88773916 Screenplay Structure
-
Upload
sk-m-nirob-mithu -
Category
Documents
-
view
29 -
download
2
Transcript of 88773916 Screenplay Structure
SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE
HOW TO CREATE
YOUR STORY BLUEPRINT
A MINI-eBOOK
BY LAURA CROSS
www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
Written by Laura Cross Copyright © 2009 Laura Cross. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of the eBook may be copied or changed in any format, sold, or used in a way other than what is outlined in this eBook, under any circumstances.
Copyright, Legal Notice, and Disclaimer: This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state, and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this eBook to anyone else. Although every reasonable attempt has been made to achieve accuracy of the content of this eBook, author and publisher assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Use this information as you see fit and at your own risk. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STRUCTURE IS FORM..................................................................................... 2
THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE ......................................................................... 3
CREATE YOUR STORY BLUEPRINT .................................................................. 5
SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE EXAMPLE.............................................................. 13
2
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
STRUCTURE IS FORM
The structure of your screenplay is like the foundation of a house. It must be
constructed with the right material in the correct order, strong enough to support
all the necessary components of your script.
There is no paint-by-numbers, correct formula to create the perfect screenplay
structure. One size does not fit all in screenplay writing. No structural model
will be the right system for every movie.
But your script must have structure. Without structure, your story will collapse.
Regardless of what structural model you use, your story, like all compelling
stories, must:
1. Have a beginning, middle, and end (regardless of the chronological order
of events).
2. Create a situation, add complications, and provide a conclusion.
3
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
THE THREE-ACT STRUCTURE
Most successful screenwriters use a version of the three-act structure to create
their story. First presented by Aristotle, the three-act structure has influenced
drama for hundreds of years and is alive-and-kicking today. It is the most
popular dramatic model. If you analyze a few of your favorite films, you’ll most
likely find the three-act structure in action. Let’s take a look at the three
divisions of the three-act structure.
ACT I
Act I sets up the situation. The protagonist lives his “normal” life (which is
defined by the individual story), but he has a fatal flaw. One day, there is a
reversal of fortune brought on by his fatal flaw. His ‘normal’ life is disrupted by
an incredible event that sends him on a journey.
ACT II
Act II creates complications. Obstacles make it difficult for the protagonist to
achieve his goal, which is solving the problem and righting the reversal.
Eventually the protagonist finds enlightenment and learns how to fix the problem
(often the protagonist is transformed, perhaps even altering his goal) but it’s too
late – a catastrophic event keeps him from his goal. All appears to be lost.
4
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
ACT III
Act III provides the conclusion. A second reversal occurs (often with help from
an ally) which results in catharsis and the story is resolved.
This is a sparse definition of the three acts. Now we will examine the elements
contained in each act that will help you build your structure.
5
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
CREATE YOUR STORY BLUEPRINT
Create your story blueprint by noting each point of your plot that fits into the
following structural elements. What event in your plot is the Point of Attack?
What event is the Inciting Incident? What is your Crisis event? When you
understand which event (or plot point) makes up each element, you have
created the structure of your screenplay. You now have a clear road map to
keep your writing on course and make sure your script arrives at the correct
destination.
ACT I The Situation
(20-30 pages)
ACT II Complications / Obstacles
(50-60 pages)
Act III Conclusion (15-30 pages)
Point of Attack
Inciting Incident
First Turning Point
MidPoint
Second Turning Point
Climax
(Resolution)
E N D
6
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
ACT I
THE SITUATION
(20-30 pages)
Point of Attack Inciting Incident
Call to Action First Turning Point
ACT I – THE SITUATION
The First Act is the set up where you will introduce the Protagonist/Hero (and
reveal his fatal flaw) and the Antagonist/Villain, and poses the dramatic question.
The inciting incident (what happens to your protagonist) and the first turning
point (what he decides to do) create a major dramatic question. A compelling
dramatic question arouses curiosity and suspense and engages the audience to
stick around and find out the answer. (Will Luke Skywalker join the rebel forces,
save Princess Leia and defeat the evil Empire?)
Within the first 30 pages of your script you will also
convey the period (contemporary/past), the arena
(where the story takes place) and often the
“normal” balance of the protagonist’s life. Other
important elements you need to establish are the
tone, genre, and theme.
POINT OF ATTACK
The Point of Attack is where you choose to start the story on Page 1! It can be
an unusual event, special occasion or a crisis. It should be intriguing enough to
hook the viewer. The Godfather begins with a wedding. Star Wars launches
with the rebel forces under attack from the evil Empire and Princess Leia sending
a desperate message for help.
7
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
INCITING INCIDENT
The Inciting Incident is the single event that sets the story in motion and forces
the protagonist to act. It can occur anywhere in the first act and may be the
same as the Point of Attack or the First Turning Point.
CALL TO ACTION
The First Act has set up a main character and a problem. The question
becomes, “What is at stake and what will the protagonist do about it?” The hero
has a dilemma - a difficult choice to make. The pros and cons, risks and rewards
are presented. Will he answer the call to action? Obi Wan Kenobi implores Luke
to join him in the resistance. Luke is compelled by Princess Leia’s holographic
plea for help but he has too many responsibilities at home and refuses the call to
action. (Luke is a “Reluctant Hero” – until he returns home to find his family
slaughtered by storm troopers and vows to learn the ways of the Force with Obi
Wan as his mentor.)
FIRST TURNING POINT
The First Turning Point occurs at the Act break. After this beat, the Hero is
thrust into a world that is new, risky, strange and in every way different from the
status quo established in the first few pages. Luke leaves his ordinary world
behind – and is thrust into a dangerous situation at the Mos Eisley Cantina – full
8
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
ACT II
COMPLICATIONS & OBSTACLES
(50-60 pages)
First Attempt To Solve The Problem Complications Ensue
MidPoint The Villain is More Powerful Than The Hero
Second Turning Point / Crisis
of alien creatures deadly bounty hunters, and storm troopers – to join forces
with a ‘wanted’ smuggler/pilot, Han Solo, and his Wookie co-pilot.
ACT II – COMPLICATIONS AND OBSTACLES
Act II is full of complications and obstacles - constantly testing the hero and
raising the stakes. Act II also sees the subplot, or subplots, deepening. A
subplot involves secondary
characters with concerns outside
the main dramatic question. The
subplot eventually intersects with
the main plot in a way that affects
the protagonist and reinforces the
theme and premise.
FIRST ATTEMPT TO SOLVE PROBLEM
The Hero has a problem and he needs to solve it to achieve his goal. Whatever
the problem is, he will attempt to solve it by the easiest and most direct route
possible – and he will FAIL. This beat is about proving the problem can’t be
solved by a simple logical method. It is a set up for the ensuing complications
and obstacles.
9
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
COMPLICATIONS ENSUE
There is no easy solution. The first attempt to solve the problem only results in
making the problem worse. (In North by Northwest, Thornhill goes to the UN to
try to solve the mystery of his abduction; he becomes indirectly involved in, and
falsely accused of, the murder of a dignitary. Now, he’s wanted by the police!)
MIDPOINT
The protagonist has suffered innumerable obstacles, conflicts, and complications
in his quest to achieve his goal. The action continues to escalate, raising the
stakes and increasing dramatic tension. There may be some successes but they
are always undone. The protagonist’s ‘world’ is unstable. By the MidPoint (or
the point of no return), the Hero has moved from a passive to a more active
relationship with the antagonist. The Hero is on the offensive and attempting to
take charge of the situation. (In some stories, the MidPoint may represent a
short-lived victory for the protagonist.)
THE VILLAIN IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE HERO
The hero fights the good fight for his or her goal, but the antagonist is always
more powerful (mentally, physically, or psychologically). Even in an internal
conflict story, the antagonistic ‘forces’ will overpower the protagonist during this
beat.
10
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
CRISIS / SECOND TURNING POINT
The Second Turning Point and Crisis is perhaps the most identifiable and
structurally important beats in the story (sometimes they are the same beat,
sometimes they are separate beats). The Second Turning Point is where the
worst thing that could possibly happen to the hero, happens, and he experiences
a major setback. This occurs at the act break at the end of Act II and launches
the story into Act III. It is the darkest moment when all hope seems lost.
The Crisis is where the Hero faces the ultimate emotional challenge. It is a
decisive moment of the greatest magnitude. When all seems lost, will the hero
have the strength to carry on? It’s a point of no return - where the Hero must
find the resolve within him and risk everything to reach his goal. (The personal
Crisis sometimes occurs early in Act III).
In some stories, the end of Act II also presents the answer to the dramatic
question (the mystery is solved, the killer is caught, the conspiracy is unraveled.)
In Se7en, at the end of Act II, the serial killer turns himself in at the police
station. The dramatic question - “Will the detectives stop the serial killer?” - is
answered. However, even though the dramatic question is answered, the story
does not end here.
11
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
ACT III
THE CONCLUSION
(15-30 pages)
Enlightenment Run Up To The Climax
Climax Resolution / Denouement
ACT III – THE CONCLUSION
Act III is the conclusion of the story. All sub-plots and loose ends are tied up.
The story is resolved in such a way that is surprising yet inevitable, and above
all, satisfying for the audience.
ENLIGHTENMENT
As the MidPoint so often represents a short-
lived victory for the Hero, the end of Act II
often represents a short-lived defeat.
Enlightenment occurs at the beginning of Act III. It is where the protagonist
finally understands how to defeat the antagonist. The goal is again possible. A
good enlightenment should be something the protagonist (and the audience)
could not have understood before enduring the conflicts and trials of Act II.
RUN UP TO THE CLIMAX
Now that the Hero is enlightened, he is renewed and ready to defeat the
antagonist and achieve his goal. There’s no room for exposition or explanation
in this section – the Hero must act or lose everything! The protagonist has
figured out how to solve the problem and is now racing to prevent a catastrophe
(whether internal or external).
12
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
CLIMAX
The Climax is the final obstacle. It is the “Obligatory Scene,” where the Hero
confronts the Antagonist in a final struggle. If the dramatic question was not
answered at the end of Act II, then it is answered here.
RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT
After the Climax, there is a moment of catharsis and order is restored to world of
the protagonist. This is the Resolution or Denouement and occurs in the last few
pages of the script (or the last page of a script). An effective story needs only a
brief resolution to end the screenplay - all the vital questions should already be
answered by the culmination of the climax.
13
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE EXAMPLE
“DIE HARD”
THE FIRST ACT
POINT OF ATTACK - John McClane arrives in Los Angeles from New York to
visit his estranged wife and children (in an attempt at reconciliation) during
Christmas.
INCITING INCIDENT – During a Christmas Eve office party, a group of
‘terrorists’ seize the Nakatomi building where McClane’s wife works and take 60
employees hostage, including McClane’s wife, Holly. McClane, who was at the
party, escapes being captured by slipping into the stairwell and going to another
floor, but remains trapped inside the building.
CALL TO ACTION – McClane immediately answers the call to action and begins
formulating a plan to save his wife and the hostages.
FIRST TURNING POINT – ‘Terrorist’ Hans Gruber kills Takagi and McClane is
thrown into a dangerous situation.
14
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
THE SECOND ACT
FIRST ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM – McClane sets off the fire alarm
to notify 911 dispatchers of an emergency situation. But the ‘terrorists’ are
tapped into the system and notify emergency dispatch it is a false alarm. No
help arrives. And now, the ‘terrorists’ are aware of McClane’s presence and are
determined to kill him.
COMPLICATIONS ENSUE - Two ‘terrorists’ attack McClane. He manages to kill
them and acquire one of their two-way radios and a gun. McClane uses the
radio to contact emergency dispatch to report the situation – but the dispatcher
doesn’t believe him and the ‘terrorists’ hear his call. Now the brother of one of
the ‘terrorists’ he killed is on a mission to take him out. Karl and two other
‘terrorists’ chase McClane into an airshaft. Just before they are about to find him
and kill him, the ‘terrorists’ retreat to the hostage area.
MIDPOINT – A patrol officer finally drives by the Nakatomi building, but
determines nothing is amiss. Just as the officer is driving away, McClane tosses
a body onto the windshield of the police car and fires a volley of shots from a
machine gun. Now he has their attention. The police are on their way to the
building. A brief moment of victory.
15
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
THE VILLAIN IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE HERO – Hans kills an
employee named Ellis and the police blame McClane for the death. The
‘terrorists’ blow up the SWAT truck and stop the FBI team from entering the
building by hitting them with a hail of bullets. The bad guys are winning.
TURNING POINT / CRISIS - While looking for the detonators McClane
acquired from one of his ‘terrorist’ kills, Hans and McClane run into each other.
Hans tricks McClane into believing he is an innocent hostage. McClane is
attacked by Karl, loses the detonators to the ‘terrorists’ and Hans gets away, only
to take McClane’s wife, Holly, as a personal hostage.
THE THIRD ACT
ENLIGHTENMENT – McClane figures out that Hans plans to slip away with the
stolen money by blowing up the roof of the Nakatomi building with the hostages
(so the FBI will believe he and the other ‘terrorists’ have died in the explosion).
RUN UP TO THE CLIMAX – McClane ascends to the roof and gets the hostages
out of danger then sets out to find his wife, Holly. The roof blows up and
McClane uses a fire hose to swing down the building and through the glass onto
a lower floor.
16
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
CLIMAX - McClane confronts Hans and shoots him with a gun he has hidden
and taped to his back. Hans crashes through a window and falls several stories
to his death. McClane has killed the bad guys, and saved Holly and the hostages.
RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT – McClane and his wife stumble out of the
Nakatomi building, bruised and battered and hugging one another. Officer
Powell shoots Karl dead, Holly punches out the annoying television reporter, and
the limo-guy, Argyle, drives the couple off into the sunset.
17
_______________________________________________________________________ Screenplay Structure: How To Create Your Story Blueprint
Laura Cross | www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com
SCREENPLAY BLUEPRINT
TITLE: ____________________________________
ACT I
POINT OF ATTACK: ____________________________________________
INCITING INCIDENT: __________________________________________
CALL TO ACTION: ______________________________________________
FIRST TURNING POINT: _______________________________________
ACT II
FIRST ATTEMPT TO SOLVE PROBLEM: ________________________
_________________________________________________________________
COMPLICATIONS ENSUE: _____________________________________
MIDPOINT: ____________________________________________________
VILLAIN IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE HERO: _____________
_________________________________________________________________
SECOND TURNING POINT / CRISIS: ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________
ACT III
ENLIGHTENMENT: ___________________________________________
RUN UP TO THE CLIMAX: _____________________________________
CLIMAX: ______________________________________________________
RESOLUTION / DENOUEMENT: _______________________________