eli5: What are “acts” in a movie/film and how are people able to figure out where they start/end? Are there always three acts? More? Less? Please explain.
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It should be noted that the Three Act Structure can be a tool to build a plot, but it is better understood as a tool to *analyze* a plot. That is, the writer probably doesn’t sit down saying, “I am going to write a first act that includes these things, followed by a second act with these things…” The writer writes the film in whatever form or structure and we the audience can divide what we’re watching *roughly* into three parts so that we can process each part.
As a metaphor for this, consider social security numbers that are xxx-xx-xxxx format. Originally, each group had a purpose – area, group, serial. Now, however, the numbers are assigned randomly so that format doesn’t mean anything. It *does* make the number easier to remember, though, because instead of remembering nine digits in sequence, you can memorize three digits, two digits, and four digits. Way easier.
In a not entirely dissimilar way, the three act structure is a way for us to understand a plot. Regardless of when in the plot certain things happen, we can reliably look for those moments so that the overall structure appears more familiar. Then, we can use that familiar ground as a starting point to delve deeper into the plot.
So, an act begins and ends when it makes sense, usually at an important point in the story.
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