Three Act Structure of Screenwriting - Jaws Sequence One
In three act structure, there are eight sequences.
Following the three act structure is paramount to screenwriting success.
The movie Jaws is what is referred to as an antagonist-driven film and you can see that represented in the logline with the antagonist given the recognition normally reserved for the protagonist.
The antagonist in this case is the shark and all the critical decisions are motivated by the actions of the antagonist.
The protagonist and his two companions are always waiting for and reacting to an attack by the creature.
LOGLINE: Thriller/Suspense - When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace a small island community, a police chief, a marine scientist, and an old fisherman set out to stop it.
Having a goal for act one is critical to three act structure.
ACT ONE GOAL: Brody wants to close the beaches to protect the public, against the wishes of the local leaders.
Act 1 Sequence 1 FADE IN: The INCITING INCIDENT is a key component to three act structure and it happens as the story begins.
Late one night, on a beach along Amity Island off the coast of New England, local teenagers throw a bonfire party.
Chrissie leads Tom away from the frivolities towards the water, where she begins to strip down.
She goes skinny dipping, but he is too drunk to undress on the shore.
Inebriated, Tom collapses and passes out on the sand while a shark attacks Chrissie before pulling her underwater.
Then the water is still.
In terms of three act structure, this is the introduction to the antagonist, the great white shark, who will drive the story right to the end.
Next is the introduction of the protagonist, Martin Brody.
Immediately there is tension.
His wife does not like their home, but Brody came to the island to escape life and responsibility, as the story will reveal.
He has surrounded himself with something he hates, water.
He thinks it will protect him from the dangers of life beyond the island, but the irony is that the danger comes from the water.
Tom, who reports Chrissie missing, calls the new Chief of Police to the scene of the attack.
They stumble upon Chrissie's mangled corpse and the coroner calls it death by a shark attack.
Brody does not hesitate; he wants to close the beaches.
The characters' critical decisions are a key part of three act structure.
In "Jaws," the island's mayor and business owners convince him not to do it because it will hurt the local economy, so in his FIRST CRITICAL DECISION he amends the report to a probable boating accident.
He fails to do what he knows he should and is forced to watch the water anxiously.
The locals misunderstand his apprehension because everyone knows that Brody does not swim and they chide him about his apparent fear of water.
Following the three act structure is paramount to screenwriting success.
The movie Jaws is what is referred to as an antagonist-driven film and you can see that represented in the logline with the antagonist given the recognition normally reserved for the protagonist.
The antagonist in this case is the shark and all the critical decisions are motivated by the actions of the antagonist.
The protagonist and his two companions are always waiting for and reacting to an attack by the creature.
LOGLINE: Thriller/Suspense - When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace a small island community, a police chief, a marine scientist, and an old fisherman set out to stop it.
Having a goal for act one is critical to three act structure.
ACT ONE GOAL: Brody wants to close the beaches to protect the public, against the wishes of the local leaders.
Act 1 Sequence 1 FADE IN: The INCITING INCIDENT is a key component to three act structure and it happens as the story begins.
Late one night, on a beach along Amity Island off the coast of New England, local teenagers throw a bonfire party.
Chrissie leads Tom away from the frivolities towards the water, where she begins to strip down.
She goes skinny dipping, but he is too drunk to undress on the shore.
Inebriated, Tom collapses and passes out on the sand while a shark attacks Chrissie before pulling her underwater.
Then the water is still.
In terms of three act structure, this is the introduction to the antagonist, the great white shark, who will drive the story right to the end.
Next is the introduction of the protagonist, Martin Brody.
Immediately there is tension.
His wife does not like their home, but Brody came to the island to escape life and responsibility, as the story will reveal.
He has surrounded himself with something he hates, water.
He thinks it will protect him from the dangers of life beyond the island, but the irony is that the danger comes from the water.
Tom, who reports Chrissie missing, calls the new Chief of Police to the scene of the attack.
They stumble upon Chrissie's mangled corpse and the coroner calls it death by a shark attack.
Brody does not hesitate; he wants to close the beaches.
The characters' critical decisions are a key part of three act structure.
In "Jaws," the island's mayor and business owners convince him not to do it because it will hurt the local economy, so in his FIRST CRITICAL DECISION he amends the report to a probable boating accident.
He fails to do what he knows he should and is forced to watch the water anxiously.
The locals misunderstand his apprehension because everyone knows that Brody does not swim and they chide him about his apparent fear of water.