Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood

Traditional Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood 1

Traditional Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood

Leah Perez

RTF 305

TA: William Moner

4/17/2011


Traditional Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood is an original and provocative film that still follows

traditional screenwriting techniques. It is structured in three acts, following the Syd

Field paradigm, and follows the screenwriting principles of Aristotle. I will identify

its three acts and label the significant moments of the narrative based on how they

portray the central conflict between characters Daniel and Eli. The diagram attached

on the back outlines the moments that I will discuss in order. By following the Syd

Field paradigm and the techniques of Aristotle, director and screenwriter Paul

Thomas Anderson creates a successful film that intrigues from beginning to end.

In a successful screenplay, the central conflict is what propels the narrative

forward. In There Will Be Blood, the central conflict is the power struggle between

Daniel Plainview, the self-made oilman, and Eli Sunday, the self-proclaimed religious

prophet. Although the narrative of There Will Be Blood is extremely complex, all of

the events correspond and contribute to this struggle. Each new reversal of the plot

fuels Daniel’s growing hatred for Eli. Without identifying this central conflict, the

film would hold little significance for the audience. With the central conflict in mind,

I will now identify and discuss some of the key moments in the narrative.

Act I of the film opens with a long shot of the California hillside. We see a trail

snaking through the hills, but there is nobody anywhere in the frame. This opening

image is significant because it sets the mood for the film (Edwards, 2011, p. 37). The

viewer feels isolated and lonely; the eerie mood of the film is established. The l


action of the film begins with Daniel mining for gold by himself, in the environment

that was captured in the opening image. He finds gold, but falls into the mineshaft

and breaks his leg and is forced to drag himself out of the shaft and all the way back

to town. This action-packed sequence is the hook scene (p. 37). It grabs our

attention and reveals the nature and behavior of the protagonist. Daniel is a

determined man who will get what he wants at all costs. According to Aristotle,

action is the most important element of a narrative (Aristotle, 1965, p. 40). This

opening sequence can be considered a classic hook scene because it is action-packed

and contains no dialogue. The audience must understand Daniel Plainview through

his actions only, making it especially intriguing.

The inciting incident does not occur until 20 minutes into the film. Paul

Sunday introduces himself to Daniel and tells him about oil on his family’s ranch.

Although Daniel is skeptical, he takes the risk and pays Paul for the information and

makes the decision to look into the Sunday Ranch oil fields. This scene is vital

because it is the moment that dictates the direction of the rest of the narrative. If

Daniel had not met Paul, he would have never met Eli Sunday and would have never

had to compete for power with him. The most important point to consider is that if

Daniel had not met Paul, the established central conflict would no longer exist. For

this reason, I identified Paul and Daniel’s meeting as the inciting incident of the

narrative (Edwards, 2011, p. 37)

At the end of Act I, 35 minutes into the film, the first plot point occurs. This

plot point is the moment in the first act, which propels the characters into some new


course of action in the second act (p. 37). All of the central characters’ actions are

redirected when Daniel buys the Sunday Ranch. Most importantly, Daniel and Eli’s

conflict originates from this point. Eli feels that Daniel is trying to swindle his family

and is threatened by Daniel’s dominant presence. From this point on, Daniel and Eli

are in a back-and-forth struggle for dominance and power.

Act II begins with the preparation and construction of an oil derrick on the

Sunday Ranch. Through these actions, we can see how the first plot point has

dictated the events of act II. Because Daniel bought the Ranch, he is now able to

erect a derrick and profit from the oil. As act II develops, the first pinch occurs. A

pinch is very important to the narrative because it reminds the audience of the

central conflict and does not let them become distracted by the complexity of the

story (Edwards, 2011, pg. 38). The first pinch occurs 47 minutes into the film when

Daniel denies Eli’s blessing on the derrick, which Eli had requested to give. This is a

key moment in Daniel and Eli’s conflict because it represents the establishment of

Daniel’s power. Throughout the narrative each character has moments where they

establish dominance ad power over the other. This is intriguing to the audience

because we can assume that there will be an ultimate victor in the end and this

creates anticipation to find out the final resolution of the conflict. In this way, the

first pinch reminds us of the central conflict and creates anticipation for the next

exchange between Eli and Daniel.

The midpoint of act II occurs at an hour and five minutes into the film. After

denying Eli’s blessing, there is a malfunction that results in a gusher and the collapse

of the derrick. The initial blast of pressurized gas hits H.W., Daniel’s son, in the head


and causes him to go deaf. The midpoint is pivotal to the progression of the

narrative because it reinforces Eli’s belief that his blessing was vital to the success of

the derrick. The collapse of the derrick in combination with the injury to H.W. is the

ultimate “I told you so” from Eli to Daniel. This scene can be considered the first

reversal of power, where Eli takes the dominant role, at least in his mind, and Daniel

is left to repair the derrick and his son.

Only eight minutes later, at one hour and 13 minutes into the film, the second

pinch occurs. This scene, just like the first pinch, helps to focus the audience’s

attention on Daniel and Eli’s continuing conflict (pg. 39). Eli, filled with the delusional

hubris of a self-proclaimed prophet, confronts Daniel about the money that was

promised to his church. Daniel is not intimidated and he proceeds to beat Eli into the

mud while shouting “I’m going to bury you in the ground, Eli!”. This scene is not only a

win for Daniel in the struggle for power, but also a realization for Daniel. He makes

the decision to bury Eli in the ground- to destroy him. This is the moment in the

narrative where Eli’s ultimate demise is most explicitly foreshadowed.

To finish act II, the second plot point is revealed. Just like in the first act, the

plot point helps the narrative segue into the next act (p. 39). In this scene, Daniel

must be baptized and become a member of Eli’s church. Daniel made a deal with Mr.

Bandy, a local landowner, which states that if he is baptized, Bandy must allow him

to build a pipeline through his property. Unaware of this dealing, Eli takes full

advantage of embarrassing Daniel by slapping him and making him confess to

abandoning his child in front of a full congregation. In this scene the power seems to

be in Eli’s hands, but in reality he has only ensured his own demise. The


consequences of his actions are what drive the third act and lead to the resolution.

The third act begins about two hours into the film, but the climax, or

showdown, does not take place until two hours and 15 minutes in (p. 40). Eli visits

Daniel at his home, years later, offering him the one thing that he could never have-

Mr. Bandy’s tract. Eli believes that he holds the last piece of the puzzle for Daniel

and plans to profit handsomely from it. However, the climax is extremely

provocative because there is a discovery and a reversal of power (Aristotle, 1965,

p.46). Eli discovers with great horror that Daniel had already gathered all the oil

from Bandy’s tract many years ago from drainage. To add insult to injury, Daniel has

Eli confess to being a false prophet and makes him denounce God before he reveals

that he does not need the tract. This reverses the path of the plot and puts Daniel in

the ultimate position of power; Daniel has everything, while Eli is left with nothing.

Occurring at two hours and 28 minutes into the film, the resolution serves as

the final scene. Daniel remembers Eli’s many attempts to challenge his dominance

and takes their exchange as the last straw. After stripping him of his power and his

faith, Daniel beats Eli to death with a bowling pin. Daniel has reclaimed all of the

power and has enforced the ultimate dominance over Eli by taking his life. This is

the resolution because Daniel has finally defeated Eli, solving the central conflict and

providing a conclusion to the events of the narrative (Edwards, 2011, p.40).

By breaking down the narrative, we can see that traditional techniques were

used to create this modern screenplay. In following the traditional Syd Field paradigm

for screenwriting, and the techniques of Aristotle, Paul Thomas Anderson creates a

narrative that tells the story of the central conflict in a provocative manner.


References

Aristotle. The Poetics, 1965. Chapters 6-16. (p.40 & 46)

Edwards, Tim. Screenwriting Lecture, 2011. (p. 37-40)

Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood

Documents

Transcript of Dramatic Structure in There Will Be Blood