How to master screenplay structure: the #1 technique nobody talks about.
[The following post on script structure is an extract from our book: Master Screenplay Sequences – Revolutionize Your Understanding Of Screenplay Structure.]
Traditional 3-act screenplay structure goes something like this:
A protagonist is landed with a problem in Act 1 (the set up.) He/she attempts to solve it in Act 2 (the confrontation.) He/she fails or succeeds in Act 3 (the resolution.)
What’s wrong with this? Well, it’s fine as a basic formula but overall it’s too broad. It’s too vague.
There’s actually much more going on in screenplay structure than just three big acts. And that’s what this guide is all about…
What is screenplay structure? (The traditional viewpoint.)
You may be familiar with different terms regarding the structure of a screenplay depending on what books you’ve read, but the basic five major plot points generally go as follows:
• Call to action (Act 1, min 12 approx): This first plot point changes the protagonist’s world forever and sets the story in motion. (In Mean Girls, Kady is invited to lunch for the rest of the week by the Plastics.)
• Act 1 turning point (Act 1, min 25 approx): The protagonist makes a decision that launches them on their journey into Act 2. (In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel decides to have all of his memories of Clementine erased.)
• Midpoint (Act 2, min 55 approx): In screenplay structure, this third major plot point cuts the film in half. The protagonist is forced to react from the biggest blow yet delivered by the antagonist. (In Die Hard, McClane throws a dead guy out the window and shoots up a police car.)
• Act 2 turning point (Act 2, min 85 approx): We see how everything either goes horribly wrong or comes up roses for the protagonist. (In Fargo, Jerry flees from Marge’s questioning—the game is officially up.)
• “Climax” or “final resolution” (Act 3, min 110 approx): The most important beat in script structure is the end when the protagonist either triumphs or fails in their Act 1 goal. (In Paranormal Activity, Katie becomes possessed by the demon in her house and kills Micah.)
The problem with this traditional screenwriting structure analysis is that it fails to mention that each of these plot points also signifies the climax to a sequence.
It ignores the seven or eight sequences that underly 3-act script structure. This means there are actually seven major plot points in a script. Not just five.
What’s the difference between traditional screenplay structure and sequences?
Before we discuss how sequence script structure works, let’s first get to grips with what a sequence actually is.
Sequences mean breaking your script structure down into “mini-movies.”
The easiest way to approach sequences is to think of them as self-contained “mini-movies.” This is because they each give the protagonist a mini-story that builds through its own 3-act structure toward a climax/major plot point.
Each of the seven or eight sequences last roughly ten to fifteen minutes long. Put together, end-to-end, they make up the whole movie.
For example, at the start of the film, we’re often shown the protagonist’s “ordinary world.” This first sequence builds its own little story until it reaches a climax when the protagonist’s world is changed by the call to action.
The next sequence then builds in intensity as the protagonist reacts to this event. It ends with its own climax when they make a big decision at the Act 1 turning point. And so on, throughout the film.
Think of a random scene in any movie. Got one? Good. That scene is not just floating around somewhere in the three acts. It’s showing us the protagonist in the middle of a story specific to that sequence.
Screenplay examples of sequence structure.
Take the scene near the beginning of The 40 Year Old Virgin in which Andy is roped into playing poker with his work colleagues.
This scene is not “hanging in mid-air”. It’s the midpoint of the first sequence, which soon reaches a climax with Andy being outed as a virgin.
Just as in the overall film, the protagonist’s fortunes go from a positive to a negative, or vice-versa, from sequence to sequence as they traverse the screenplay.
It is this back and forth motion of each sequence ending alternately on a positive or a negative that gives a screenplay its feel of a “roller-coaster ride.” If a sequence begins on a high point, chances are it’ll end on a low point.
The protagonist has to traverse all the familiar plot points of a call to action, big decision, midpoint, all is lost moment and climax. Just like in traditional 3-act screenplay structure.
Screenplay structure PDF downloads.
Here are a couple of downloadable PDFs of movies whose script structures have been broken down into sequences:
How do sequences underpin traditional 3-act screenplay structure?
A big problem with the traditional screenplay structure model is that it lacks a solid base. There’s nothing for the major plot points to be anchored to. And with only five plot points instead of seven, a script ends up a vast expanse of “conflict” that needs filling.
In reality, each of the five major plot points—the call to action, big decision, midpoint, all is lost/all is joy and climax—are anchored in place. This is because they’re also the climax to five out of the seven sequences.
These big plot points aren’t just moments that “have to appear” within the vicinity of a certain page number. They’re the culmination of a conflict that’s been building for the past ten to fifteen pages within a sequence.
How can a screenplay’s structure be broken down into sequences?
We give each of the seven sequences a letter from A to G and break them down like this:
• Act 1 contains sequences A and B.
• Act 2 contains sequences C, D, E, and F.
• Act 3 contains sequence G.
Screenplay structure climaxes:
Let’s check out the five sequence climaxes which share a climax with the traditional five major plot points:
• The climax to sequence A is also the call to action plot point in the overall screenplay. In Legally Blonde, Elle spends the first sequence excited about possibly getting engaged to Warner. The end of the sequence is the same plot point as the call to action in the overall structure. Instead of asking Elle to marry him, Warner dumps her.
• The climax to sequence B is also the big decision plot point in the overall screenplay. In The Truman Show, Truman spends the second sequence reminiscing about Sylvia and growing increasingly suspicious of the world around him. The end of the sequence is the screenplay’s big decision when Truman tells Marlon he wants to leave.
• The climax to sequence D is also the midpoint in the overall screenplay. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy spends this sequence finding the Well of Souls and then the Ark itself. The end of the sequence coincides with the overall Midpoint of the film as Indy and Marion are locked in the Well of Souls.
• The climax to sequence F is also the all is lost/all is joy plot point in the overall screenplay. In Collateral, Max hits the gas in this sequence after being goaded by Vincent about his pathetic life. The sequence ends at the end of Act 2 when Max crashes the cab. Annie’s life is now in danger.
• The climax to sequence G is also the overall climax in the screenplay. In The Shining, Jack spends this final sequence chasing Danny through the maze. The sequence ends with the climax to the whole film when Jack is outfoxed by Danny.
Screenplay structure: conclusion.
Dividing a screenplay up into sequences makes conflict that much easier to generate and sustain. This is because you’re able to use each sequence to work toward another climax every ten to fifteen pages.
Thinking of screenplay structure in this way, each sequence becomes a “mini-movie” which either brings the protagonist nearer to or further away from their overall goal established at the end of Act 1.
Still confused by script structure?
We have a whole eBook dedicated to screenplay structure called Master Screenplay Sequences. Or if you came here looking for answers on script formatting, such as, What are the 8 elements of script formatting? or, What’s the correct format of a script? you can check out blog posts on screenplay formatting below:
How to Format a Script for the Spec Screenplay Market
Movie Script Format and the Myth of Industry Rules
How to Format Dialogue in a Screenplay
###
Do you struggle with script structure? Or are you fine using the Snyder, Truby, Field, etc. method? To learn how to truly master screenplay structure using sequences, check out our book below.
Enjoyed this post? Read more about screenplay structure…
How to Write a Screenplay That’s Unlike Any Other in 6 Steps
12 Secret Script Beats You Should Include in Act 1 of Your Screenplay
Obsessing over Three-Act Structure? Here’s What You Should Do Instead
[© Photo credits: Unsplash]
