Applying Syd Field’s 3 act plot structure to ‘Psycho’

Act One– The setup

The opening shows Marion (the main character at this point) and her happiness with her boyfriend, Sam. We see they desperately want to get married and when she steals $42,000, we see their renewed happiness as the equilibrium. However as an audience, we anticipate that she is going to have some troubles in keeping this money, this was far too straightforward. In the rest of this act, the audience follow Marion on her journey to Sam, when she stops in a motel.

The first plot point is that she is then killed by the villain! This moves the narrative on because now detectives are hired and her family (including the hero) begin searching for her.

Act Two– The Confrontation

Confrontations:
· The lone detective questions Norman (villain) about Marion but his answers are so vague that the lone detective is very suspicious. He therefore changes his approach and secretly enters the house behind the Motel. As a result of this we find out he is a false hero because he is killed off by the villain.

Here is the next plot point. Sam and Marion’s sister enter the Motel and go to the room which they are certain was the one Marion stayed in. They look for clues and they find a piece of paper with $40,000 on it. They know this to be Marion’s note as they are aware she stole a similar figure from her company. This moves the narrative along as they are certain she stayed there, know Norman is hiding something, and they know they have to be very cautious in their further actions.

· Sam tries talking to Norman in order for Marion’s sister to search for Marion in the house behind the Motel. Norman catches onto this and so fights with him and knocks Sam unconscious.
Act Three– The resolution

As Norman finds Marion’s sister in the basement, we think that she is going to be killed. However in a climax to the film, Sam comes into the basement, takes the knife from a cross-dressed Norman, wrestles him and the police capture Norman. The new equilibrium is set once the police recover Marion’s car, belongings and body, although this is not the outcome desired.

The Problematic of ‘Psycho’

The problem/disruption in this film is the split personality psycho that is Norman Bates. This psychotic male causes heart ache for Sam and stops Marion and Sam being happy and married (the perfect equilibrium). This main problem- killing Marion (the supposed heroine) is within the first half hour, which makes the audience very intrigued to find out what is gong to happen next especially to any one that comes near the Bates Motel. The audience’s desire for the film to end with a new equilibrium is heightened.

The ideology of ‘Psycho’

I think this film sends out a message that you must abide by the law. Marion is killed and I think this is because she committed a crime and must therefore pay the consequences…of meeting a psycho. Also I think this shows a message that psychos should not be accepted in society and need to be cared for. This is evident because without his mother, Norman commits extreme acts such as digging his mother up from her burial, spying on Marion through a hole in the wall etc. Also it shows that killers need to be locked away before they can cause any more harm.