Title
The Plot Point, The Darkest Moment, and the Answered Question: Three Ways of Modelling the Three-Quarter-Point
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2011
Abstract
Many contemporary screenplay manuals, following Syd Field, encourage writers to place an act break approximately three-quarters of the way through the story. Although this would appear to be an area of widespread agreement, this essay argues that the manuals do not always define the 3/4-point in the same way. One common approach is to define the 3/4-point as a causally significant plot point; another approach is to regard it as an extreme point on an emotional curve, typically the darkest moment; and a third approach is to conceive of the 3/4-point as the answer to a previously introduced question. Taking a closer look at these three competing models of the 3/4-point can help us uncover the manuals' competing assumptions about narrative structure, showing how they conceptualize causality, emotion and comprehension.
DOI
10.1386/josc.2.1.85_1
Publisher
Intellect
Repository Citation
Keating, P. (2011). The plot point, the darkest moment, and the answered question: Three ways of modelling the three-quarter-point. Journal of Screenwriting, 2(1), 85-98. https://doi.org/10.1386/josc.2.1.85_1
Publication Information
Journal of Screenwriting