does syd field exist in Japan?

[Ted Mills]

I just got back from my screenwriting class, and I was rolling over this
question in my head. American screenwriting on the whole seems based around
the "syd field" school of storytelling, that is, an initiating incident
(page 10 of a script), followed by plot twist 1 (about 20 minutes in), a
point-of-no-return (usually halfway through a film), plot twist 2 (20
minutes from the end) and the finale. Also, this is known as the three-act
structure. (There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but I'm being
general).

I'm curious if the Japanese have a "tradition" of cinematic scriptwriting,
whether it's a variation of the typical Western structure (and whether
Joseph Campbell would have something to say about this), and which
directors are the masters of this technique and who are the rebels. Is
there a lot of theory written about this, as in the States, with our
bookshops full of "How to Write a Screenplay in 30 Days" books, or is it
still the domain of apprentice and studio?

Ted


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Ted Mills
Santa Barbara, CA                         "You're as strong as
Stoopid ol' USA                             your weakest link"
>>mills at rain.org<<                              - Mark E. Smith

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