3 Act Structure in Monster's Inc.

The three-act structure or the Classical Hollywood structure is characterized by three events that set up the stage for the film, identify the main story, and finally resolve the issue of the film. Act one usually sets the location, scenery, characters, or central problem. Act two is where our characters either engage in an adventure in hopes of resolving that problem. The first two acts end with a turning point: either there is a plot twist or the stakes are raised higher (it usually tends to be sequential). And lastly, the third act resolves everything. The climax of the story tends to happen in act 3 as well.

A good example of a movie that closely follows this formula is Monsters Inc. In act 1 of the movie, the main characters, Mike and Sulley, are introduced. Their stage is set in Monsters Incorporated and the style is generally light hearted. However, act 1 leaves off with an unexpected twist, the first turning point: the discovery of a child in the factory, Boo.

Act 2 then proceeds to take the story to another level. Mike and Sulley are now trying to find out how they're going to get the child back into the human world at the cost of placing their jobs, and well being, in jeopardy. The adventure ensues. However, Randal, the story's main antagonist, is trying to disrupt their plans. Act 2 ultimately ends when Boo is kidnapped by Randal and the corporate head of Monsters Inc. while Sulley and Mike have been banished into the human world. The stakes are now higher since Boo's well-being is at risk.

Finally, Act 3 three begins once Mike and Sulley squirm their way back into the monster world in an attempt to save Boo. Sulley and Boo ultimately defeat Randal but that is not the climax. The climax happens when Mike creates a decoy while Boo and Sulley attempt to escape. Mr. Waternoose then chases them to the "Scaring Floor" where he reveals his evil plan to the fictional world's authorities and is then arrested for his deeds. The story begins to resolve after this part and Boo is sent back to the human world in a heart breaking episode.

But Pixar works its' charm and give the audience closure by reuniting both Sulley and Boo.

Sitcoms and all that jive...

Most sitcoms tend to be episodic in nature. Various shows, ranging from animated to real-life, will attempt to wrap up everything within the alloted time of the show and rarely borrow references from previous episodes. Many of the characters in these types of sitcoms will stay static in personality as opposed to dynamic. This is important to the formula of the show because people like to either identify with certain characters or the characters have become too iconic to risk changing.

"The Simpsons" is a prime example of what an episodic series is. None of the characters age...EVER. The majority of the time they forget the morals they've learned in the previous episodes. It seems as if someone has set a "reset" button in their brains. Also, very rarely is a problem not solved by the end of the episode. Most things are wrapped up by the end of the show and any conflict with the characters or plot is resolved. Not to mention, the characters in the show do not change in nature. For example, Homer Simpson has been, and always will be, an overweight, unintelligent, inarticulate, irresponsible father figure because he is the comical relief in the show. On the other hand, characters like Lisa Simpson are the voice of reason and they need to remain so to help establish a sort of balance in the show. It would be unimaginable, and quite bland, if every single character represented the "comedian" or the "philosopher". These kinds of shows need variety.

Amelie calls the shots!

In the film "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain" there are two particular scenes which convey the feeling of helplessness, solitude, and reverence. This is done by the clever use of the long shot, middle shot, and close up. One of the scenes takes place during a church, and the other one takes place in a theater. Both of these scenes are very powerful as they lay down the character development of Amelie and (possibly) her mother.

In the first scene, Amelie is shown alongside Amandine, her mother, praying for a "baby brother". This particular shot is as middle shot and wonderfully illustrates the moroseness of the situation. There are a bunch of candles lit up around them, but yet the room is still somehow dark. The fact that the mother and daughter are dressed in dark clothes, emphasizes how miserable things going to get (this is clever because this scene is actually foreshadowing something bad that's going to happen very soon). The fact that it's a middle shot, allows us see the environment around them, while still being able to recognize who's in it.

Shortly after the foreboding scene, we see an almost "ant-like" figure that continues getting larger and larger as the camera zooms in. It turns out that the "ant" is actually Amelie's mother. We see this through the eyes of a suicidal woman plummeting down the highest point of the church. The woman falls on top of Amandine and instantly kills her. The use of long shot, and more specifically a high angle shot, really reduces the power of Amelie's mother.

Lastly, the scene where Amelie is in a theater depicts her keen interests. She goes on discussing how she likes to notice certain details of movies no one else does and how "she hates it when American drivers don't look at the road while driving". Because these interests are so unique and not very many people can relate to them, the director gives us a close up shot that's at eye-level with her. This allows us to identify with her, and in a way see things the way she does. This is also a very beautiful shot.



Sorry but I tried look everywhere for the church scene but I couldn't find it.

Type Casting

The early Hollywood era, also known as "The Golden Age", was known for employing actors that would rarely, or never, break free from their established fictional persona. In other words, John Wayne would always be John Wayne: a hard-boiled cowboy who was typically associated with gun duels and horseback riding. As a result people would not go watch a "western" movie, but instead a "Wayne" movie.

This directly affected how movies would be categorized. Since stars served as a symbol of audience preferences, Hollywood did not resort to genres as a means of classification. Rather, they used the actors to indicate the nature of the film. This can be good or bad depending on which way you look at it. Good in the sense that actors essentially became icons but bad in the sense that they became type casted. "Sorry Mr. Wayne, I guess you can't be in The Breakfast Club."

A great of example of of this, is the long list of movies that John Wayne has been in and how he has deviated little from this western vaquero model. In nearly all of his "Top 20 Movies" Mr. Wayne is associated with a pistol, a horse, and a mean attitude to go with it. There's no doubt there will be bloodshed, let alone epic stand-offs. Everything from In Harm's Way to The Searchers, has some sort of violence associated with it.