Alternative storytelling principles

Abstract

During my film studies we were thought how to understand and how to apply rules of screenwriting of traditional drama structure. Besides the three act structure, there are alternative episodic ways of constructing a narrative with their own rules. However many succesful episodical films lean on the traditional three act structure. My aim was to recognize the principles of combining of the structures, and to explore how they are rendered through directing within films of high cinematic quality. Through four contemporary revisionist westerns four potential principles are found that could be applied in screenwriting of other genres as well. These films are showing how to avoid the formulaic storytelling sollutions, while they prooveing that socially relevant themes can be explored within genre films that mass audiences are eager to see.