This week we looked at narratives and storytelling and how stories are apart of design.

3 acts structure

the 3 act structure is a storytelling framework used in books, movies, plays, video games etc. This comes from Aristotle’s dramatic theory in poetics. It helps organise a story into a clear structure.

• Act 1 - Set Up - introducing you to characters, the world they live in and the inciting incident.
• Act 2 - Confrontation - Midpoint where the protagonist faces obstacles and usually ends with a low point
• Act 3 - Resolution - The final showdown, or big choice, the protagisnt either achieves their goal or learns a valuable lesson, ends with a new normal or transformation.

The Three-Act Structure in Screenwriting - Arc Studio Blog

Freytags pyramid

Freytag’s Pyramid is a 5 part storytelling framework, similar to the 3 act structure but more in detail. The storytelling framework is shapes like a pyramid to shoe the rise and fall of dramatic tension.

1. Exposition - Intro to characters, setting and background Information.
2. Rising Action - A series of events and complications, building conflicts.
3. Climax - Turning point of Story, most intense moment.
4. Falling Action - Immediate aftermath of the climax.
5. Resolution - The final wrap up of the story, conflicts are resolved or new normal is established.

I tried to test this theory by thinking of some random movies I have watched before and seeing if all the these parts occurred. I found that each of these movies followed this sequence which was unite suprisng as I didn't realise that majority of movies follow the exact story frame.