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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Screenwriting Discussion    Screenwriting Class  ›  The 3 Act Structure Explained Moderators: George Willson
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George Willson
Posted: May 16th, 2005, 10:59pm Report to Moderator
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My overview of the 3 Act system based on info form the Screenwriter's Bible as I remember it (it isn't in front of me).

Act One consists of the exposition part of the story and contains two major plot points. It should contain most, if not all, of the characters in the story and make it so the world is setup and you can concentrate of filling out the plot from here on. In a 90 page script, this portion takes about 20 pages. When you watch movies, pay attention. The act usually ends about 20 minutes in regardless of length of the finished picture.

When the story begins, life is in balance and everything is good..almost. Some part of the character is incomplete or flawed, but the main character doesn't usually know this. As they see their life, it is what it is and will stay that way.

Point 1 - Catalyst - this is something that occurs during the first act that sends the character to the next point. It is not life changing, and the main character can turn back to their normal life right now.

Point 2 - The Big Event - This is the end of act one. This event forever changes the main character and he cannot ever go back to what there was before. It launches the character into the heart of the story where all the good stuff happens. If you were to lay out your character and think, "what is the worst thing that can happen", the answer is usually a big event. Sometimes, the catalyst and the big event are the same thing.

Act Two - the story takes a turn and your maiun character has something to do. Some kind of goal to accomplish. It could be anything and is totally based on the type of story you have. At this point, though, the ultimate goal is rarely know. It might be, but it often isn't. In a 90 page script, this makes up about 50 pages with the pinch somewhere around the 25th page, or about page 45.

Point 3 - The Pinch - Something happens to turn the story closer to the climax, the ultimate goal. Often, the main character discovers something important that leads them further to where they need to go. In a two act play or musical, this is where the intermission goes.

Point 4 - Crisis - It's decision time. The main character is forced to decide something critical to the success or failure of the story. Sometimes, there isn't a decision and this point flows on past dragging the character with it. Usually, there is. Do you go left or right? Left, the safe path will take you home and nothing happens and we have a boring story. Right is more dangerous, it's more exciting, and you will grow from it, but there might be consequences. This decision drives us into the third act and closes the second.

Act Three - this is where it all comes down to the end. The main character has changed or is changing to make the best of whatever he has been thrust into. This is the final 20 pages of that 90 page script.

Point 5 - Climax - This is where we've been aiming for. This is the goal. This is where the two powers meet and clash and duel until only one is left standing, hopefully our hero. The main character is forced to us everything he has learned on this journey to come out on top, but it won't and shouldn't be easy for him.

Point 6 - The Realization - After all is said and done, we are left with one burning question: what was the point? What did the character learn from this journey. What did we get out of all this. This is the big payoff. This is what the audience came for. Did the boy get his girl? Of course. Did the stable boy become a knight and vanquish the giant, proving his strength to become king? Of course he did. Whatever you were trying to say, this is where you say it. Wizard of Oz has the most blatent of Resolutions when they ask Dorothy, "What did you learn, Dorothy?" I always joke in Star Trek The Next Generation, it's the part where they said, "You see, Wesley..."

There it is. A movie in a nutshell. Start with these 6 points, and the movie will start to write itself...plotwise. The characters are on you. Now go write one, for crying out loud.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: May 16th, 2005, 11:19pm Report to Moderator
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That's the best I've ever heard it explained, I'll have to start using it to help with some projects that have come to a halt.


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George Willson
Posted: May 16th, 2005, 11:56pm Report to Moderator
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I almost always start with those 6 points. For some projects, like Fempiror 3, I write the major plot points for the main character, and then subplot points for the other main characters.

The supporting characters do not run the main plot, however, they have intersecting plots and goals as well. So I figure out what those characters plots are using this basic system.

Sometimes they don't have some of the points, but if they do, think of how much better story you have if not only the main character, but the supporting characters all go thru life changing events - if all the subplots are all three-acted.


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bert
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 7:58am Report to Moderator
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George gives a pretty thorough treatment.  If you don't have the patience for that, I heard it like this (somewhere...):

Act 1:  Get your hero up a tree.

Act 2:  Throw rocks at him.

Act 3:  Get him down.

An additional thing I read recently on this topic also struck me as something to think about.  Each individual SCENE should contain roughly the same structure; a set up, complications, and a resolution, with conflict of some sort between the characters involved every step of the way.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 1:10pm Report to Moderator
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The one thing that is disputable about what you said is that act 1 usually ends at page 20 no matter the length but I've had a review on my feature script that basically told me my first act which ended around page 20 wasn't long enough, so I went back did it again made it about 27 pages for act 1 and they thought it was much better.

But thanks for sharing that thorough info because that'll help a lot because in the past people haven't been to helpful on the 3 act structure.



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George Willson
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 3:33pm Report to Moderator
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That's the usually part. It usually ends around page 20, but not always.

The end of the first act of The Fellowship of the Ring comes around 45 minutes (when Frodo accepts the Ring from Gandalf). Harry Potter and the Sorceror's (Philosopher's) Stone, however ends right around the 20 minute mark (when Harry leaves with Hagrid). In Fempiror 1, David gets thumped on Page 21 (of the story) and Act 1 officially ends two pages later in a 141 page script.

It all depends on how much setup is required to tell the story. It's Act One's only purpose for living. Setup the story as thoroughly as possible, and the other two acts run with that info. If you can do it thoroughly in 20 pages, rock on, but if it takes longer, so be it. The idea is to get through the setup as quickly as possible and get on with the story.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 3:47pm Report to Moderator
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Personally I enjoy longer films and scripts so the longer you can drag something on and keep it interesting (LOTR 3 Films) Than do it. Yours is there as well but not as long, though it may come down in time based on the way it's filmed.

Some film companies would ask you to cut it down to make it the average 90 minutes but doing that you'd be forced to cut out it's soul. They did it to Peter Jackson, but I hope they've learned that the longer the film in some cases the better the end result.


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George Willson
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 3:58pm Report to Moderator
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Fortunately for us, PJ came out with those extended editions to get our experience back to what it should be. If I ever get a decent computer that can handle it, I want to take my DVDs with the deleted scenes and cut them back into the movies and then burn a home DVD to watch the scene within the movies to get the full experience. I think it would be fun.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 4:03pm Report to Moderator
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To go with what was being talked about i got this program from somebody on this website a year or so ago that you type your story, characters, descriptions, all that kinda stuff into it and you can basically build a story into this program.

I tried it but it wasn't doing what I wanted but that's something for people to look in to, the name may have been Dramatica Pro. That could help build a solid story because it asks you so many questions, some you may not have even thought to ask.


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George Willson
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 6:29pm Report to Moderator
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That sounds like a lot of fun to just play with sometime. I googled it and came up with http://www.dramatica.com. It might help if you get stuck somewhere perhaps.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 10:45pm Report to Moderator
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It costs money though but I think they give you a trial version, I'm not sure how I got it free than so long ago.

It's not the greatest software so anyone who buys it is a sucker, but again everything has its good parts and bad parts... The bad is that it asks you endless questions and when you're done it just basically tells you back what you just told it.

I guess some people could find it helpful because it does ask the questions that you may not have thought to answer.


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George Willson
Posted: May 17th, 2005, 11:00pm Report to Moderator
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There is a fully functional demo version, but you can't save. Might be fun to play with, though, if you get stuck or whatever. I want to try it out sometime just to mess around and see what comes out.

But yeah, it's like $250 for the full version that saves and exports and everything. That's a little steep for a program that probably just asks you the same questions you can get out the The Screenwriter's Bible for under $20.


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: October 16th, 2005, 9:05pm Report to Moderator
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Some experts think the traditional 3 act structure is false and isn't needed and others would say the opposite.

If you want specifics on the 3 act structure though try reading the contents on these few sites.

http://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/3act/

http://www.craftyscreenwriting.com/myth.html

Try reading whats in those two sites and see if it helps out any, if not I'm not sure what you needed but hopefully it helps.


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George Willson  -  March 11th, 2006, 11:16pm
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Balt
Posted: October 17th, 2005, 1:07am Report to Moderator
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Here you go... this is how I was tought to write or well... basically in a round about way stick to something of this formula.


------------------------
ACT-1

Set up

1-30 pages

Plot point 1 should come at about 25th to 27th page


ACT-2

Confrontation

30-90 pages

Plost point 2 should come at about 85 to 90 pages in


ACT-3

resolution

90-120 pages


----------------------

That's the screenplay "structure" if you will. It's not etched in stone. This is how I write a feature length and if someone else wants to post their way that'd be ok too. I don't believe they have one set rule, but this is what works for me and it works for a lot of writers I know.

I do, however, write shorts mainly and that is a different formula altogether.
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Balt
Posted: October 17th, 2005, 1:39am Report to Moderator
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Just find the content, man. If you're writing the script it must interest you, right? If it interest you then you must have several talking points of interest about the script, right?

Just write plots down on word pad... List them in acts.

For instance...

ACT-1

this will happen
this will happen
This will happen
This will happen
This will happen
So forth and so on and so on and so forth

Plot point 1 - This will happen that'll throw it off into --


ACT-2

This will happen
This will happen
This will happen
This will happen
So forth and so on and so on and so forth

Plot point 2 - This happens and thros us into --


ACT-3

This happens
This happens
This happens
& this happens
Then the end comes

-----------------

Just find enough content, maybe even too much, to fill in the acts as listed above. Set up situations. Don't worry if they make sense with your story, you're looking for conent at 1st and then on your second draft weed out the stuff that doesn't matter or work. Just make sure you have a structure, some continuity and some point and direction to go in.

I think you aren't trying hard enough. I believe if you follow that set up you'll do good... Or maybe not even that set up just get a system down that works... this one works for me.
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