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Five Plot Point Breakdowns

"A movie, I think, is really only four or five moments between two people; the rest of it exists to give those moments their impact and resonance. The script exists for that. Everything does." - Robert Towne

When breaking down a film’s structure, generally speaking, “The Eight Sequences” framework is the standard: two in Act One, four in Act Two, and two in Act Three.

But the number 8 is only part of the equation. If the sequences are what shape a screenplay’s three-act structure, then the five major plot points are the building blocks behind sequence construction: Inciting Incident, Lock In, Midpoint, Main Culmination, and Third Act Twist.

Each analysis of selected features breaks the film down to the essential 5 major plot points, time code of when each plot point occurs included.

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Vincent Vega & Marsellus Wallace's Wife

PULP FICTION (1994) - VINCENT VEGA & MARSELLUS WALLACE’S WIFE

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Thriller

Movie Time: 154 minutes

Segment Time: 45 minutes

Vincent’s Story:

1. INCITING INCIDENT

While Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) & Vincent (John Travolta) are on their way to get back Marsellus Wallace’s (Ving Rhames) briefcase, Jules tells Vince about Marsellus Wallace’s wife Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman). Vince confides in Jules that Marsellus has asked him to take Mia out while he’s gone and to keep her company, trying to convince both Jules and himself that it is ‘not a date.' (0:13:43)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Screenplay Genre: Comedy / Sport

Movie Time: 92 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

Lackadaisical gym owner Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) finds out from Attorney Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor) that he has thirty days to raise $50,000 or his gym will be purchased and demolished by his rival across the street, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), who owns the successful Globo-Gym. After spilling the news to the gym members, Gordon (Stephen Root) proposes playing in a dodgeball tournament that has a prize of $50,0000. (00:16:45)

Paul (2011)

Screenplay Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi

Movie Time: 104 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

UFO enthusiasts Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) are on a Winnebago road trip across the U.S., visiting famous UFO sites. They pull over to help after witnessing a car accident, and it turns out that the driver Paul (Seth Rogen) is an alien. He begs for help, and Graeme takes the initiative and agrees since Clive has fainted from shock. (00:17:30)

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller

Movie Time: 118 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

Sleazy lawyer Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) will represent anyone. When he discovers that he was requested by rich defendant Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), he takes the assault case without blinking an eye, and makes sure to charge his new client top dollar. (00:15:30)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Screenplay Genre: Drama / War

Movie Time: 194 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

Cpt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen), returns to Vietnam for his second tour and waits for his new mission in Saigon. Willard is finally called upon and given a top-secret mission to seek out Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has gathered around him a tribe of indigenous Cambodian warriors who worship and fight for Kurtz in his own war fought entirely without U.S. military approval, and is told to “terminate the colonel’s command with extreme prejudice.” (0:17:38)

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Five Plot Point Breakdowns

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Screenplay Five Plot Point Breakdowns

Screenplay Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller Movie Time: 139 minutes 1. INCITING INCIDENT During a flight for a business trip, the narrator (Edward Norton) meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), who is a soap salesman, and as the narrator explains, "by far the most interesting single-serving friend I've ever met." (00:21:51)

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