Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, takes place at 7:00 PM at Barnes and Noble, 555 12th St., NW in Washington, DC (near the Metro Center Metro stop). You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend.

Cinema Lounge is moderated by Daniel R. Vovak.

Can Syd Field's three-act structure be broken?

In February, we discussed whether or not Syd Field's three-act structure could be broken. Our discussion began with giving generic answers for how long films normally last. It seems like the minimum allowable length is 90 minutes, with 110 minutes being the standard length. Some films last 2:15, 2:30, or even three hours if they are epics or Oscar hopefuls. Film houses have to consider the length of movies, especially since ticket prices remained fixed, in spite of the length of a film.

To understand the three-act structure, one must know a little about Syd Field. Field is an American writer and a popular screenwriting guru. His ideas about what makes a good script have influenced Hollywood producers, who have increasingly used his ideas on structure as a guideline to a proposed screenplay's potential.

Field's most important contribution has been his articulation of the ideal "three act structure." According to Field, a film must begin with about half an hour of 'setup' information before the protagonist experiences a 'turning point' that gives him or her a goal that must be achieved. Approximately half the movie's running time must then be taken up with the protagonist's struggle to achieve his or her goal: this is the 'Confrontation' period. Field also refers, sometimes, to the 'Midpoint', a more subtle turning point that should happen in the middle (approximately at page 60 of a written screenplay) of the Confrontation, which is often an apparently devastating reversal of the protagonist's fortune. The final quarter of the film depicts a climactic struggle by the protagonist to finally achieve (or not achieve) his or her goal and the aftermath of this struggle.

Another person who has discussed a film's structure is Blake Snyder, the writer of Blank Check (1994) and the short film Nuclear Family (2001). Snyder notes that all movies contain 15 beats, though their precise timing can differ:

• Opening Image (Minute 1)
  
• Theme stated (5)
  
• Setup (1-10)
  
• Catalyst (12)
  
• Debate (12-25)
  
• Break Into Two (25)
  
• B Story (30)
  
• Fun and Games (30-55)
  
• Midpoint (55)
  
• Bad Guys Close In (55-75)
  
• All is Lost (75)
  
• Dark Night of the Soul (75-85)
  
• Break into Three (85)
  
• Finale (85-110)
  
• Final Image (110)