In Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (1979), Syd Field first popularized the Three-Act Paradigm of Setup, Confrontation and Resolution for conceptualizing and creating the Hollywood screenplay. For Field, the budding screenwriter needs a clear screenplay structure, one which includes two well-crafted plot points, the first at the end of Act I, the second at the end of Act II. By focusing on the importance of the four essentials of beginning and end, and the two pivotal plot points, Field did the Hollywood film industry an enormous service. Nonetheless, although he handles the issue of overall structure expertly, Field falls down when offering the screenwriter advice on how to successfully build each of the three individual Acts. This is because Field did not recognize the importance of another layer of analysis that underpins the existence of plot points. This is the level of the plot genotype.

List of Figures 1. From the Hollywood Paradigm to the Proppian Plot Genotype 2. Vladimir Propp's Functional Analysis of the Fairy Tale 3. A Functional Analysis of Charles Perrault's Cinderella 4. Formulating the Concept of the Plot Genotype5. The Robber Bridegroom Genotype 6. The Robber Bridegroom Genotype in (2003) 7. The Frog Prince Genotype8. The Frog Prince Genotype in (1990)9. The Puss-in-Boots Genotype10. The Puss-in-Boots Genotype in (1994)11. The Little Red Riding Hood Genotype12. The Little Red Riding Hood Genotype in (1960) 13. Conclusion 14. Appendix: Plot Genotype Theory and the Hero's Journey15. Bibliography 16. Endnotes