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PSYCHO (Video Essay) - Narrative Structure in Film

A short analysis of Psycho's unconventional three-act structure, focused on how killing off the ostensible protagonist partway through forces the audience to recalibrate who the story is about.

Matthew Harris · 5 min · Intermediate · SCR · Screenwriting · 2018

What you take away

Use a structural rupture, like removing the protagonist, to force audience recalibration.

Watch it

Filed under

Oscar winners for screenplay

Books on screenwriting

The Coffee Break Screenwriter — Pilar Alessandra
The Anatomy of Story — John Truby
Inside Story — Dara Marks
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters — Karl Iglesias
Wired for Story — Lisa Cron
Story — Robert McKee

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Essential Skill Sets Screenwriters Need To Write Professionally - Corey Mandell [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 75m · Intermediate
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Mike Leigh | BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture Series — BAFTA · 62m · Advanced
Writing Subtext — The Secret to Writing What's Under the Surface — StudioBinder · 22m · Intermediate
Anatomy Of Story - Television Edition: The Complete Film Courage Interview with John Truby — Film Courage · 55m · Intermediate

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