Syd Field

Syd Field came up with a narrative theory that involves three steps. He says that the typical Hollywood film, can be separated into three separate sections. The first being the setup, the setting being the confrontation and the last being the resolution.

Syd argues that the first stage, the setup, could be the most important. This is because in the first ten minutes, the audience is able to decide whether or not they like the film. This particular stage therefore important so that the audience doesn’t change their mind. This stage is a time for the film makers to provide a plot for the audience so they know who the main character is and why they should care about them. The rest of this stage is so that the audience knows what problem is going to be facing the protagonist

The second stage, confrontation is the longest stage out of the three. We see the protagonist get into more problems. However there is usually a point in the middle where things turn around for the protagonist even though there’s still a long way to go.

Finally the last stage, resolution. This is where the protagonist takes control of their problems and typically confronts the antagonist allowing them to achieve the final victory.