Classical Hollywood cinema is commonly defined as the movies produced by American studios between 1930 and 1960. When the studio era came to an end in the 1960s, however, the classical Hollywood style did not. The main principles of cinematography, editing, production design, and sound design that you’ve studied in previous modules are all components of classical Hollywood style that continue to shape most of the movies we see today. Those technical components work in harmony to create what is known as the classical Hollywood narrative, a form of storytelling that follows particular rules concerning plot and character. (Prince summarizes these rules on page 229 of the textbook.)
After you’ve read Prince’s discussion of the major characteristics of classical Hollywood narrative (pages 213-241), watch and listen carefully to Darious Britt’s short video, 3-Act Structure, which focuses on Syd Field’s influential paradigm of screenwriting guidelines.
With this information in mind, think about the way the action in Million Dollar Baby is structured. In a discussion of no fewer than 250 words, address the following questions:
Who is the main character in the film? How do you know this? You must decide upon one character.
(Be specific: What visual details indicate that this is the central character? What aspects of the dialogue indicate this? What do you see and hear that directs your attention to this character as the primary agent in the film? You must choose only one character, and make a case for your choice.)
What would you identify as the “inciting incident?” How does it change the action, and thereby set the plot in motion?
What would you identify as the first “plot point?” Why?
What would you identify as the second “plot point?” Why?
Prince claims (on p. 229) that the conclusion of a classical Hollywood narrative “brings the narrative to a satisfying conclusion that resolves all outstanding story issues.” Does the conclusion of Million Dollar Baby accomplish this? Explain your answer.
