Tag Archives: Three-Act Structure

The Rule of Three in Humor

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Thomas Mets

Stealing a joke. A little girl was walking through the park when she saw three dogs lying by the pathway. Being an animal lover, she approached the dogs and proceeded to pet one of the dogs on the head. She … Continue reading →

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July 21 2013 Round-Up

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Thomas Mets

R.I.P.D. joins a long line of Dark Horse properties to flop as films. The film features Ryan Reynolds as a young police officer killed in the line of duty who remains a cop in the afterline, partnered with a Wild West … Continue reading →

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Round-Up July 15 2013 Edition

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Thomas Mets

Hugh Jackman wants Wolverine to join the cinematic Avengers. For a 40th Anniversary celebration of Red Sonja, Gail Simone. The 2013 Harvey Award nominations were announced. Hawkeye and Saga lead. I should check out Revival, considering how unfamiliar I am with … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure: Strangers on a Train

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Thomas Mets

One risk of paying so much attention to three-act structure is that it can become a distraction to notice in action when I’m watching a great movie like Strangers on a Train. The inciting incident is when Bruno and Guy … Continue reading →

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Amazing Fantasy: A Pitch

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Thomas Mets

This would be a finite series lasting several years retelling Spider-Man’s story in a closed setting, outside the Marvel Universe, the Ultimate Universe or any other existing fictional world. It’s vaguely inspired by Naoki Urasawa’s manga Pluto, which spent eight … Continue reading →

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Three Act Structure: Short-Tension VS Global Tension

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Thomas Mets

Two unrelated parts of my report on three-act structure involved Andrew Stanton, the Writer/ Director of Wall-E, a massive hit, Finding Nemo, another critically acclaimed hit, and John Carter, a legendary flop. Three act structure is simply the way many … Continue reading →

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Three-Act Structure: Apophenia

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Thomas Mets

There are several counter-arguments against the emphasis on three-act structure. The most thought-provoking may be whether it’s an example of apophenia, the tendency people have of seeing patterns where none exist, of reordering random events to fit a narrative. In … Continue reading →

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Sympathetic Villains in Serial Fiction

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Thomas Mets

Some of the best villains are quite sympathetic. Khan had legitimate grievances in Star Trek II. Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca mourned her former boss. Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t the one who initiated the violence. Gollum was driven insane by the ring. Hans … Continue reading →

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The Temporary Spider-Man

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Thomas Mets

A few comparisons were made between character progression in the Spider‑Man comics, and how protagonists changed in various movies and books. I thought this was a flawed example, because the Spider‑Man books represent a serial drama, which has lasted for … Continue reading →

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Three-Act Structure: The Feedback Loop

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Thomas Mets

One critique of three-act structure is that the idea is self-perpetuating. Because there’s an industry of books about the subject, aspiring writers are likely to format their work in this particular way, even if it isn’t otherwise advantageous. George Lucas … Continue reading →

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