Quoted from SAC Wow, Libby. Thanks! this is awesome stuff. I keep hearing about this 9 act structure and I'm pretty sure it's only in there because of commercials, being it a television movie and all. But damn. I would love to get my hands on an actual script. They are hard to find. Actually impossible. No one seems to have them, or to want to send them. It would just be helpful to see this 9 act structure the ways it's played out in a script, although your post gives a pretty detailed description. Thanks again!

The 9 act structure was Bob Siegel, although his version is a bit different to what you've posted. He watched a load of Hollywood films and timed them with a stop watch and came up with it

He has an Act 0, though, which is quite interesting. This is exposition that happens immediately, or even in the credits : Like Star Wars.

Bang: Back story, then get on with the film from minute one.

He also called it the Two Goal Story.

It's a story where the protagonist thinks they are trying to do one thing, then there is a huge reversal, and then they are trying to do something else. It's designed, like most derivatives of 3 Act structure, to create the maximum emotional response in the audience.

In a Hallmark film it would go something like:

Big City Girl moves to a little town in Winter to buy the towns oldest hotel to knock it down for big profit apartments, but then she meets little town guy and realises there's more to life than money and decides to reopen the Hotel and gets the town to work together to rebuild it.

First goal: Buy hotel through any means necessary and get permission to knock it down.
Second goal: Rebuild the Hotel and restore the towns ailing economic community and spirit.

I need a kick up the arse!

CONFLICT or BEAST OF WAR (both average working titles I know, lol)


During the American Civil War, Confederate and Union soldiers must put aside their differences to battle a killer shark...

Got a long backlog of scripts. Still, it's not as long as it used to be, so I'm grateful for that.

There was a period of time last month where I was physically working on only two of them:

Andretta - Rough draft is already posted up here. Still putting the finishing touches on the full version.

After.Life - A zombie TV pilot.

Then, my brother and I are working on a dark comedy/satire, which I can't go into too much detail on, yet. We are on the final draft, but it's time-consuming, due to unforeseen circumstances.

Then, Zack (hey, Zack) came along and gave me an invite into a script he was working out. Not sure how much I can mention, because it belongs to somebody else.

I'm plotting out the outline on, what I'm hoping, is my next (solo) feature: a neo-noir horror movie, Charon.

If it's not that one, it'll either be Decker House, an old haunted house-horror of mine or my brother and I might go back and clean up a buddy action/comedy we have waiting for a rewrite.

Thankfully, I've officially been able to put away 17 other scripts that I just wasn't making any progress with to cut this number way down.

This shit just never ends... Lol.

My heart's still with a satirical romantic comedy, but there's a bit too much research involved to just jump right into it, but a part of me would really want to make that one next.

Quoted from stevie CONFLICT or BEAST OF WAR (both average working titles I know, lol) During the American Civil War, Confederate and Union soldiers must put aside their differences to battle a killer shark...

Fuck, yeah! "Slavery Shark" (sharks, after all, are gray, just like the Confederates).

Quoted from Mr. Blonde Fuck, yeah! "Slavery Shark" (sharks, after all, are gray, just like the Confederates).

I’ll keep that in mind Blondie

Quoted from stevie I’ll keep that in mind Blondie

And, hey, for that, I'll only ask for 10% of the gross. =)

Quoted from Mr. Blonde And, hey, for that, I'll only ask for 10% of the gross. =)

That will be a shitload, bro  

Main thing I've been working on is a new feature with Sean. Not sure I can give too many details at the moment. But it's been a very exciting couple of months for me.

Besides that, I'm working on a rewrite of "Here Comes The Bogeyman", with hopes of entering it into a couple of competitions.

Quoted from SAC Love it! Lots of possibilities there. Logic issues, though? How can there possibly be logic issues with a terminally ill nursing barge at sea?

You'd be surprised

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films The 9 act structure was Bob Siegel, although his version is a bit different to what you've posted. He watched a load of Hollywood films and timed them with a stop watch and came up with it He has an Act 0, though, which is quite interesting. This is exposition that happens immediately, or even in the credits : Like Star Wars. Bang: Back story, then get on with the film from minute one. He also called it the Two Goal Story. It's a story where the protagonist thinks they are trying to do one thing, then there is a huge reversal, and then they are trying to do something else. It's designed, like most derivatives of 3 Act structure, to create the maximum emotional response in the audience. In a Hallmark film it would go something like: Big City Girl moves to a little town in Winter to buy the towns oldest hotel to knock it down for big profit apartments, but then she meets little town guy and realises there's more to life than money and decides to reopen the Hotel and gets the town to work together to rebuild it. First goal: Buy hotel through any means necessary and get permission to knock it down. Second goal: Rebuild the Hotel and restore the towns ailing economic community and spirit.

Yep, here's the link for what you're talking about, Rick. I think it was posted on another thread some time ago but anyway...

https://chasingmacguffins.com/2018/08/17/writing-hallmark-channel-movies/

Quoted from AnthonyCawood I need a kick up the arse!

Ditto to that.

Quoted from stevie CONFLICT or BEAST OF WAR (both average working titles I know, lol) During the American Civil War, Confederate and Union soldiers must put aside their differences to battle a killer shark...

How's this for a title: Reb, White and Blue.

Here's the original reddit link re the mention of commercials and preceding structural cliffhangers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/8mli8w/how_to_hallmark_movies_happen/

Quoted from StevenC Maybe somewhere down the road we'll put our heads together and come up with an idea?

Sounds like a plan.

I know their recipe is for snow, and trimming trees, baking gingerbread cookies etc., but they surely could do with outside the box sometimes, maybe a special Christmas downunder series - heartbroken girl travels halfway around the world and finds the love of her life.

Similarly, heartbroken young woman escapes the big city and buys one of those €1 places in Sicily -
an Under The Tuscan Sun type of seachangee/fish out of water self-empowerment tales e.g.
Buy your dream home for € 1 in the fabulous town of the Sicilian hinterland, just a few kilometers from the enchanting beaches and the historic temples of Agrigento.

Mind you, maybe that's an independent RomCom pitch.
Might be a bit ambitious for Hallmark who probably wouldn't want to go the extra budget/travel etc.

Quoted from Zack Main thing I've been working on is a new feature with Sean. Not sure I can give too many details at the moment. But it's been a very exciting couple of months for me.

That does sound exciting, and intriguing. Looking forward to reading it.