Doc Plot Map Attached
I’m excited to share with you a tool that I use in my story consulting practice, which I call the “Doc Plot Map”.
When I began my business of helping filmmakers structure compelling documentaries, I commissioned a professional designer to create a graphic of the three-act structure.
You can use the attached Doc Plot Map to plot your own character-driven documentary. Click Here >> DocPlotMap
Here’s how it works.
The three blue arcs of the attached Doc Plot Map represent the ideal three-act structure. You’ll notice that the First Act peaks at the 25% mark, the Second Act climaxes at the 80% mark and the Third Act culminates around the 95% mark.
I suggest that you time out the emotional peaks of your rough cut, and then move the green arcs to reflect where these peaks land on your film’s timeline. The resulting Doc Plot Map will give you a sense of how you may need to adjust the timing of your three act climaxes.
You’ll also notice on the first page of the attached Doc Plot Map a little box that says “18-Harry receives letter/Inciting Incident”. This means that the inciting incident occurs 18 minutes into this particular film, when Harry receives a letter than launches his quest.
I recommend you copy, paste and move the box to identify four key plot points: inciting incident, first act climax, second act climax and third act climax.
Finally, if you want to play around with different-shaped arcs, see the subsequent pages of the attached Doc Plot Map. Remember that the first page represents the ideal three-act structure, and films about real people approximate this ideal as best we can.
As a reminder, the early bird deadline for my next Inner Circle ends September 20th. I’m accepting six passionate filmmakers!
https://newdocediting.com/land/innercircle
Read more testimonials at the link above like this one from filmmaker Larry Shogbamimu:
“Through the ‘New Doc Inner Circle’, I was able to develop a structure for my film. Thanks to its collaborative nature, the ‘Inner Circle’ was a creative haven of mutual support, constructive critique and filmmaking education. Karen Everett is a gifted educator and filmmaker.”
Please email me today at: karen@newdocediting.com if you are interested in this offer.
