Witness uses a classic 3 act structure to tell its story; each act comprises several distinct sequences, the 3-act structure is a very old maxim widely adhered to in storytelling and fiction writing today.
Turning point 1: Book realises that Schaffer is involved when Mcfee tries to kill him in the car park.
Turning point 2: Book drives the car into the birdhouse, which brings him into the Amish community.
Turning point 3: Schaffer discovers Book when the policemen alerts him
Point 3 leads to the climax of the story when the three policemen arrive at the Lapp farm. Throughout the different use of film techniques, this film is spilt into all different of genres. A film with all different genres is known as a melodrama, Witness has elements of:
- Crime
- Drama
- Romance
- Western
The principle plot is the search for the murderer of the policeman and although this becomes an investigation of the police force itself, once Book arrives on farm, the love story takes over. We end up then with the sub plot. Peter Weir deliberately slows down the action when it moves to the farm, at the same time tension builds up because of the growing mutual attraction between Book and Rachel (URST) and the fact that the audience knows it won’t be long before Book is discovered.
As a cop thriller, Weir shows Book as the tough good guy, who is determined to uphold the law, even with corruption evident in the Philadelphia police station. As a melodrama, Witness offers a classic Romeo and Juliet story where the couple is in love, despite the disapproval of their respective communities. The odds are stacked against them and they fight against their desires for much of the story, Weir didn’t have Rachel and Book get together as the theme that love doesn’t conquer all. These elements lead us to expect a love triangle, this adds to the tension. In contrast to Rachel’s and Book’s visible mutual attraction, there is no obvious chemistry between Rachel and Daniel.
Turning point 1: Book realises that Schaffer is involved when Mcfee tries to kill him in the car park.
Turning point 2: Book drives the car into the birdhouse, which brings him into the Amish community.
Turning point 3: Schaffer discovers Book when the policemen alerts him
Point 3 leads to the climax of the story when the three policemen arrive at the Lapp farm. Throughout the different use of film techniques, this film is spilt into all different of genres. A film with all different genres is known as a melodrama, Witness has elements of:
- Crime
- Drama
- Romance
- Western
The principle plot is the search for the murderer of the policeman and although this becomes an investigation of the police force itself, once Book arrives on farm, the love story takes over. We end up then with the sub plot. Peter Weir deliberately slows down the action when it moves to the farm, at the same time tension builds up because of the growing mutual attraction between Book and Rachel (URST) and the fact that the audience knows it won’t be long before Book is discovered.
As a cop thriller, Weir shows Book as the tough good guy, who is determined to uphold the law, even with corruption evident in the Philadelphia police station. As a melodrama, Witness offers a classic Romeo and Juliet story where the couple is in love, despite the disapproval of their respective communities. The odds are stacked against them and they fight against their desires for much of the story, Weir didn’t have Rachel and Book get together as the theme that love doesn’t conquer all. These elements lead us to expect a love triangle, this adds to the tension. In contrast to Rachel’s and Book’s visible mutual attraction, there is no obvious chemistry between Rachel and Daniel.