film studios are just too big. The money too big. They can't compete with that. This is why they most look at different strategies. There should be a healthy competition. And USA and Hollywood became big by rigging the playing field in the post WW2 situation, where USA took its payment for the famous Marshall-help by forcing European countries to embrace the American industry. Pre-WW2 European films were dominant in Europe. This all changed after the Marshall-plan had helped the war-torn countries back on their feet by force-feeding the American products.
1. Script is the foundation
By the late 80s or early 90s it became clear to both producers and the National Danish Film Institute that the script is the all-imporant foundation for a good movie. This should be self-evident, but in many countries the script is the weakest link. And also so in Denmark before early 90s. And not just realizing it, but acting upon it, the early 90s saw the establishment of two new national educations for writing - the script line at the National film school and the National Playwright Education (which also dedicate periods of its 3 years to film, TV and radio scripts), as well as a dramatic increase in the Film Institutes support for development of scripts. The institute changed its strategy on scripts - from selecting a few that they would eventually also support the production for - to supporting the development of way too many scripts. The wisdom being that you have to get too many scripts to choose the best. This also meant more professional scriptwriters, as even the ones who didn't make it into production got paid (to some extent) for their hard work. It also became the standard that the consultants at the institute (who are the ones that single-handlely choose which scripts and film to support) would act as proper consultants, giving advice and know-how support to projects in development. Meanwhile the production companies also got the idea and began to develop more scripts.
2. Education is vital
Denmark has had a good National Film School since the late 60s, but by the 90s it became upgraded with the new script-department, and this also lead to the students learning to work in the all-important triangle of director-producer-writer. The script-department excelled at teaching the students to work with 'the natural story', the concept of its scriptwriting-guru Mogens Rukow, who insisted on using natural stories - the family party, the dinner, the business meeting - whatever social structure, which already has it's own fundamental natural story, as a framework for all situations in a script - or even as the basic framework for a whole movie (like his own small masterpiece - Festen (The Celebration) which uses the celebration of big family birthday as its framework). The other areas of the Film School managed to attract the best Danish and international talent as teachers, as well as setting very high standards for the admittance of new students. In the same period Denmark also saw the opening of other schools around the country, which would teach film making at a lower lever, the entry level. They became the standard road to eventually being admitted to the National School.
3. Teamwork over auteur
Denmark has always been torn between the continental idea of the inspired genius and the auteur versus the anglo-saxon idea of solid work creates success. The anglo-saxon idea incorporates the concept that art can be taught, while obviously a genius can't be taught, but is something almost god-given. In the 90s there was a shift towards the Anglo-Saxon view, that manifested itself in a belief in teamwork - the Film institute stressed the need of a collaboration between the trio of producer-director-writer, and it more or less became a requisite for financial support. The production companies were quick to adapt to it, as well as most directors and writers. It became about teamwork - and this also went hand-in-hand with the new generation of actors, who were not primadonnas, but mainly relied a lot on teamwork.
4. Critical mass
In the 70s and 80s most directors would go years between making a feature film. This is not good for developing your art and skills. During the 90s the Film institute and the companies managed to increase the number of yearly productions dramatically, due to their success - as they made more money and also managed to pressure the politicians into increasing the budget for the Film institute - to support the Danish Film Miracle. And it is necessary in the small country to have a substantial state support to carry the burden of risk, as a small country can't have the big money of major studios that allows for risk taking. Also the critical mass applies to the number of production companies, which increased throughout the 90s, both in numbers and in the number of 'continually producing companies'. The critical mass also has an impact on the audiences as they get used to going to the cinema to see a Danish film, they come to expect it, even to expect that a new Danish film has always just opened its run.
5. Companies help out new talent
A tradition already existed in Denmark for established companies to give a helping hand to young talents' no-budget productions by lending or renting out equipment for free or at a very low cost. This tradition became all the more important as the 90s saw a steady growth in the amount of young people seeking a life in film-making. By staying in touch with the new talent the companies were able to both stimulate them and harvest the best of them. The Lars von Trier company, Zentropa, is especially famous for this, as well for employing a big number of volunteers, often working a year without pay for the company. At the same time Zentropa and other companies were often quick to take a chance on new talent.
6. Actors are real stars
The 90s also saw a new generation of actors entering the screens and stages. This was a generation who played more 'natural', meaning they would speak lines more organic and less artificially - but most of all they understood to reflect modern society in their acting. They became stars in a new way. They didn't become Hollywood glamour stars, but real stars, in the sense of remaining to be real people that the audiences could relate to in a more real way. The producers of both films and theatre understood to take advantage of this new generation, and make them stars of a new kind - and thereby help to attract audiences.
7. Mainstream and art
The famous division between art and mainstream is not so divisive in Denmark. Many films which could be considered art house material are just about mainstream enough to do well in box office. Also the institute support both types of films, as the philosophy is that the two oft-estranged cousins of cinema actually help each other out. Its all one big pot - if the companies make money on mainstream they are better situated to take a chance on art.
8. Dogma
There's no way around mentioning the event of Dogma-films. The stunt played a major role in re-inventing Danish cinema. It brought everything down to earth, back to basic, and maybe most importantly it made it possible to produce more films, as they were quite cheap, because the rules of the Dogma-manifesto decreed the absence of all the superfluous, expensive stuff like effects, lighting and so on. It became all about the story and the actors. The fundamentals. The general lesson here is to focus for a while on some core values of film-making that can inspire and propel forward a new generation of filmmakers.
9. Film, TV and theater are connected.
In Denmark there is not a great division between the three, which means a lot of the same talent, especially actors, work in all three fields, but this also goes for some directors and writers. This means several things. The talent are able to earn a living, because they have more options. They are more well-rounded in skills. And they can bring the experience in one field to enhance the others.
10. Lars von Trier
As with Dogma, its impossible not to mention Lars von Trier as a major influence for the blossoming of Danish Film. By his personal example, by his Dogma-initiative and by the activities of his hugely successful insurgent company, Zentropa, led by famous pretend-maverick Peter Ålbæk (always sporting a big cigar) he has brought inspiration and helped open doors for other Danish filmmakers. No matter how you rate his films, there is no discussion that he has made a huge impact on the Danish film industry and his fellow filmmakers. And unlike Sweden, were Bergmann was a huge national symbol that almost blocked out anybody else (not intentionally of course) Lars von Triers personal success seems more generous for others, more like a catalyst, than an unreachable standard.
There are of course other reasons and circumstances. But these are the 10 most important in my opinion. Some of these are easily copied by other (small) nations, who wish to stimulate their film industry. And they should do so - because the smaller countries of Europe and around the world need to step up and challenge the hegemony of Hollywood. Smaller countries can't beat Hollywood at it's own game. The country and the film studios are just too big. The money too big. They can't compete with that. This is why they most look at different strategies. There should be a healthy competition. And USA and Hollywood became big by rigging the playing field in the post WW2 situation, where USA took its payment for the famous Marshall-help by forcing European countries to embrace the American industry. Pre-WW2 European films were dominant in Europe. This all changed after the Marshall-plan had helped the war-torn countries back on their feet by force-feeding the American products.
Your First Feature Film
You are not an established writer/director. You are looking to make your break-through or just to get that first feature film financed and produced. Here are some thoughts on how to make that script.
Keep it simple. One novel provocative idea. Strong characters.
Keep it simple.
This is key for several reasons. You want to minimize your budget. Makes it easier to get the project financed and produced. Failing finding a producer, you might even be able to produce it yourself. Keeping it simple also let you focus on maximizing your strengths instead of trying to accomplish everything. Example: Instead of wasting your energy on directing many different actors/characters, you can focus on a few, strengthening their performance and the audiences relation to those characters. Simplicity is not the opposite of complexity in this context. Complexity in the sense of a fascinating, inexhaustible art-work comes from simple ideas connecting to create complexity. By working under the rule of simplicity, limiting your number of location, actors, plot-lines and so on, you will be forced to make meaningful connections between the elements you have - creating complexity.
One novel, provocative idea.
The criteria for your basic idea of your script should be novelty and provocation. The novelty can take many forms. It can be the world of the drama is a world we have never (or rarely) seen portrayed in film. It can be the way you shape your drama. It can be a basic conflict we have never seen before, or at least not seen treated like you plan to do. The provocation is required for your script and film to break through the carpet bombing of film projects and releases. You need to stand out. What is provocation? Basically to question in any way a well-established truth.
Strong Characters!
In a low-budget film you can't have all the expensive stuff that attracts people to film. Instead you can utilize the one fundamental thing we also love about drama - the characters. They are not expensive. But they demand all of your creativity, logic and sense of drama. Pour all your energy into them - making them stand out, being unforgettable. The kind of characters you wish you knew in real life, or in your dreams (if that's the kind of film you are planning), or that you yourself was one of them. Really, push yourself on this aspect. And it's not only about writing great dialogue for them. Its about their conflicts (external and internal), how they deal with them, their courage, their strength and weaknesses.
A sample of breakthrough films that have these characteristics. Find more yourself.
• Sex, Lies and Videotapes
Small ensemble cast. Good actors. Main character has a huge problem - he can't commit to a relationship. The novelty is that he deals with this by questioning convention and videotaping peoples most intimate, private stories. In doing so he stirs up status quo of their lives. By shaking up their world, finally somebody emerges to shake up his world. The provocation: Questioning the existence of love. A romantic lead who is everything he is not supposed to be.
• Reservoir Dogs
Ensemble cast. Few locations. Main character is thrown into the dangerous task of infiltrating a criminal gang - posing for one of them. The novelty is that this is not a film about a detective solving a crime. This is the crime-film as an existential metaphor regarding identity. The main character bonds with a father figure among the criminals, and when they are all lying dead or dying, he realizes the futility of all his aspirations - the bond between him and the criminal was what he cared most about. Added novelty: voluminous, imaginative dialogue. The provocation in this film is the blurring of black and white - ex: Our mixed enjoyment/vehemence at the torture of a police officer.
• Festen (The Celebration)
Ensemble cast. One location. Main character has a huge problem - he can't continue his life because of his father's abuse of him and his sister in the past. The novelty is two-fold: This was one of the first Dogma-films shot on DV. It was one of the first 'mainstream' films to talk about incest. This is also more or less its provocation, but its provocation has a deeper level. We are led to believe our main character's intention is to expose his father (get justice) and in the end of the film he succeeds - but he is not really happy about it. The main character's true intention is to find reconciliation with his father, to gain a real bond between them - and this is truly provoking as the gut-reaction towards incest-perpetrators are pretty much to castrate them (socially and physically). This film actually ends up siding with both the victim and the perpetrator.
Keep it simple. One novel provocative idea. Strong characters.
Keep it simple.
This is key for several reasons. You want to minimize your budget. Makes it easier to get the project financed and produced. Failing finding a producer, you might even be able to produce it yourself. Keeping it simple also let you focus on maximizing your strengths instead of trying to accomplish everything. Example: Instead of wasting your energy on directing many different actors/characters, you can focus on a few, strengthening their performance and the audiences relation to those characters. Simplicity is not the opposite of complexity in this context. Complexity in the sense of a fascinating, inexhaustible art-work comes from simple ideas connecting to create complexity. By working under the rule of simplicity, limiting your number of location, actors, plot-lines and so on, you will be forced to make meaningful connections between the elements you have - creating complexity.
One novel, provocative idea.
The criteria for your basic idea of your script should be novelty and provocation. The novelty can take many forms. It can be the world of the drama is a world we have never (or rarely) seen portrayed in film. It can be the way you shape your drama. It can be a basic conflict we have never seen before, or at least not seen treated like you plan to do. The provocation is required for your script and film to break through the carpet bombing of film projects and releases. You need to stand out. What is provocation? Basically to question in any way a well-established truth.
Strong Characters!
In a low-budget film you can't have all the expensive stuff that attracts people to film. Instead you can utilize the one fundamental thing we also love about drama - the characters. They are not expensive. But they demand all of your creativity, logic and sense of drama. Pour all your energy into them - making them stand out, being unforgettable. The kind of characters you wish you knew in real life, or in your dreams (if that's the kind of film you are planning), or that you yourself was one of them. Really, push yourself on this aspect. And it's not only about writing great dialogue for them. Its about their conflicts (external and internal), how they deal with them, their courage, their strength and weaknesses.
A sample of breakthrough films that have these characteristics. Find more yourself.
• Sex, Lies and Videotapes
Small ensemble cast. Good actors. Main character has a huge problem - he can't commit to a relationship. The novelty is that he deals with this by questioning convention and videotaping peoples most intimate, private stories. In doing so he stirs up status quo of their lives. By shaking up their world, finally somebody emerges to shake up his world. The provocation: Questioning the existence of love. A romantic lead who is everything he is not supposed to be.
• Reservoir Dogs
Ensemble cast. Few locations. Main character is thrown into the dangerous task of infiltrating a criminal gang - posing for one of them. The novelty is that this is not a film about a detective solving a crime. This is the crime-film as an existential metaphor regarding identity. The main character bonds with a father figure among the criminals, and when they are all lying dead or dying, he realizes the futility of all his aspirations - the bond between him and the criminal was what he cared most about. Added novelty: voluminous, imaginative dialogue. The provocation in this film is the blurring of black and white - ex: Our mixed enjoyment/vehemence at the torture of a police officer.
• Festen (The Celebration)
Ensemble cast. One location. Main character has a huge problem - he can't continue his life because of his father's abuse of him and his sister in the past. The novelty is two-fold: This was one of the first Dogma-films shot on DV. It was one of the first 'mainstream' films to talk about incest. This is also more or less its provocation, but its provocation has a deeper level. We are led to believe our main character's intention is to expose his father (get justice) and in the end of the film he succeeds - but he is not really happy about it. The main character's true intention is to find reconciliation with his father, to gain a real bond between them - and this is truly provoking as the gut-reaction towards incest-perpetrators are pretty much to castrate them (socially and physically). This film actually ends up siding with both the victim and the perpetrator.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Bravo Bale!!
The internet toilet-tubes are overflowing with pro et contra Christian Bale's outburst (well, tirade is maybe more like it) against the DoP on set of Terminator. Here's my 7 and a half cent (not american cents, european cents, that is).
Caveat: No one really know the full context, except to a certain degree the involved persons.
Blame McG
Don't blame Bale, blame McG: Flaming Bale for this on the basis of the recording is ridiculous as the guy supposed to take responsibility for the situation, the director, clearly doesn't do it. On the the recording the director, McG, when asked by Bale to pitch in, just flummox out of being put on the spot by the time-honored "I didn't see it" (Like one of the famous three monkeys). Even very good and professional actors can loose it - and then you, the director, must pick up the ball. McG was even thrown the ball by Bale, but didn't want to catch it - "I didn't see it" - come on, McG.
Neurotic Numb-skull
Please, please, I beg you all, stop the neurotic I will never see a Christian Bale film again, he needs anger management, he is a psycho, he is unprofessional and whatever else scaredity-analysis and conclusion you believe is the truth. The thing here is that people are way too frightned of aggression and conflict. You know what? Film and theater - the dramatic arts - they are all about conflict. We love to watch them because most of us are such huge chickens in real life. In his outburst at the DoP, Bale is actually trying to achieve something, he is not just blowing off steam (but he is doing that too). All the answers of the DoP are vague, non-commital, responsibility-avoiding. Bale is trying to make him stand up and be a man about the situation - not to act like a typical neurotic conflict-suppressing, numb-skull. I've been in similar situations where the only tool to get through to some people is the sledgehammer - then later, when you have broken down the neurotic defences, you can have a nice, reasonable talk. Hell, I've even done the same to a producer who kept displacing her responsibility. Sometimes you just have to call people on their shit in a very loud way, or else they'll keep fucking you in their polite, smiling, nice-talking ways.
So long live Bale! Go see all his movies (if they are any good). Find your own balls.
(And what has this got to do with scriptwriting? Its all about conflict)
Caveat: No one really know the full context, except to a certain degree the involved persons.
Blame McG
Don't blame Bale, blame McG: Flaming Bale for this on the basis of the recording is ridiculous as the guy supposed to take responsibility for the situation, the director, clearly doesn't do it. On the the recording the director, McG, when asked by Bale to pitch in, just flummox out of being put on the spot by the time-honored "I didn't see it" (Like one of the famous three monkeys). Even very good and professional actors can loose it - and then you, the director, must pick up the ball. McG was even thrown the ball by Bale, but didn't want to catch it - "I didn't see it" - come on, McG.
Neurotic Numb-skull
Please, please, I beg you all, stop the neurotic I will never see a Christian Bale film again, he needs anger management, he is a psycho, he is unprofessional and whatever else scaredity-analysis and conclusion you believe is the truth. The thing here is that people are way too frightned of aggression and conflict. You know what? Film and theater - the dramatic arts - they are all about conflict. We love to watch them because most of us are such huge chickens in real life. In his outburst at the DoP, Bale is actually trying to achieve something, he is not just blowing off steam (but he is doing that too). All the answers of the DoP are vague, non-commital, responsibility-avoiding. Bale is trying to make him stand up and be a man about the situation - not to act like a typical neurotic conflict-suppressing, numb-skull. I've been in similar situations where the only tool to get through to some people is the sledgehammer - then later, when you have broken down the neurotic defences, you can have a nice, reasonable talk. Hell, I've even done the same to a producer who kept displacing her responsibility. Sometimes you just have to call people on their shit in a very loud way, or else they'll keep fucking you in their polite, smiling, nice-talking ways.
So long live Bale! Go see all his movies (if they are any good). Find your own balls.
(And what has this got to do with scriptwriting? Its all about conflict)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Amerika Square
A new consultant job. I'm helping Yannis Sakaridis with the script for his first feature film. He made a successful short film, "The Truth", which he and the film company Argonauts are developing into a feature. They presented the project at Thessaloniki International Filmfestival's Crossroads - a forum for hooking up projects with international co-producers - and the project picked up interest as well as a prize (Yes, they also have festival prizes for projects in development).
So far we have had one real meeting (excluding the initial "to see if we can work together"-meeting) and we have covered the fundamentals: Type of film (thriller with a social aspect, realism, comedy=ends in harmony), Basic conflict (compassion vs. greed), the main character's core characteristics (wants justice, needs love, strong compassion, weakness short tempered).
Yannis is going to the Berlin festival next week to do the network-thing and follow up on the interest from European producers. So we are working intensely on getting him ready to present the story as clearly and convincingly as possible in all those meetings. I guess he will also be seeing a lot of films - and drink a lot of drinks - and wearing a lot of clothes as Berlin can get pretty cold in winter. Ah, Berlin is such a great city. Wish I was going.
So far we have had one real meeting (excluding the initial "to see if we can work together"-meeting) and we have covered the fundamentals: Type of film (thriller with a social aspect, realism, comedy=ends in harmony), Basic conflict (compassion vs. greed), the main character's core characteristics (wants justice, needs love, strong compassion, weakness short tempered).
Yannis is going to the Berlin festival next week to do the network-thing and follow up on the interest from European producers. So we are working intensely on getting him ready to present the story as clearly and convincingly as possible in all those meetings. I guess he will also be seeing a lot of films - and drink a lot of drinks - and wearing a lot of clothes as Berlin can get pretty cold in winter. Ah, Berlin is such a great city. Wish I was going.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Four Act Structure
An entrance prayer: There are no golden standards and this model is by no means 'final'.
It is presented as a fairly basic model, from which variations can be extrapolated. It establishes a reference for talking and thinking about structure. It draws upon elements from Syd Field, The Danish Film School, Ingolf Gabold and Joseph Campbell.
Each act has a general purpose to play in the drama. As beginning and ending of acts, we have the major plot points, which creates essential developments for the main conflict and character(s) and the structural foundation of the drama, in terms of both rhythm and narrative logic. Each major plot point has a specific function to perform in the transition from act to act, propelling the drama towards its conclusion. The descriptions of these functions are approximations and you should feel free to re-think your perception of these functions for every drama. First a graphic representation:
Act One
The initial act serves to introduce conflicts, characters, locations and thematic elements. As a rule of thumb, by the end of first act all relevant components of the drama need to have been introduced in one way or the other. This act sets up the game and the basic rules of the drama and in the following acts you cannot change these or introduce new elements. Unless you have a very clever way to circumvent the rule, take it very literal. It can even become an extremely creative limitation and lead you to some real innovative plotting. The first act should build up, step by step, to the Initiating Plot Point, which is the 'real' beginning of the drama.
The Pitch
This plot point is also sometimes called The Hook and takes place in the very opening of a drama. The purpose is to pitch the whole drama in one scene or short sequence and to plant a hook of curiosity in the audience. 'To pitch' means to strike the basic tones (comedy/tragedy) of the drama, to lightly touch your main conflict, but in a discreet way so it doesn't come off as being forced upon the audience. Rather it should sneak in below the radar of consciousness. Really elegantly structured dramas are also able to hint at the eventual conclusion of the main conflict. There are countless ways to pitch your whole drama in one scene. In the opening of Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' the main character, Max von Sydow's religious knight, is confronted with Death, who has come to take his life, but the knight tempts Death into a game of chess - and if the knight wins, Death will let him free. At it's core the film is about faith and the search for a meaning in a life where the plague, religious zealots and the baser instincts rule. The use of Death personified as an unsentimental figure and the chess game as a central metaphor and plot device pitches this main conflict elegantly.
The hooking is perhaps of lesser importance, because, as the drama has just begun, the audience are naturally curious, but applying a hook further strengthens this. 'To hook' can be achieved by the surprising and unexpected nature of the opening. It could simply be the novelty of what we are seeing, like an odd pair of lovers sitting in a diner, with him reassuring his wide-eyed, nervous lover of the simplicity and brilliance of his plan to rob both customers and the diner, and just as they spring into action, we cut away from the scene - leaving the audience with the question of what the outcome will be - a prologue with a cliffhanger, brilliant plotting. An example of a very standardized 'hook' is the usual opening of a Bond movie, which always features an over-the-top action sequence, but exactly because we know what to expect, it doesn't really work properly as a hook.
The Call
The Call to Adventure is a concept from Joseph Campbell, who describes it as an early moment in countless myths and fairy-tales, where the hero has not yet begun his or her proper quest. An event takes places that eventually will make the hero leave the safety of home. It is an event that will lead more or less directly to the Initiating Plot Point. In 'Silence of the Lambs' the FBI-student Clarice Starling is sent on a small errant by her future FBI-boss, to conduct a standardized interview and observation of the jailed serial killer Hannibal Lecter. It seems no more than an interesting school-assignment for a talented student, but it leads to the Initiating Plot Point, when Clarice finds a clue to hunt for Buffalo Bill, the present serial killer at large. The Call can also more directly lead into the real drama, like in fairy-tales when a young man sets out to marry the princess early on, but then again, more often than not, there is a deeper mystery or challenge to be overcome, which is not revealed at the time of The Call. Nine minutes into Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' Jof, the traveling actor, has a vision of Virgin Mary with the Jesus child, and he hurries to tell his wife the good news, but she hardly believes him, but Jof nevertheless maintains an almost naive belief in the promise of a better future for their own son. This event is the film's Call to Adventure, in an almost classic mythical form, as it has the form of a vision - something which is not the adventure itself, but a promise of things to come.
After The Call the main character(s) will be involved with the activities set in motion by it. Often it takes the form of a new opportunity - a new job, a new person (to hate or fall in love with), a journey - something which alters the usual balance of things in the main character(s) world. Before The Call we might have been at 'Home', the initial location of the main character(s), but now we meet the real arena of the drama. Clarice Starling leaves the FBI-academy to seek out the truth about serial killers - and the prison dungeon where Hannibal Lecter is held, is just the first of such 'gothic' arenas in which she will confront him and later on, Buffalo Bill. In 'The Seventh Seal' the knight and his squire sets of on a journey through a swedish landscape plagued by death and religious madness - and we sense that this is 'the location' for the remainder of the drama - it is a 'road movie' and so we have an expectation of ever changing locations, but which are all essential the same: On the road in an existential emptiness.
The Initiating Plot Point
This is the transition between act one and two and initiates the real objective of the main character(s). Thelma and Louise left home for a road trip without any irritating men, but when they kill a man to prevent a rape, their real object becomes finding an escape from the punishment and tyranny of men, In this way the drama is transformed from being an ordinary story of two women looking for a little time off and into an existential struggle for freedom and survival. Campbell would call this plot point 'the threshold' because it leads the 'hero' from the world of the mundane and initiates them to the more mystical, unpredictable and dangerous regions of reality.
In 'The Seventh Seal' The Knight opens his heart to a robed figure, he believes to be a priest, and reveals that he is playing chess with Death, but with the only purpose of gaining enough time to do at least one single meaningful action in his otherwise meaningless life, and just as he has explained how he is planning his chess moves, the robed figure reveals himself to be Death. Cheated in this way, it becomes clear that The Knight is in for a very difficult game, but instead of losing faith, he realizes the miracle of being alive and able to challenge the meaningless of Death. This happens 21 minutes into the film and reveals the deeper level of the plot, not to cheat Death in a game of chess, but to defy Death by doing a meaningful action. In 'Silence of the Lambs' FBI-student Clarice Starling finds a clue to the identity of serial killer Buffalo Bill and becomes a part of the investigating team. In 'Thelma and Louise' the two women avert a rape by killing the man and now has to flee the law to find freedom.
So The Pitch and The Call hints at, or sets up a superficial version of the real plot, which will be revealed in the Initiating Plot Point, where the real objective has to be established.
This plot point sets the course directly for the conclusion of the drama - when the object has been obtained or lost, we know the drama has reached its end. It might sound simplistic, and it truly is, but simple is the greater art. Complexity is the multitude of simple things interconnected.
Act Two
In the second act we get into the conflicts of the drama, as well as nuances and new aspects of the elements presented in the first act. Because the main character(s) have found, realized and begun a quest for the true objective, they will now enter into conflicts with the forces standing in their way. Often they will work dedicated towards the objective, only meeting moderate opposition and making good progress - but only seemingly as they are only touching the surface of the real conflict, and hence the opposition is not strong, yet. We have left act one's introductions, but we might still be able to sneak in some additional introduction of elements, as we are still exploring the universe of the drama.
Especially throughout act two and three it can be useful to sequence the action and establish minor plot point as transitions for the sequences - depending on the type of drama. The idea is to establish a structural logic which work with the genre and content of your drama. For an externally plot driven crime mystery, the easy way to sequence and add additional plot points is to work along the lines of 'secrets' or 'clues' to be discovered. A fairy-tale-type of drama, the typical lay-out of act two could use the traditional series of tests to be passed - there would typically be three tests, so one could perhaps be the entrance to the Initiating Plot Point, one could fall midway through second act and the last would be give access to the Turning Point. Are we dealing with a theme-driven plot, like in The Seventh Seal, the plot points should relate more to the theme, than to strictly following the characters' external plot - although we still need the plot points for those, emphasis should be on the thematic conflict. Often a theme driven drama will have a broader circle of characters - and even though we want to follow all of them throughout the drama, the important plot points might be associated with different characters at different times.
Turning Point
This plot point has to make things drastically worse and more difficult for the main character(s). Often this is achieved by some kind of reversal (thus the name, turning point). In The Sixth Sense we learn that the child is really haunted by ghosts - they are real and not just his imagination. The world as we know it is turned upside down. Thelma and Louise gets robbed of all their money (by young and seemingly innocent Brad Pitt) and their plans of escaping to Mexico suffers a huge blow - but more importantly the event also reverses the balance between Thelma and Louise, where the older and more mature Louise so far has taken charge and responsibility, she now breaks down, and Thelma, realizing her responsibility for the theft, steps up and for the first time takes charge of her own (and Louise's) life.
The technical purpose of The Turning Point is to set the stage for the third act, which is characterized by serious complications to reaching the objective. The plot point can have a number of functions apart from introducing a new level of danger to the main objective. In general it is a good practice to examine in how many ways relations, perspectives, themes or any other element can be 'turned 180 degrees'.
Beyond the 'turn' there are other ways to think of this mid point of a drama. Personally I like to think of it as the beating heart of the drama. Even though the later climax and resolution is the most intense and important moment of the drama, at this mid point we could be closest to the emotional core. 'Silence of the Lambs' has a strong emotional moment right at the middle, when Clarice interviews Hannibal the last time, in secret, under time pressure, as she and her team has been taken of the case. In order to get the information from him, she so desperately needs, she has to subject to his psychoanalytic questioning, which leads her to reveal her inner, driving motive, a childhood experience of a deep existential nature: How she was not able to save a single lamb from the slaughter, the confrontation as an innocent child with the brutal realities of life. Hannibal savors her honesty and innocence, rewards her with a clue by handing her back the case file, and then, most importantly, for a moment their hands touch and his finger caress her hand, in a gesture bestowed with conflicting emotion - the love and approval of the father, the forbidden erotic love and innocence touched by corruption. This is a huge pay-off for which the drama has made a lot of set-ups - all the warnings against letting her guard down around Hannibal ("He'll get inside your head"), all the shots establishing Clarice as a lonely, single woman up against a world of men, the constant focus on sexual desire as the prime motivator for all behavior and her own childhood story of loosing her father.
Joseph Campbell refers to this moment as either 'world navel' or 'the belly of the beast', the place where the hero finds 'the elixir', the object which can restore balance to the world.
Act Three
The purpose of act three is to complicate the conflict to a point where it appears almost unsolvable. And that point is of course called Point of No Return. In act three there is absolutely no room and time for introduction or exploration. The pace has to pick up, the intensity must rise.
Going along with Campbell the job of the hero is to find the way of applying the elixir to restore balance to the world. This effort will be met by obstacles.
Usual this happens because the world around the main character(s) reacts. Things have been set in motion in the previous acts and are now being released into a re-action. Thelma and Louise are now not only wanted by the police, they are being hunted. Hannibal escapes captivity in an orgy of violence and the new serial killer, Buffalo Bill, is getting ready to skin his new victim - time is running out for Clarice.
As with act two, it can be a good idea to break down this act in shorter sequences, often two or three, each with their own mini-objective - a problem or conflict to be solved.
In conjunction with The Point of No Return there might often be one of two things happening. The False Harmony, in which something happens that makes things appear to be resolved without too much of a struggle. In 'Silence of the Lambs' a lucky break in the hunt for Buffalo Bill has given the FBI the identity and address of the killer - Clarice is not needed for the take down and is assigned to some routine task - everything seems back to normal. Or the opposite can happen, The Moment of Absolute Despair, in which it seems there is no way out of the mess and the hero might as well give up. In "The Sixth Sense" the child therapist has no luck in reaching the boy and he questions his own ability to the point where he is ready to give up.
The Point of No Return
Named so because this is when the main character(s) finally get it - they have to confront the dragon, there is no way around it - from now on everything leads directly towards the end. No time for deroutes, second-thoughts or anything but staying focused on the reaching the conclusion. In 'Last Tango in Paris' the Marlon Brando-character confronts his dead wife, which opens up the possibility for him to go after his real objective - a new love (and life). In the Sixth Sense, the therapist confronts his past in the form of audio tapes from the sessions with the boy he couldn't save and he finds a clue which convinces him that ghosts are real - and so now he can go after his real objective - to redeem himself by saving the haunted boy.
Act Four
The general purpose of act four is to quickly escalate the conflict until it reaches the fullest possible climax. This escalation often falls in a succession of quick steps of the protagonist(s) moves and the antagonist's counter-moves until they face each other. In Silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling stumbles upon Buffalo Bill at his house, she tries to arrest him, but he escapes into his underground dungeon, where she has to follow alone and without back-up. She finds the abducted woman, but he cuts the lights. In the darkness, he closes in on her using his night-vision goggles, toys with her, decides to shoot her, but the sound of his gun cocking alerts her and she shoots him. In Last Tango in Paris the Brando-character spends a night wooing his lover into embracing a real relationship with him, to which she is tempted, but as the morning breaks, so does her courage and she runs away from him. He gives chase and catches up with her in her parent's apartment. Just as he thinks everything is OK, she turns on him with her father's gun and convincing herself of a story that he came to rape her, she shoots him dead.
The Main Scene.
This is the scene leading directly up to the conclusion of the drama. In this scene the basic conflict of the drama is exposed most clearly and strongly. In Last Tango we see how the Brandon-character reaches out for love without fear and how fear of love makes her invent a story of rape. In Silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling fully becomes the object of a man's twisted desire, as Buffalo Bill toys with her in the dungeon, she is the lamb ready to be slaughtered, but exactly because the man believes himself to be superior and takes his time cocking his gun, she, not giving in to fear, has the time to shoot him. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest McMurphy, the Jack Nicholson character, confronts Sister Ratched as she shows her full demonic and manipulative powers over the patients, and he ends up trying to strangle her. The main scene often take the appearance of the major climax, but doesn't necessarily involve the real resolution of the conflict.
Resolution.
Here we get the consequences of the main scene, both relating to the fundamental conflict of the dramatic universe and the main character's conflict. McMurphy gets the electro-shock and is turned into a vegetable (tragedy), but Chief inspired by his example and sacrifice flees the institution to gain his freedom (comedy). Oh, and remember when I refer to tragedy it means disharmony and comedy means harmony, not necessarily funny. In Silence of the Lambs the girl is saved and Clarice graduates as an FBI-agent (comedy) ready to work for her mentor, but Hannibal is still free (tragedy) although he promises never to hurt Clarice (comedy), he will kill and eat Chilton, the obnoxious/narcissistic psychiatrist (comedy? Tragicomedy?).
It is presented as a fairly basic model, from which variations can be extrapolated. It establishes a reference for talking and thinking about structure. It draws upon elements from Syd Field, The Danish Film School, Ingolf Gabold and Joseph Campbell.
Each act has a general purpose to play in the drama. As beginning and ending of acts, we have the major plot points, which creates essential developments for the main conflict and character(s) and the structural foundation of the drama, in terms of both rhythm and narrative logic. Each major plot point has a specific function to perform in the transition from act to act, propelling the drama towards its conclusion. The descriptions of these functions are approximations and you should feel free to re-think your perception of these functions for every drama. First a graphic representation:
Act One
The initial act serves to introduce conflicts, characters, locations and thematic elements. As a rule of thumb, by the end of first act all relevant components of the drama need to have been introduced in one way or the other. This act sets up the game and the basic rules of the drama and in the following acts you cannot change these or introduce new elements. Unless you have a very clever way to circumvent the rule, take it very literal. It can even become an extremely creative limitation and lead you to some real innovative plotting. The first act should build up, step by step, to the Initiating Plot Point, which is the 'real' beginning of the drama.
The Pitch
This plot point is also sometimes called The Hook and takes place in the very opening of a drama. The purpose is to pitch the whole drama in one scene or short sequence and to plant a hook of curiosity in the audience. 'To pitch' means to strike the basic tones (comedy/tragedy) of the drama, to lightly touch your main conflict, but in a discreet way so it doesn't come off as being forced upon the audience. Rather it should sneak in below the radar of consciousness. Really elegantly structured dramas are also able to hint at the eventual conclusion of the main conflict. There are countless ways to pitch your whole drama in one scene. In the opening of Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' the main character, Max von Sydow's religious knight, is confronted with Death, who has come to take his life, but the knight tempts Death into a game of chess - and if the knight wins, Death will let him free. At it's core the film is about faith and the search for a meaning in a life where the plague, religious zealots and the baser instincts rule. The use of Death personified as an unsentimental figure and the chess game as a central metaphor and plot device pitches this main conflict elegantly.
The hooking is perhaps of lesser importance, because, as the drama has just begun, the audience are naturally curious, but applying a hook further strengthens this. 'To hook' can be achieved by the surprising and unexpected nature of the opening. It could simply be the novelty of what we are seeing, like an odd pair of lovers sitting in a diner, with him reassuring his wide-eyed, nervous lover of the simplicity and brilliance of his plan to rob both customers and the diner, and just as they spring into action, we cut away from the scene - leaving the audience with the question of what the outcome will be - a prologue with a cliffhanger, brilliant plotting. An example of a very standardized 'hook' is the usual opening of a Bond movie, which always features an over-the-top action sequence, but exactly because we know what to expect, it doesn't really work properly as a hook.
The Call
The Call to Adventure is a concept from Joseph Campbell, who describes it as an early moment in countless myths and fairy-tales, where the hero has not yet begun his or her proper quest. An event takes places that eventually will make the hero leave the safety of home. It is an event that will lead more or less directly to the Initiating Plot Point. In 'Silence of the Lambs' the FBI-student Clarice Starling is sent on a small errant by her future FBI-boss, to conduct a standardized interview and observation of the jailed serial killer Hannibal Lecter. It seems no more than an interesting school-assignment for a talented student, but it leads to the Initiating Plot Point, when Clarice finds a clue to hunt for Buffalo Bill, the present serial killer at large. The Call can also more directly lead into the real drama, like in fairy-tales when a young man sets out to marry the princess early on, but then again, more often than not, there is a deeper mystery or challenge to be overcome, which is not revealed at the time of The Call. Nine minutes into Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' Jof, the traveling actor, has a vision of Virgin Mary with the Jesus child, and he hurries to tell his wife the good news, but she hardly believes him, but Jof nevertheless maintains an almost naive belief in the promise of a better future for their own son. This event is the film's Call to Adventure, in an almost classic mythical form, as it has the form of a vision - something which is not the adventure itself, but a promise of things to come.
After The Call the main character(s) will be involved with the activities set in motion by it. Often it takes the form of a new opportunity - a new job, a new person (to hate or fall in love with), a journey - something which alters the usual balance of things in the main character(s) world. Before The Call we might have been at 'Home', the initial location of the main character(s), but now we meet the real arena of the drama. Clarice Starling leaves the FBI-academy to seek out the truth about serial killers - and the prison dungeon where Hannibal Lecter is held, is just the first of such 'gothic' arenas in which she will confront him and later on, Buffalo Bill. In 'The Seventh Seal' the knight and his squire sets of on a journey through a swedish landscape plagued by death and religious madness - and we sense that this is 'the location' for the remainder of the drama - it is a 'road movie' and so we have an expectation of ever changing locations, but which are all essential the same: On the road in an existential emptiness.
The Initiating Plot Point
This is the transition between act one and two and initiates the real objective of the main character(s). Thelma and Louise left home for a road trip without any irritating men, but when they kill a man to prevent a rape, their real object becomes finding an escape from the punishment and tyranny of men, In this way the drama is transformed from being an ordinary story of two women looking for a little time off and into an existential struggle for freedom and survival. Campbell would call this plot point 'the threshold' because it leads the 'hero' from the world of the mundane and initiates them to the more mystical, unpredictable and dangerous regions of reality.
In 'The Seventh Seal' The Knight opens his heart to a robed figure, he believes to be a priest, and reveals that he is playing chess with Death, but with the only purpose of gaining enough time to do at least one single meaningful action in his otherwise meaningless life, and just as he has explained how he is planning his chess moves, the robed figure reveals himself to be Death. Cheated in this way, it becomes clear that The Knight is in for a very difficult game, but instead of losing faith, he realizes the miracle of being alive and able to challenge the meaningless of Death. This happens 21 minutes into the film and reveals the deeper level of the plot, not to cheat Death in a game of chess, but to defy Death by doing a meaningful action. In 'Silence of the Lambs' FBI-student Clarice Starling finds a clue to the identity of serial killer Buffalo Bill and becomes a part of the investigating team. In 'Thelma and Louise' the two women avert a rape by killing the man and now has to flee the law to find freedom.
So The Pitch and The Call hints at, or sets up a superficial version of the real plot, which will be revealed in the Initiating Plot Point, where the real objective has to be established.
This plot point sets the course directly for the conclusion of the drama - when the object has been obtained or lost, we know the drama has reached its end. It might sound simplistic, and it truly is, but simple is the greater art. Complexity is the multitude of simple things interconnected.
Act Two
In the second act we get into the conflicts of the drama, as well as nuances and new aspects of the elements presented in the first act. Because the main character(s) have found, realized and begun a quest for the true objective, they will now enter into conflicts with the forces standing in their way. Often they will work dedicated towards the objective, only meeting moderate opposition and making good progress - but only seemingly as they are only touching the surface of the real conflict, and hence the opposition is not strong, yet. We have left act one's introductions, but we might still be able to sneak in some additional introduction of elements, as we are still exploring the universe of the drama.
Especially throughout act two and three it can be useful to sequence the action and establish minor plot point as transitions for the sequences - depending on the type of drama. The idea is to establish a structural logic which work with the genre and content of your drama. For an externally plot driven crime mystery, the easy way to sequence and add additional plot points is to work along the lines of 'secrets' or 'clues' to be discovered. A fairy-tale-type of drama, the typical lay-out of act two could use the traditional series of tests to be passed - there would typically be three tests, so one could perhaps be the entrance to the Initiating Plot Point, one could fall midway through second act and the last would be give access to the Turning Point. Are we dealing with a theme-driven plot, like in The Seventh Seal, the plot points should relate more to the theme, than to strictly following the characters' external plot - although we still need the plot points for those, emphasis should be on the thematic conflict. Often a theme driven drama will have a broader circle of characters - and even though we want to follow all of them throughout the drama, the important plot points might be associated with different characters at different times.
Turning Point
This plot point has to make things drastically worse and more difficult for the main character(s). Often this is achieved by some kind of reversal (thus the name, turning point). In The Sixth Sense we learn that the child is really haunted by ghosts - they are real and not just his imagination. The world as we know it is turned upside down. Thelma and Louise gets robbed of all their money (by young and seemingly innocent Brad Pitt) and their plans of escaping to Mexico suffers a huge blow - but more importantly the event also reverses the balance between Thelma and Louise, where the older and more mature Louise so far has taken charge and responsibility, she now breaks down, and Thelma, realizing her responsibility for the theft, steps up and for the first time takes charge of her own (and Louise's) life.
The technical purpose of The Turning Point is to set the stage for the third act, which is characterized by serious complications to reaching the objective. The plot point can have a number of functions apart from introducing a new level of danger to the main objective. In general it is a good practice to examine in how many ways relations, perspectives, themes or any other element can be 'turned 180 degrees'.
Beyond the 'turn' there are other ways to think of this mid point of a drama. Personally I like to think of it as the beating heart of the drama. Even though the later climax and resolution is the most intense and important moment of the drama, at this mid point we could be closest to the emotional core. 'Silence of the Lambs' has a strong emotional moment right at the middle, when Clarice interviews Hannibal the last time, in secret, under time pressure, as she and her team has been taken of the case. In order to get the information from him, she so desperately needs, she has to subject to his psychoanalytic questioning, which leads her to reveal her inner, driving motive, a childhood experience of a deep existential nature: How she was not able to save a single lamb from the slaughter, the confrontation as an innocent child with the brutal realities of life. Hannibal savors her honesty and innocence, rewards her with a clue by handing her back the case file, and then, most importantly, for a moment their hands touch and his finger caress her hand, in a gesture bestowed with conflicting emotion - the love and approval of the father, the forbidden erotic love and innocence touched by corruption. This is a huge pay-off for which the drama has made a lot of set-ups - all the warnings against letting her guard down around Hannibal ("He'll get inside your head"), all the shots establishing Clarice as a lonely, single woman up against a world of men, the constant focus on sexual desire as the prime motivator for all behavior and her own childhood story of loosing her father.
Joseph Campbell refers to this moment as either 'world navel' or 'the belly of the beast', the place where the hero finds 'the elixir', the object which can restore balance to the world.
Act Three
The purpose of act three is to complicate the conflict to a point where it appears almost unsolvable. And that point is of course called Point of No Return. In act three there is absolutely no room and time for introduction or exploration. The pace has to pick up, the intensity must rise.
Going along with Campbell the job of the hero is to find the way of applying the elixir to restore balance to the world. This effort will be met by obstacles.
Usual this happens because the world around the main character(s) reacts. Things have been set in motion in the previous acts and are now being released into a re-action. Thelma and Louise are now not only wanted by the police, they are being hunted. Hannibal escapes captivity in an orgy of violence and the new serial killer, Buffalo Bill, is getting ready to skin his new victim - time is running out for Clarice.
As with act two, it can be a good idea to break down this act in shorter sequences, often two or three, each with their own mini-objective - a problem or conflict to be solved.
In conjunction with The Point of No Return there might often be one of two things happening. The False Harmony, in which something happens that makes things appear to be resolved without too much of a struggle. In 'Silence of the Lambs' a lucky break in the hunt for Buffalo Bill has given the FBI the identity and address of the killer - Clarice is not needed for the take down and is assigned to some routine task - everything seems back to normal. Or the opposite can happen, The Moment of Absolute Despair, in which it seems there is no way out of the mess and the hero might as well give up. In "The Sixth Sense" the child therapist has no luck in reaching the boy and he questions his own ability to the point where he is ready to give up.
The Point of No Return
Named so because this is when the main character(s) finally get it - they have to confront the dragon, there is no way around it - from now on everything leads directly towards the end. No time for deroutes, second-thoughts or anything but staying focused on the reaching the conclusion. In 'Last Tango in Paris' the Marlon Brando-character confronts his dead wife, which opens up the possibility for him to go after his real objective - a new love (and life). In the Sixth Sense, the therapist confronts his past in the form of audio tapes from the sessions with the boy he couldn't save and he finds a clue which convinces him that ghosts are real - and so now he can go after his real objective - to redeem himself by saving the haunted boy.
Act Four
The general purpose of act four is to quickly escalate the conflict until it reaches the fullest possible climax. This escalation often falls in a succession of quick steps of the protagonist(s) moves and the antagonist's counter-moves until they face each other. In Silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling stumbles upon Buffalo Bill at his house, she tries to arrest him, but he escapes into his underground dungeon, where she has to follow alone and without back-up. She finds the abducted woman, but he cuts the lights. In the darkness, he closes in on her using his night-vision goggles, toys with her, decides to shoot her, but the sound of his gun cocking alerts her and she shoots him. In Last Tango in Paris the Brando-character spends a night wooing his lover into embracing a real relationship with him, to which she is tempted, but as the morning breaks, so does her courage and she runs away from him. He gives chase and catches up with her in her parent's apartment. Just as he thinks everything is OK, she turns on him with her father's gun and convincing herself of a story that he came to rape her, she shoots him dead.
The Main Scene.
This is the scene leading directly up to the conclusion of the drama. In this scene the basic conflict of the drama is exposed most clearly and strongly. In Last Tango we see how the Brandon-character reaches out for love without fear and how fear of love makes her invent a story of rape. In Silence of the Lambs Clarice Starling fully becomes the object of a man's twisted desire, as Buffalo Bill toys with her in the dungeon, she is the lamb ready to be slaughtered, but exactly because the man believes himself to be superior and takes his time cocking his gun, she, not giving in to fear, has the time to shoot him. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest McMurphy, the Jack Nicholson character, confronts Sister Ratched as she shows her full demonic and manipulative powers over the patients, and he ends up trying to strangle her. The main scene often take the appearance of the major climax, but doesn't necessarily involve the real resolution of the conflict.
Resolution.
Here we get the consequences of the main scene, both relating to the fundamental conflict of the dramatic universe and the main character's conflict. McMurphy gets the electro-shock and is turned into a vegetable (tragedy), but Chief inspired by his example and sacrifice flees the institution to gain his freedom (comedy). Oh, and remember when I refer to tragedy it means disharmony and comedy means harmony, not necessarily funny. In Silence of the Lambs the girl is saved and Clarice graduates as an FBI-agent (comedy) ready to work for her mentor, but Hannibal is still free (tragedy) although he promises never to hurt Clarice (comedy), he will kill and eat Chilton, the obnoxious/narcissistic psychiatrist (comedy? Tragicomedy?).
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