3 Act Structure

        According to Prof. Ramirez-Berg’s lecture, the three types of movie narratives used in films are “Classical Tragedy”, “Three Act Structure”, and “Alternative”.  However, the most commonly used movie narrative structure in Hollywood is the “Three Act Structure”.  This structure is mainly broken down into three acts.  In Act I, the film sets up the storyline by introducing the main characters and displaying any dramatic situations in the first 30 minutes. Afterwards, Act II, which is 30-60 minutes long, introduces the complications that the characters are facing in the film as they try to meet their goals. And finally, in Act III, the characters reach the resolution stage in which the conflicts they faced are finally resolved in the last 30 minutes of the film. A great example of a film that follows this “Three Act Structure” is the movie Armageddon.

         For example, in Armageddon, the first act of the film introduces the audience to the destruction of the space shuttle Atlantis after a meteor shower hits the ship while trying to repair a satellite in space. As the scene continues, it shows more meteor showers bombarding the city of New York along with other parts of the world. In the mist of these incidents NASA realizes that an asteroid the size of Texas will hit earth in 18 days, potentially causing the destruction of the planet. In order to destroy this asteroid, NASA contracts the help of Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his crew of oil drillers (AJ, Bear, Oscar, etc) to drill 800ft below the surface of the asteroid and place a nuclear bomb to blow it up. At this point in the film, the mini-climax arrives when the two space shuttles Freedom and Independence depart and are in the middle of landing in the asteroid.

  

In the second act, we witness the complication part of the film when the space shuttle Independence was struck by the flying debris that caused it to crash land on the asteroid killing Oscar, Freddie, and the astronaut pilots and leaving only AJ, Bear, and Lev alive.  Assuming that everybody in the Independence crew is dead, the Freedom crew is left alone to drill 800ft. In the mist of this situation, the president of the United States fears that the job will not be done well and gives direct order to detonate the bomb to destroy asteroid.  However, with the help of Colonel Sharp, Harry Stamper is able to deactivate the bomb and continues drilling.  On the other hand, after only 250ft left to drill, the drilling machine was blown away, killing Max in the process.  At this point, the Freedom crew along with NASA, felt that this mission was a failure and that earth was doomed for destruction.

However, in Act III, Freedom notices that the surviving members of the Independence crew (AJ, Bear, and Lav) are alive as they drive the second drilling machine to the site.  They are then able to drill the hole to 800ft and place the bomb.  But due to a rock storm, the bomb remote is damage forcing one of the crewmembers to stay behind to detonate the bomb.  This is the point in the film that the climax arises. For instance, after drawing straws, AJ is chosen to stay behind to detonate the bomb. But as Harry takes AJ down the shuttles elevator, he disables AJ’s air supply. Harry then takes his place, and tells AJ to marry and take care of his daughter. As the shuttle Freedom leaves with everyone, Harry communicates with his daughter for the last time, before he pushes the bomb detonator that destroys the asteroid. After the asteroid is destroyed, the Freedom crew along with the Independence surviving crew returns to Earth. AJ reunites with Harry’s daughter Grace and get married.