Syd Field’s Paradigm

Title: Syd Field's The Paradigm
Description: Dramatic structure is the foundation of screenwriting.

The word itself means “to build, or put together,” and understanding how it works is essential to the craft of screenwriting. Simply put, structure holds the story together; there is a beginning, middle and end, (not necessarily in that order), and a point at which the beginning turns into the middle, and the middle turns into the end.

That point is called a Plot Point. It is any incident, episode or event that hooks into the action and spins it around into another direction; in this case, either Act II or Act III.

There are many plot points in a screenplay, but in the creation of the story line, the most important are Plot Point I and Plot Point II. The four elements of structure, beginning, Plot Point I, Plot Point II and the ending, will always hold your story in place.

This is illustrated on the Paradigm, a model of what a screenplay is if you look at it like a painting hanging on the wall.
Designer: Syd Field
Date: 2000
Source: See all items with this value https://sydfield.com/syd_resources/the-paradigm-worksheet/
Bibliographic Citation: Field, Syd (2005). Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (revised ed.). New York: Dell Publishing. ISBN 0-385-33903-8.
is depiction of attribute: Rectangle
is composed of: Cross/axis; Circle
has attribute: Dash Line

Title: The application of Syd Field's Paradigm in The Shawshank Redemption
Description: The Paradigm of The Shawshank Redemption shows you how it works.

The Story: A young banker, convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, is sentenced to Shawshank Penitentiary. In prison, Andy meets and forms a relationship with Red, another convicted killer, then becomes an ally and trustee of the warden. When his attempts for a retrial fail, he escapes Shawshank. At the end, Andy makes his way to Mexico, where he and Red are reunited.
Designer: Syd Field
Date: 2000
Bibliographic Citation: The paradigm worksheet. Syd Field. https://sydfield.com/syd_resources/the-paradigm-worksheet/
is depiction of attribute: Rectangle
is composed of: Circle; Cross/axis
use feature: Brace

Frank Darabont, Thomas Newman & Thomas Pasatieri. (1994) THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION . USA.