Hello everyone,

new member here.

So in a nutshell: after reading several books on three act screenplay structure, Aristotle's Poetics, etc. I have realized that one could naturally apply the basic principles of physics while crafting a story.

If Isaac Newton's three laws of motion govern our real world, why not apply them to the world of your characters?

Here is my following re-interpretation of each law within the context of storytelling:



1. First law:     

In an inertial frame of reference, an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force.


1. FIRST ACT:

In an inertial frame of reference, a CHARACTER either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant MOTIVATION, unless acted upon by a force.

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2. Second law: F = ma     

The vector sum of the forces F on an object is equal to the mass m of that object multiplied by the acceleration a of the object: F = ma.


2. SECOND ACT:

If there is another FORCE going against our main CHARACTER, that means it is coming from another character [the ANTAGONIST.]

Therefore, if there is now an opposing force, our main character (m) has to now increase his/ her ACTIONS (a) to match the force of the antagonist.

Hence, heightened actions by our protagonist to go against the actions of our antagonist.


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3. Third law:     

When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.


3. THIRD ACT:

Therefore, if the forces of the protagonist equals in magnitude to the force of the antagonist, there has to be a SUPERNATURAL FORCE that pushes the protagonist towards reaching his/ her goal and overcoming the forces of the opposition.

Literally.


let me know what you all think.

Happy writing,
D.

You had me at Hello...

And then my eyes started to glaze over.

A sound theory I'm sure.  

Welcome to SS!

Quoted from Koreanbard2288 let me know what you all think.

You could also go with the Fabula/Syuzhet Structure, or the Rashomon Structure, but...

Screenwriting is difficult enough, no need to make it any harder than what it already is.  You asked.

Welcome to the board. My advice; visit often. And don't just try to figure out who are the most experienced and listen to them.  Really think about what everyone says and try to draw your own conclusions.-Andrea

The only structure I follow is Beginning, Middle, End.

Hi D,

I can see what you're getting at here, but I think there's no need to conflate the two subjects. It's a needlessly convoluted way of thinking about it anyways.

Plus there definitely doesn't have to be some kind of supernatural force in the third act that enables the protagonist to reach their goal.

Hopefully you're busy writing and we'll get a chance to see it up on here sometime soon.

Cheers

Max