1. YOUVE GOT TO LEARN THE RULES BEFORE YOU BREAK THEM

2. LINEAR VS. NON-LINEAR LINEAR Chronological From point a to point B Cause and effect Traditional modeNON-LINEAR Doesnt unfold in chronological order Sometimes jarring, disjointed, disorienting Not always a clear cause and effect 3. NON-LINEAR FILM EXAMPLES Written by Herman Mankiewicz & Orson Welles Directed by Orson Welles 4. Directed by Christopher Nolan Written by Christopher Nolan, based on a short story written by Jonathan Nolan 5. Directed by Michel Gondry Written by Charlie Kaufman 6. DIRECTED BY QUENTIN TARANTINO Written by Quentin Tarantino 7. CAN NON-LINEAR FILMS FOLLOW THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE? 8. IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO PLAN IN THE FIRST PLACE? Improvisation sometimes leads to no point, no drama, no tension, no structureOnce the skeleton is in place, you can decide what goes wherePlanning can make it easier to be creative and looseUnity of action (Aristotle); as Godard says beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that orderThere needs to be a spine, structure, tension, forward movement; no excessLike a map, you have guideposts, but can choose how you want to get thereImprovisation and planning arent mutually exclusive 9. Act 2Act 3MiddleEndAct 1 Beginning SETUPC O N F R O N T AT I O N~ 1-30 pgs~ 30-90 pgsInciting Incident~90-120 pgs ClimaxMidpointPlot Point 1(akaRESOLUTION1STact turning point)Plot Point 2 10. catalyst 11. ORGANIZING YOUR IDEA Pitch Treatment Outline/scene outline Index cards Journal Tape recorder Character bio What actors would you see playing your characters? Whos the audience for your film?