Uranium City inspired me with this post: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=314623#post314623
I understand and experience myself that thread's OP's difficulty in conforming a typical feature length three act structure (or some semblance of) into a horribly brief period of <10min.
Folks, it ain't easy - if you're starting from pie-in-the-sky scratch nothing.
It's a lot easier if you use a template.
So... not at all as a rebuking challenge to UC's above declaration, but as an exploration of classic cartoons as a creative resource, I thought I'd deconstruct several short-story-length classic cartoons and see what elements of a Syd Field three act structure they did or didn't contain, (necessity being the mother of [creative] invention.)
I'll begin with providing my own modified template interpretation of the Syd Field three act structure which I call the "Two Constraint Three Act Structure."
(F#ckit. Fixed it)
This is for your simple story, most often seen in any comedy, but can also be applied to other genré films such as 'Top Gun', 'Black Swan' or 'Chronicles of Riddick.'
Next, I chose pretty much the first Warner Brothers cartoon I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQZOvdD-KK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQZOvdD-KK8
... then broke it down:
ACT I is truncated with the deliberate omission of "It Just Got Worse", but otherwise it's good: Protagonist meets Antagonist and the challenge between them is on.
They did not part ways or either party overcome the other.
ACT II begins with expected challenges comparable to multiple "Learn Stuff" events.
There's even an appropriately timed "Oh, No!" moment right where ACT II, Part II typically begins at the halfway point @ 2:45 to an expected "It's All Okay, Now" resolve before 3:31.
But here is where the three act structure erodes and we're just shown a continuation series of protagonist stunts and a final gag ending keying off the antagonist's statement "I'm the last of the Mohicans."
There's no "Total Loss, The Story's Done" moment like when 'Top Gun's Maverick's best friend dies, he quits school, and his girl leaves - only to pull himself out of his own ashes to a stirring conclusion.
Nope.
No second constraint that Bugs Bunny must achieve before the story can proceed to a stirring conclusion.
No ACT III whatsoever.
We're given a set up for a 'Saturday Night Live' "wheels just kinda fell off" conclusion, which is fine for cartoons for little kids.
Not so good for adults.
As you see 'A Feather in His Hare'... kinda sorta very loosely follows some vague semblance of the three act structure.
But certainly not strictly, which doesn't diminish UC's statement.
Instead, this thread's purpose is to deconstruct what are arguably historically successful short story film models to adopt similar approaches to our own short story models so that we, as growing filmmakers, may make better short stories and fewer frustrating "film fragments."
I'll close this opening post with a spot on quote:
I understand and experience myself that thread's OP's difficulty in conforming a typical feature length three act structure (or some semblance of) into a horribly brief period of <10min.
Folks, it ain't easy - if you're starting from pie-in-the-sky scratch nothing.
It's a lot easier if you use a template.
So... not at all as a rebuking challenge to UC's above declaration, but as an exploration of classic cartoons as a creative resource, I thought I'd deconstruct several short-story-length classic cartoons and see what elements of a Syd Field three act structure they did or didn't contain, (necessity being the mother of [creative] invention.)
I'll begin with providing my own modified template interpretation of the Syd Field three act structure which I call the "Two Constraint Three Act Structure."
(F#ckit. Fixed it)
This is for your simple story, most often seen in any comedy, but can also be applied to other genré films such as 'Top Gun', 'Black Swan' or 'Chronicles of Riddick.'
Next, I chose pretty much the first Warner Brothers cartoon I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQZOvdD-KK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQZOvdD-KK8
... then broke it down:
Code:
A Feather in His Hare
0:00 WB/Loony Tunes intro
0:15 Bugs Bunny title card
0:18 fade to episode title
0:23 fade to credits
0:31 fade to Directed by title card
0:34 fade to black
Act I
- Here's the Situation -
0:35 fade to cartoon open - bespectacled NA Indian with bull's eye on belly
stalking through forest (Antagonist)
0:40 Indian (I) stops, gives fourth wall blank stare, signs subtitles "You be
quiet, Me hunt rabbit!", resumes stalking
0:48 Bugs Bunny (BB) (Protagonist) sings from inside his rabit hole as I
approaches. First contact!
- Hope -
1:07 I slides carrot baited mouse trap to rabit hole entrance, BB pulls it in,
I rushes hole, aggressively gropes about deep inside, SNAP!, withdraws mousetrap
on fingers yelling and dancing about
- Might Loose It... -
1:18 BB places second mouse trap out of hole, SNAP! cut to I's face yelling
"YEEOUCH!", I grasps foot and dances about in pain while BB appears out of hole
pleased with his effort
1:25 BB leaps out of hole and dances up and down beside I mocking, delivers "Eh,
Whatsup, Doc?", they continue to dance about
- FIRST CONSTRAINT MET: Antag & Protag have met and are now in conflict
ACT II, Part I
- First Lesson -
1:32 I declares goal, "Me catch me!", BB inspects traps
1:46 BB offers assistance on how to catch rabbit, directs to signs at decoy hole,
I thanks BB, shakes hand
1:56 I double takes BB, runs cross country to teepee, retrieves bow & arrow, goes
to hole, reconsiders shooting arrow into hole... follows rabbit tracks away from
hole, BB pops out of I's quiver to watch
- Second Lesson -
2:18 BB cries out behind I "Here I am, Tecumseh!", I whips around (unaware BB is
in his quiver), BB calls and misdirects I again, I turns about and looses arrow
towards no target
- Third Lesson -
2:22 BB pulls arrow from quiver, bends it into curve, calls out behind I who
turns, grasps curved arrow, looses it, it circles in air and strikes I in rear, I
jumps up striking head on tree limb above, falls to ground beside BB in quiver
- Fourth Lesson -
2:35 From the re-shouldered quiver BB calls another taunt to I, I pulls BB from
quiver as arrow, BB kisses I in the face/mouth, I looses BB to wipe face and
providing BB his escape, midair BB reposte, until...
ACT II, Part II
- Oh, No! -
2:45 POW! BB impacts with explosion into large tree
2:48 cut to BB tied to post while I prepares stew caulron over fire
2:54 BB wakes up, struggles post out of ground, tippee-toes farther away, I double
takes difference, moves pot closer and continues rabbit stew preparation
3:01 BB repeats, I repeats, and again, and again, again, again, BB stops, I
continues moving further away, again and again into distance away from BB
- Whew! It's Okay, Now -
3:22 BB declares to fourth wall "What a mo-roon!", fade to next scene
- Sixth Lesson -
3:31 I incrementaly moves pot closer to new location, struck in face with snowball
from rabbit hole, I asks BB about snowball, BB ducks down rabbit hole with second
snowball, I pursues
4:02 brief fight sounds, BB leaps out of hole and walks away wearing I's pants,
feather, and glasses
4:11 I pops head out of hole with red bow in hair, declares he "will fool [BB]
plenty", fade to black
- Seventh Lesson -
4:20 open BB hopping through forest singing, stops at sight of teepee with barber
pole, "Hare Cut" and "Scalp Treatment" signs, but bugs is onto the obvious ploy,
enters anyway as ingenue, I greedily awaits at barber chair
4:44 I cries "Next!", BB states I was there before him so he's next, back and
forth, I agrees and sits in barber chair, BB dashes behind chair, produces rock-
hammer, strikes I in head (off screen)
5:19 BB moves dazed I to teepee entrance, places bundled cigar's in his hand,
continues hopping and singing, fade to black
- Eighth Lesson -
5:30 fade open I following rabbit tracks, knife and stone-hammer in hand, BB
alarmed, spins tail like propeller to escape, stops @ water pump, pumps water,
makes mud, I races foreward, BB places mud mound on pottery wheel, makes large
clay pot, bakes in kiln, paints pot, tosses in air crashes onto I's head upon
arrival
- Closing Gag -
6:03 BB laughs @ I, turns to fourth wall to scoff at I, turns to see I with bow
and arrow pointed at him, I declares he's "last of the Mohicans", pulls bow-
string, BB directs his attention skyward, stork carries three baby I's, I wilts
and faints, fourth stork carries baby BB - followed by dozens of storks with baby
BBs, BB wilts and faints atop I
6:51 vignette close to blackACT I is truncated with the deliberate omission of "It Just Got Worse", but otherwise it's good: Protagonist meets Antagonist and the challenge between them is on.
They did not part ways or either party overcome the other.
ACT II begins with expected challenges comparable to multiple "Learn Stuff" events.
There's even an appropriately timed "Oh, No!" moment right where ACT II, Part II typically begins at the halfway point @ 2:45 to an expected "It's All Okay, Now" resolve before 3:31.
But here is where the three act structure erodes and we're just shown a continuation series of protagonist stunts and a final gag ending keying off the antagonist's statement "I'm the last of the Mohicans."
There's no "Total Loss, The Story's Done" moment like when 'Top Gun's Maverick's best friend dies, he quits school, and his girl leaves - only to pull himself out of his own ashes to a stirring conclusion.
Nope.
No second constraint that Bugs Bunny must achieve before the story can proceed to a stirring conclusion.
No ACT III whatsoever.
We're given a set up for a 'Saturday Night Live' "wheels just kinda fell off" conclusion, which is fine for cartoons for little kids.
Not so good for adults.
As you see 'A Feather in His Hare'... kinda sorta very loosely follows some vague semblance of the three act structure.
But certainly not strictly, which doesn't diminish UC's statement.
Instead, this thread's purpose is to deconstruct what are arguably historically successful short story film models to adopt similar approaches to our own short story models so that we, as growing filmmakers, may make better short stories and fewer frustrating "film fragments."
I'll close this opening post with a spot on quote:
(Filmmaker's "Amen!")
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