Name: アベンジャーズ-ある行為の定義 (The Avengers-Defining an Act)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T08:05:09.000Z
Duration: 14 min 44 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

A couple months ago, while promoting his new
Netflix show, Mindhunter,

director David Fincher made a comment about
the limitations of the Marvel superhero films,

and the potential of new platforms like Netflix.

“Look, there's a very large talent pool
of people who

don't feel there's much for them in terms
of sustenance working for Marvel.

And I think that if we can make a playground
for them

that is thoughtful, adult, interesting, complex,
challenging…

there's a chance at something that isn't
lassoed and hogtied by three acts.”

This last part of his comment has stuck with
me.

In fact, it's become a kind of obsession.

It's led me to revisit screenwriting books,

and re-watch every movie in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe.

All in search of an answer to a question:

What is the most useful way for a writer to
think about act structure?

I want to bring you along on the journey I
took to find the answer in two videos…

starting by figuring out what an act even
is.

So today I want to use “The Avengers,”

to explain the details of conventional three-act
structure.

...To explore its history, as well as its
classical alternative, five-act structure.

And share a new way I've decided to think
about the acts in a story.

The idea of a formal three-act structure for
a screenplay

was popularized in Hollywood by Syd Field,

when he described it in his 1979 book, ”Screenplay.”

Act One should make up the first twenty-five
percent of a script,

So let's see if this is true for “The
Avengers.”

In the film, the first half of Act One shows
Loki's arrival and reveals his evil plan.

The second half of Act One is all about S.H.I.E.L.D.

recruiting our heroes to join the fight against Loki…

…and raising concerns about bringing them
together, thus setting up the story.

At the end of Act One comes the First Plot
Point,

during which the protagonist makes a difficult
choice and enters a new world.

Because there are so many characters in “The
Avengers,”

this moment plays a bit differently than in
most scripts.

Iron Man commits off-screen, and Thor joins
up later.

Nonetheless, this is where we see Captain
America and Bruce Banner

The Helicarrier lifts them up into Act Two,

exactly 25% of the way through the film's
run time.

As a side note, act breaks are often—but
not always—accompanied by a change in location.

The middle 50% of a script forms the second
act,

where the protagonist struggles to achieve
their new goal.

Since 1979, this section has somewhat evolved.

a big turn that comes exactly half way through
the screenplay.

This midpoint splits the second act into two
halves,

often referred to as “2A” and “2B.”

In “The Avengers,” the first half of Act
Two is all about our heroes

trying to stop Loki's plan while struggling
to trust each other.

At the midpoint—almost exactly half-way through
the film—

our heroes learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been
keeping secrets from them.

During this apex of tension, Loki's men
attack,

and the momentum of the story swings in a
new direction.

The second half of Act Two is about our heroes
failing to stop Loki,

A moment of crisis, which forces the protagonist
to make another big choice.

Our heroes realize what's at stake, put
aside their differences,

and come up with a plan to stop Loki once
and for all.

In Act Three, the protagonist knows what they
need to do,

but must overcome their weaknesses to do so.

In learning to work together and by defeating
Loki,

The rest of Act Three is about resolution
and tying up loose ends.

This is the three-act model that has formed
the foundation

of what we consider “proper” screenplay
structure for almost forty years.

So what's the problem with this “paradigm”
three-act structure?

Well, it's a bit vague when it comes to
the second act.

Acts one and three have specific functions
that are understood intuitively:

But Act Two, the bulk of the narrative, is
pretty bare.

And even with the midpoint, there are only
three turning points put forth in this model.

A lot happens in “The Avengers”—this
doesn't really seem to cover it all.

So what are the alternatives to three-act
structure?

The most commonly discussed model, famously
found in Shakespearean plays,

In 1863, German novelist Gustav Freytag published
his book “Technique of the Drama,”

He had analyzed classic Elizabethan drama,

and declared there were five stages in every
tragedy.

Let's go through these five stages and see
how they align perfectly with “The Avengers.”

is all about setting up the world, the conflicts
already in place,

As we've already discussed, this is the
first 25% of “The Avengers,”

where we learn about Loki's plan and meet
our heroes as they are pulled into the drama.

tension mounts and momentum builds as the
intricacies of the drama are established.

Now assembled, our heroes go to work tracking
Loki.

They find him, confront him, and capture him.

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アベンジャーズ-ある行為の定義 (The Avengers-Defining an Act)

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obsession

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