Film Language Tag: act 1 (four-act structure)

Act 1 of a television episode, especially dramas, is typically devoted to set-up, providing exposition of the central problem and ending in a surprise. Adapted from Newman, Michael Z."From Beats to Arcs: Toward a Poetics of Television Narrative." The Velvet Light Trap. Number 58. Fall 2006. Pp. 16-28.