Has anybody noticed that comedies have...

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  • Has anybody noticed that comedies have...

    Hello there,

    Has anybody noticed that comedy films have an odd structure that looks like this:

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Act 1 ends: at about 28-30 minutes...

    Act 2 Midpoint ends: at about 60 minutes...

    Act 2 ends: at about 72-75 minutes...

    Act 3 ends: at about 88-90 minutes...
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I mean, it seems like most, not all, but "most", comedy movies have this type of structure.

    Some of Steve Martin's and Bill Murray's movies have this structure. One example is "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". It fits this structure perfectly.

    I know comedy films are suppose to be shorter... but, it looks like the Acts are not balanced.

    ~~~~~
    Act: 30 pages (about right)
    Act 2 Midpoint: 30 pages (about right)
    Act 2: 15 pages (way too short)
    Act 3: 15 pages (way too short)
    ~~~~~


    Any comments???

  • #2
    Never noticed that. Thanks for the insight.

    Comment


    • #3
      I remember reading a Roger Ebert review in which he commented, favorably, that the film actually had a third act.

      It has been recommended that the third act be short. I do not agree, precisely, since I think that the third act can be interesting without being truncated.

      But what do I know?

      <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> EDIT:<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> I just noticed that I have gone over 100 posts.

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      • #4
        Last acts are usaully shorter. The reason is to give the audience the sense that the action rises quickly toward the climax. If the last act was to be longer, there could be a chance that the action would creep toward the climax.

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        • #5
          Great advice, dudes!

          My main point, was that the last half of Act 2 was only 15 pages, too.

          Comment


          • #6
            Ric Clint: I don't have the screenplay of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, so I'm not able to verify that you have the correct turning points.

            Anyways, the three act structure isn't an exact formula. It's just a guild for the writer to follow to make sure that something happens by a certain point, so as not to bore the audience. For the most part, stories will fall within the three act percentages of Act 1: 25-30%, Act 2: 50%, Act 3: 20-25%.

            As for the structure of Act 2 of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, it would be 45 pages in length. Midpoint at 22-23 pages into the act. That would make the second half of Act 2, 22 pages long. You say it's 15 pages. Now, if the script came in short on the page count, they would look at the structure and say the second half of Act 2 is underdeveloped. They could add some more scenes there.

            If the page count of the script is okay, and there's no problems with the story, it's okay that the second half of Act 2 is only 15 pages and not 22.

            Remember, the three act structure isn't an exact formula. It's just approximations to work with.

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            • #7
              I've seen this movie several times but have never laid eyes on the final draft screenplay.

              For me it's not about what page it is where things happen, but rather how the film works as a whole.

              Comment


              • #8
                joe44nyc,

                No argument there!

                Maybe I missed something or didn't identify the exact "act enders" correctly, but what would you say were the correct turning points for:

                Act 1:
                Act 2 Midpoint:
                Act 2:
                Act 3:

                Comment


                • #9
                  Mongoose says it's not about what page it is where things happen, but rather how the film works as a whole.

                  -- As a writer you have to pay attention to structure, meaning where things happen.

                  For example: Say you have a 100 page script. The first turning point to end Act 1 should be in the area of 25-30 pages, give or take 5 pages. Say in your story Act 1 ends at 40 pages. That's too late to get the stroy going. The audience would be bored that nothings happening. Using this tool, it shows you've overwritten Act 1.

                  Ric Clint: Like I mentioned before, I don't have the screenplay to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I'm not able to tell you the correct turning points of the story. What you mentioned may be right. I'm not able to say.

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