Editing Screenwriting (section)

=== Syd Field's paradigm ===
[[Syd Field]] introduced a new theory he called "the paradigm".<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=21}}</ref> He introduced the idea of a ''[[plot point]]'' into screenwriting theory<ref name="Field 2005 26">{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=26}}</ref> and defined a plot point as "any incident, episode, or event that hooks into the action and spins it around in another direction".<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2006|p=49}}</ref> These are the anchoring pins of the story line, which hold everything in place.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|1998|p=33}}</ref> There are many plot points in a screenplay, but the main ones that anchor the story line in place and are the foundation of the dramatic structure, he called ''plot points I and II''.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|1998|p=28}}</ref><ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=28}}</ref> Plot point I occurs at the end of Act 1; plot point II at the end of Act 2.<ref name="Field 2005 26"/> Plot point I is also called the ''key incident'' because it is the true beginning of the story<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|1998|p=30}}</ref> and, in part, what the story is about.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|pp=129,145}}</ref>

In a 120-page screenplay, Act 2 is about sixty pages in length, twice the length of Acts 1 and 3.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=90}}</ref> Field noticed that in successful movies, an important dramatic event usually occurs at the middle of the picture, around page sixty. The action builds up to that event, and everything afterward is the result of that event. He called this event the ''centerpiece'' or ''midpoint''.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2006|p=198}}</ref> This suggested to him that the middle act is actually two acts in one. So, the three-act structure is notated 1, 2a, 2b, 3, resulting in Aristotle’s three acts being divided into four pieces of approximately thirty pages each.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2006|p=199}}</ref>

Field defined two plot points near the middle of Acts 2a and 2b, called ''pinch I'' and ''pinch II'', occurring around pages 45 and 75 of the screenplay, respectively, whose functions are to keep the action on track, moving it forward, either toward the midpoint or plot point II.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2006|p=222}}</ref> Sometimes there is a relationship between pinch I and pinch II: some kind of story connection.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2006|p=223}}</ref>

According to Field, the ''[[inciting incident]]'' occurs near the middle of Act 1,<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=97}}</ref> so-called because it sets the story into motion and is the first visual representation of the key incident.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|p=129}}</ref> The inciting incident is also called the ''dramatic hook'', because it leads directly to plot point I.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|1998|p=29}}</ref>

Field referred to a ''tag'', an epilogue after the action in Act 3.<ref>{{harvtxt|Field|2005|pp=101,103}}</ref>

Here is a chronological list of the major plot points that are congruent with Field's Paradigm:
{| class="wikitable"
!What
!Characterization
!Example: ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope]]'' 
|-
|'''Opening image'''
|The first image in the screenplay should summarize the entire film, especially its tone. Screenwriters often go back and redo this as their final task before submitting the script.
|In outer space, near the planet [[Tatooine]], an Imperial [[Star Destroyer]] pursues and exchanges fire with a [[Rebel Alliance|Rebel]] ''[[Tantive IV]]'' spaceship.
|-
|'''Exposition'''
|This provides some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. The [[status quo]] or ''ordinary world'' of the protagonist is established.
|The settings of space and the planet Tatooine are shown; the rebellion against the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire]] is described; and many of the main characters are introduced: [[C-3PO]], [[R2-D2]], [[Princess Leia Organa]], [[Darth Vader]], [[Luke Skywalker]] (the protagonist), and Ben Kenobi ([[Obi-Wan Kenobi]]). Luke's status quo is his life on his Uncle's moisture farm.
|-
|'''Inciting incident'''
|Also known as the ''catalyst'' or ''disturbance'', this is something bad, difficult, mysterious, or tragic that catalyzes the protagonist to go into motion and take action: the event that starts the protagonist on the path toward the conflict.
|Luke sees the tail end of the hologram of Princess Leia, which begins a sequence of events that culminates in plot point I.
|-
|'''Plot point I'''
|Also known as the ''first doorway of no return'', or the ''first turning point'', this is the last scene in Act 1, a surprising development that radically changes the protagonist's life, and forces him or her to confront the opponent. Once the protagonist passes through this one-way door, he or she cannot go back to his or her status quo.
|This is when Luke's uncle and aunt are killed and their home is destroyed by the Empire. He has no home to go back to, so he joins the Rebels in opposing Darth Vader. Luke's goal at this point is to help the princess.
|-
|'''Pinch I'''
|A reminder scene at about 3/8 of the way through the script (halfway through Act 2a) that brings up the central conflict of the drama, reminding the audience of the overall conflict.
|[[Imperial stormtrooper]]s attack the [[Millennium Falcon]] in [[Mos Eisley]], reminding the audience the Empire is after the stolen [[Death Star]] plans that R2-D2 is carrying, and Luke and Ben Kenobi are trying to get to the Rebel base.
|-
|'''Midpoint'''
|An important scene in the middle of the script, often a reversal of fortune or revelation that changes the direction of the story. Field suggests that driving the story toward the midpoint keeps the second act from sagging.
|Luke and his companions learn that Princess Leia is aboard the Death Star. Now that Luke knows where the princess is, his new goal is to rescue her.
|-
|'''Pinch II'''
|Another reminder scene about 5/8 of the way through the script (halfway through Act 2b) that is somehow linked to pinch I in reminding the audience about the central conflict. 
|After surviving the garbage masher, Luke and his companions clash with stormtroopers again in the Death Star while en route to the Millennium Falcon. Both scenes remind us of the Empire's opposition, and using the stormtrooper attack [[motif (literature)|motif]] unifies both pinches.
|-
|'''Plot point II'''
|A dramatic reversal that ends Act 2 and begins Act 3.
|Luke, Leia, and their companions arrive at the Rebel base. Now that the princess has been successfully rescued, Luke's new goal is to assist the Rebels in attacking the Death Star.
|-
|'''Moment of truth'''
|Also known as the ''decision point'', the ''second doorway of no return'', or the ''second turning point'', this is the point, about midway through Act 3, when the protagonist must make a decision. The story is, in part, about what the main character decides at the moment of truth. The right choice leads to success; the wrong choice to failure.
|Luke must choose between trusting his mind or trusting [[The Force]]. He makes the right choice to let go and use the Force.
|-
|'''Climax'''
|The point of highest dramatic tension in the action, which immediately follows the moment of truth. The protagonist confronts the main problem of the story and either overcomes it, or comes to a tragic end.
|Luke’s proton torpedoes hit the target, and he and his companions leave the Death Star.
|-
|'''Resolution'''
|The issues of the story are resolved.
|The Death Star explodes.
|-
|'''Tag'''
|An epilogue, tying up the loose ends of the story, giving the audience closure. This is also known as [[denouement]]. Films in recent decades have had longer denouements than films made in the 1970s or earlier.
|Leia awards Luke and Han medals for their heroism.
|}