Structure...
victorian said:
FilmJumper,
I think we're totally misunderstanding each other. I don't think you got what I was trying to do. And when I said I'm trying to go against structure, I didn't know what I was on about. I do thank you for the links but I do have those nails down but my thing is I was trying to put a twist on my last act to try and fool the audience. That's what I'm playing with right now, to try and have the audience think she's totally given up when she actually hasn't. I don't think it has anything to do with structure. Again, I do appreciate your post. What I might do is to film both last acts (someone suggested that) and see which one is more powerful.
victorian,
First of all, I don't remember reading anything about you going AGAINST structure. I did read something about not wanting this to end with a typical Hollywood ending.
The ending you're talking about has been done many times before...
Maybe what we are really doing is having a disagreement about structure which, is fine. I never take this personally and certainly hope nobody else ever does... LOL. After all, this is just the internet.
Again however (and I promise this is the last time I beat the dead horse), trying to change one aspect of a story that has already been written could get the story itself into trouble.
When you already have a thoroughly laid out plan (structure) and follow it. That is your plan. Often, simply changing one aspect of that plan, assuming that the plan works and is realistic, can make the story go off track. That's EXACTLY why Hollywood does make multiple endings for movies and play them in front of test audiences. By the time 99% of the scripts have been shot, they have jumped the tracks LONG LONG ago because someone was brought in to rewrite some aspect.
The best rewrites are those that recreate structure from the beginning. Many aspects of the original story can be implemented into the new structure but it is new structure so new elements (those old elements that have been modified) have to be added.
If you make both endings as you suggested, it is very likely that your audience will like the original ending since it was part of the original structure. Unless the new ending can fit seamlessly into the old structure, making sense out of all your plot points, it will very likely fail.
Maybe I can boil down my structure theory for you a little more simply so you stay on track:
Ask yourself the following questions before EITHER ending:
What’s the next thing this character would realistically do?
What’s the most interesting thing this character could do?
Where do I want the story to go next?
Where do I want the story to end up eventually?
Does this scene stand up on its own merit, or is it just setting things up for later in the story?
What are the later repercussions of this scene? How could I maximize them?
--Most likely, one of your endings will pop out at you. If it does, then again, it is very likely that you need to restructure your story. If so, that means going back to the beginning and asking each and every one of these questions for each scene and determine if the following scene answers these questions. If not, then rewrite the scene.
You might find that only very small tweaking need take place...
These questions need to be asked to make sure that you don't lose your audience or, as you suggested, piss them off. If it isn't realistic to them, then yeah, they might be pissed off if you've been leading down a totally different road.
Anyway, I hope it works out. Just trying to help when I can. Good luck.
filmy