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Have you ever left a cinema shaking your head after seeing a film with an ending that you could see coming from ten kilometres away? Most of us have. A film can have many stars and beautiful locations, but if the screenplay is poor, it’s unlikely that it will be a hit with audiences.
Being a screenwriter can be a profitable career and there is no shortage of candidates for the job. However, although the major studios receive thousands of scripts every year, only a few make it to the silver screen. The studios have very set ideas about what makes a good screenplay and if a script doesn’t match them, it hasn’t got a chance.
The art of screenwriting is greatly influenced by Poetics, the book on the theory of literature written by Aristotle in about 350 B.C. Aristotle proposed that a storyline should consist of three parts: a beginning in which we meet the characters and the place where the action occurs, a middle in which a problem that has to be overcome is introduced and finally an end, where the problem, at least in Hollywood films, is solved. It may surprise you to discover that the ancient Greek philosopher’s ideas should have so much influence on such a modern art form. It will surprise you even more to learn that his ideas are more popular than ever.
In the seventies, Hollywood scriptwriter, Syd Field, discovered that films that followed Aristotle’s plan did much better at the box office than those that didn’t. Field studied the most successful films and came up with a more rigorous version of Aristotle’s theory. The beginning of the film should last no longer than half an hour, at the end of which a turning point must occur. Field even suggested that the perfect moment for this turning point is the twenty-seventh minute! Then, for the following sixty minutes the main character is involved in facing the challenge that has been set. At the midpoint of this period, the writer may introduce another turning point which must be a reversal in the character’s fortunes. The final quarter of the film is for the climax of the story, as the character fights to achieve their aims.
Does it sound familiar? It should do, because virtually all Hollywood films follow this scheme. So the next time you accuse a film of being unoriginal, you’ll know who to blame!
1．If a script________, it has a greater chance to be chosen by studios.| A．is written by a well-known screenwriter |
| B．matches the audience’s set idea of a good story |
| C．agrees with studios’ standards of a good screenplay |
| D．is considered to be a good screenplay by the public |
| A．The setting should be revealed in the beginning. |
| B．A problem has to be introduced in the beginning. |
| C．The solution doesn’t necessarily appear in the end. |
| D．More time should be devoted to the end than to the middle. |
| A．modern and relaxed |
| B．thorough and strict |
| C．simple but efficient |
| D．complex but understandable |
| A．Why many Hollywood films look similar to each other. |
| B．How a storyline can be improved based on Aristotle’s theory. |
| C．What kinds of Hollywood films appeals more to the audience. |
| D．Who should be to blame for the decline of the quality of films. |
同类型试题
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
