The myth of the three-act script structure (or, why am I lost in my second act?)

Website design By BotEap.comFor as long as screenwriting books have been around, young writers have been taught that movies have a three-act structure. Each act is seen as a 30 to 60 page fragment of the plot, and when pieced together they provide a beginning, middle, and end to your story.

Website design By BotEap.comCountless screenwriters, critics, teachers, and producers have used this framework to break down great movies and analyze how they come together.

Website design By BotEap.comBut while this can be a great way to look at a finished script from a critical perspective, it’s not particularly useful for screenwriters. When you’re starting a new project, it’s not exactly groundbreaking news that your story is going to need a beginning, middle, and end. The real challenge is figuring out how to structure your story in a way that captures the essence of your character’s journey.

Website design By BotEap.comTrying to use a three act structure to create the story of your film is like trying to run a marathon. It may start off strong, but by the time you get to the middle of the story, you’re most likely running low on power. The plot begins to feel external, fabricated, predictable, or fuzzy. Ideas just don’t come anymore. Or you find yourself drifting in all sorts of directions that take you away from your main character and the story you were telling.

Website design By BotEap.comThis is a common disease. It’s called “losing yourself in the second act.” And he’s killed more good scripts than any big shot in Hollywood.

Website design By BotEap.comThat’s why I came up with the seven-act structure.

Website design By BotEap.comSeven Act Structure is not for producers. It is not for critics, teachers or development executives.

Website design By BotEap.comSeven Act Structure is for writers.

Website design By BotEap.comTo understand the structure of the seven acts, you need to start by understanding the idea of ​​an act.

Website design By BotEap.comAn act is not just a plot

Website design By BotEap.comThat’s because great movies are so much more than just a plot. These are interesting characters who undertake profound journeys that change them forever.

Website design By BotEap.comThink of any movie you’ve ever loved and you’ll know it’s true. Plot details blur over time, but those powerful moments stay with you forever.

Website design By BotEap.comSo instead of thinking of an act as something you “fill” with plot, I’d like to encourage you to think of it as a way to track the journey your character goes on, and the way that journey changes them forever.

Website design By BotEap.comEach act is just a step in the change of your character

Website design By BotEap.comPeople don’t change easily, and neither should your character. Take a moment to think about what it would take to completely change your own life, how many fears you would have to overcome, and how many challenges you would have to face, and you will have a taste of the type. of resistance that your character is fighting. Structure evolves as a way to push your character towards deep change, whether they want it to or not.

Website design By BotEap.comAs you develop your structure, you can think of each act as one small step in the radical change your character is undergoing.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you start to think about an act in this way, one thing jumps out at you pretty quickly.

Website design By BotEap.comTrying to use the three act structure to create a movie means that you are trying to take a character through the deepest journey of their life in just THREE STEPS.

Website design By BotEap.comThat’s 30-60 pages per step.

Website design By BotEap.comAnd that’s a lot of pages!

Website design By BotEap.comNo wonder writers tend to get lost in the second act!

Website design By BotEap.comSeven Act Structure is a new way of looking at structure from a character’s perspective, allowing you to break character change into manageable chunks and giving yourself a structure you can actually use.

Website design By BotEap.comDue to the unique “engine” built into the structure, it is impossible to run out of power. It keeps your focus where it should be, on your main character.

Website design By BotEap.comAnd best of all, it aligns perfectly with a studio’s “three act” expectations, so Hollywood bigwigs will never know the difference.

Website design By BotEap.comcopyright (c) Jacob Krueger 2009