3 Act Structure...

Film Structures:

A lot of films use the 3 Act Structure rule, this make the film flow better and less confusing for the audience, just like a book, its divided by using a beginning, middle and end. I have looked at the following two films which i know quite well and their structures. Act one is introduction to the characters and sets up the film. Act two is the consequences of the catalytic moment from act one and what happens and the final Act is how the story is resolved and whats the outcome. 

Stay Alive...

Act one: A man 'Loomis' plays an underground game called Stay Alive, based on the story of Elizabeth Bathory. The aim is to stay alive. As he plays, he dies in the game, during the night he dies in the same way but in real life. His friend, Hutch, goes to his funeral where he gets the game from his sister. As a toast to his life, he plays the game with a few friends, and his boss who plays from work. After a while they get tired, and stop playing, although the boss playing at work dies in the game, they don't know what happens. The next day the Boss is found dead the same way as in the game. Hutch sees a pattern after researching the deaths and tells them all to stop playing, but they don't know the game plays by itself.

Act Two: After realising whats happening Hutch and one of his friends, October, do research on the game and the Countess Elizabeth Bathory. They find out she used to kill girls to bath in their blood, and she smashes any mirrors near her because she can't stand to see herself grow old. The way to kill her is to hammer 3 nails into her forehead, throat and chest. During their time of researching, Octobers brother, Phineas, dies. She's devastated because he is the only person she's got. They go to Loomis' house to find where he got the game from, whilst they're here, October dies. The audience finds out that Hutch is scared of fire, this is a key point in the ending. The police think they Hutch has something to do with how his friends have died and obviously doesn't believe him so one officer plays the game. He dies also.

Act Three: They find the house where the game was set and tried to figure out who made it. After exploring they find the tower where the Countess was locked up in. Hutch and the two others see the little girls from the game trying to kill them, after running Hutch is left by himself and find the room where the Countess is laying. he gets 3 nails and drives them into her forehead, throat and chest in the hope to kill her properly, but she becomes alive and tries to kill him. In a panic he remembers the thing said about the mirrors and uses the laptop as a mirror, she becomes weak looking at herself. Hutch takes the opportunity to set the room on fire, but bringing back his fear he cant' get out. luckily Abigail and Swink save him. The end of the film shows the game being sold in game shops, and the opening of the game playing on the TVs.

Amityville Horror (2005):

Act one: Shows us that the film is based on the book by Jay Anson, which is based on the true story of Ronald DeFeo who shot and killed 6 members of his family in their home in 1974. The Lutz family decide to buy the house, with the question of why was it so cheap for such a big house. The sales lady says about the murder, but thatw it was forgotten about. The Lutz decided to buy the house saying 'Houses don't kill people, People kill people'. Kathy Lutz has 3 children from a previous marriage, Billy, Michael and Chelsea and married George Lutz. As soon as they move into the house, they each have weird paranormal experiences. 

Act two: More experiences happen to the Lutz' and George starts hearing voices and seeing signs saying 'KATCH EM, KILL EM!' this is supposedly what happened to Ronald DeFeo and that it is the house saying this to him. Chelsea becomes friends with Jodie DeFeo who was a little girl that got killed in the house, but she tells Chelsea not to say anything. The Lutz children get a babysitter one night who used to babysit for the DeFeo children. She gets creeped out in the house and gets locked in a cupboard with Jodie, the babysitter goes into shock saying 'She should be dead!' Kathy seeks help from the local priest, who knew the DeFeos and urges her to leave the house immediately. Kathy mentions a teddy bear that she found that belonged to Jodie, the priest seemed spooked and told her that Jodie DeFeo was buried with that doll.

Act three: George becomes worse and more violent towards the family and stars seeing things in the basement such as a torture chamber. Kathy tries to flee the house with the children but George stops them and tries to kill them. Billy, the eldest, hits him over the head and knocks him out. They all help with carrying him the their boat and they set off. George regains conciseness but doesn't remember anything that happened to them. The final scene shows Jodie at the bottom of the stairs crying, then she disappears being swallowed up by the floor, leaving behind her beloved teddy.