My Film - Three Act Structure

Researching the three act structure for other films in a similar genre to that of my own film is very important for my research and development of the film.  This is because I can apply the three act structure to my own film, as if I am making the whole film.  For my research of the three act structure, I can see that one of the main features of act one is to set the tone and theme of the film and also introduce the main character.  Also, there needs to be a catalytic moment at the end of act one which changes the course for the rest of the story.  Act two is the bulk of the film and needs to explore what the consequences of the catalytic moment are for the characters.  At the end of the film, there needs to be a resolution for the film and an outcome.  The loose ends need to be tied up and the audience must be in no doubt about the link of the film and the theme should be clear.

In Act one of my film, you will see a massive house party where the three main characters will be at.  The house party will be thrown by Ellie to get the other two characters', Billy and Carla's, minds out of the recent events of seeing a killer commit a terrible crime and the killer seeing the three characters witness the crime.  These events made the characters anxious and worried because they think the killer will be after them.  As Ellie is a strong character in the group, she organises a big house party to try and get the others to calm down and try to relax, unwind and forget about past events.  However, at the party, the character of Carla who is must anxious about what happened sees the killer at the party whom she witnessed commiting a crime.  She first assumes she is just seeing things as she is drinking heavily at the party.  The killer then makes an attempt to threaten the characters and they realise that they are not seeing things but in actual fact, he is after them to kill them as they are witnesses of the crime the killer commited.

  In Act two, the killer tries to kill the three witnesses what ever it takes.  The three main characters have to make an urgent attempt to escape their inevitable death at the hands of this wicked killer.  When searching for the three witnesses, he mistakenly kills a vulnerable girl who he mistakes for being one of the witnesses by chopping her legs off and leaving her to drown in a fish pond.  He then aims to kill Billy who is hiding in the garage.  The killer then ties Billy into a side car, pours flammable liquid over the him and then sets the car ablaze with a lighter.  Carla and Ellie wonder where Billy is and suddenly realise that the killer is in the party.  Everyone except Carla and Ellie have left the party by now but no-one can call the police because the signal is down for a 10 mile radius and no one has a car to drive so the characters try to escape by running away.

  In Act three, Carla and Ellie eventually find Billy who is almost dead.  When they find Billy in such a bad state, they have even more conviction to try to save Billy and escape to ensure the killer is arrested.  The characters face many obstacles on their gruesome journey but in the end, they make their way to safety, but the killer is no where to be seen.