Rashomon Structure
This screenplay structure is derived from the classic Akira Kurosawa masterpiece of the same name—Rashomon.
It centers on telling the same story from different points of view. These stories can often use elements of the Fabula/Syuzhet Structure—having a character within the syuzhet remembering or recalling events—but the fabula is different here because it’s the same story told multiple times from the perspective of different characters.
While the story itself is the same, it’s different because of the way it is being told.
This allows the audience to remember that there are always different sides to the same story. It allows you, the writer, to inject even more creativity and ingenuity into your screenplays. But it’s a tricky slope to maneuver because the attention to detail has to be near perfect to evenly relate each perspective. And each perspective has to offer individual worthiness as a self-contained story—while at the same time presenting an overarching story that has equal worth and intrigue.
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