OTHER NOTABLE ACT PATTERNS

There are two other "styles" that should be noted at this time. The first one might be tentatively called the "Complex Act Pattern." This pattern is complex because of the highly varied combinations of act transition patterns and strong content juxtapositions involved. The two examples from our limited sampling that seem to fit this classification best are Chinatown, The Godfather and Hamlet.

	Chinatown
OS		Z
MC		U
IC		Z
SS		H

	The Godfather
OS		U
MC		U
IC		H
SS		Z

	Hamlet
OS		H
MC		Z
IC		H
SS		U

The second notable act pattern is tentatively called the "Dramatic Arc Pattern" or "Rise-and-Fall Act Pattern" because of its emphasis on the mid-point transition. To Kill A Mockingbird is a striking illustration of this act form:

	To Kill A Mockingbird
OS		U
MC		H
IC		H
SS		H

This visualization of To Kill A Mockingbird is a particularly accurate view of the film/book. The overall story is segmented, somewhat episodic, while the other throughlines change direction rather rapidly at the story's mid-point. (The film even has a time transition to identify the story's mid-point.)