Screenplay Structure
Screenplay Structure
Screenplay Structure
A
1
2
SEQUENCE 1
ordinary world of hero shakes up CALL
3 TO THE ACTION A screenplay starts
4 (often, but not always) with an Inciting
Incident to get it rolling -- either a
C
5 major change in the protagonist’s life,
such as just getting out of prison, or
arriving in a new town, or an event
unknown to them, such as a murder
the detective is yet to hear about.
Then, characters and world are
T
introduced followed by a crisis around
pages ten to fifteen.
This is the hero’s Call to Action which
sets into motion the main conflict for
the overall screenplay and ends the
sequence.
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(In Romancing the Stone, Joan hears
that her sister has been kidnapped. In
Manhattan, Isaac meets Mary).
6
1
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
30
31
32
LOCK IN
point of no return, no choice but to
33 move forward, stakes are higher,
A
34
35
SEQUENCE 3
36 Decision Success /
37
Failure
C
38
39 The start of the strange and often scary
40 new world in which the protagonist is
often a “fish out of water.”
This sequence contains, what Blake Snyder
41 calls, The Promise of the Premise -- the
trailer moments in which the hero
T
42 struggles to adapt to the new world.
43 Note that the end of this sequence doesn’t
determine the end of an act, but is still a
44 definite step forward or backwards in the
45 protagonist’s main goal established at the
end of Act One.
46 (Truman gets stuck on the bus and fails to
47 leave the
PLOT island
POINT 2 in The Truman Show. Tor
is humiliated by rival cheerleaders, The
48
49
SEQUENCE 4-
Clovers, in Bring It On).
2
the protagonist pushes on, invariably
52 trying a different tack in order to achieve
their overall goal.
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The end of this sequence ends on either
an “up” or a “down” and signals the
script’s Midpoint -- usually a surprising
twist of some kind.
midpoint Having failed or
succeeded at the end of the last sequence,
2
the protagonist pushes on, invariably
trying a different tack in order to achieve
53 their overall goal.
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54 The end of this sequence ends on either
55 an “up” or a “down” and signals the
script’s Midpoint -- usually a surprising
56 twist of some kind.
Here, the protagonist feels the full power
of the antagonist but, conversely, is now
57 fully committed to the goal, or a new
58 variation of the goal.
The stakes are raised as the protagonist
59 turns a corner and a “new self” is born.
60 (In Jaws, Chief Brody realizes they've
caught the wrong shark. Charles returns
61 home to find killer, LaRoche, in his house
62 chatting to his wife and kids in Derailed).
63
64
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
MAIN CUMLINATION
Climax point, highest or lowest
moment point of hero yet another
98 obstacles, new third act tension,
A
99
SEQUENCE 7
Climax OR All is
Lost / All is Joy
C
100 Success / Failure This is
often the shortest sequence of the screenplay
101 as it’s all about urgency and motion -- the Race
102 for the Prize, as The Flaming Lips once sang.
The protagonist has finally realized what needs
103 to be done to crack the mystery / get the girl /
T
catch the killer etc.
104 The climax to Sequence G corresponds directly
105 to the Climax to the whole film, wrapping up
the A story on either an “up” or “down” beat,
and tying up any loose ends.
106 In Drama and Comedy the protagonist has
usually learned a great lesson. They are not the
107 same person they were at the beginning of the
film.
108 In fact, they have performed a complete u-turn
109 and now want the exact opposite thing from
what they wanted at the start.
110 In Action / Adventure the transformation is
sometimes great, (Wanted) and sometimes
111 insignificant (James Bond.)
insignificant (James Bond.)
112 In Thrillers, the arc is usually minimal, and
3
likewise, Horror, where the protagonist's
113 primary concern is escape and survival.
114 (In The Godfather, Michael becomes head of
the family. Benjamin dies at the end of The
115 Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
Alternatively, this sequence can be an All is Lost
116 PLOT POINT 5 / THIRD ACT TWIST
final show down,
117
118
SEQUENCE 8
119 Denouement OR
120
121
Climax The composition of this
sequence depends on how the previous one
122 ended.
Obviously, if Sequence G ended with the
Screenplay Climax, the movie’s over, but if it
123 ended with an All is Lost / All is Joy success /
failure, then this sequence becomes in effect
124 Sequence G -- the protagonist’s sprint to solve
the screenplay’s main goal before it’s too late.
125 (In The Heartbreak Kid remake (2007), there are
126 eight sequences ending on Sequence H.
Sequence G ends with an All is Lost failure when
127 Eddie fails to win back Miranda. An eighth
Sequence H then begins with him packing up
128 and leaving town, before we jump a year and a
129 half in time when Miranda turns up to provide
the film's neat ending).
eight sequences ending on Sequence H.
Sequence G ends with an All is Lost failure when
Eddie fails to win back Miranda. An eighth
Sequence H then begins with him packing up
and leaving town, before we jump a year and a
half in time when Miranda turns up to provide
the film's neat ending).
130
save the cat
Opening Image The very first impression of what a movie is — its
tone, its mood, the type and scope of the film — are all found in
the opening image
• The act break is the moment where we leave the old world,
the thesis statement, behind and proceed into a world that is
the upside down version of that, its antithesis. But because
these two worlds are so distinct, the act of actually stepping into
Act Two must be definite.
• The hero cannot be lured, tricked, or drift into Act Two. The
hero must make the decision himself. That's what makes him a
hero anyway — being proactive.
• It's the point where the fun and games are over. It's back to
the story! It's also the point where if you have a "false victory"
14
• The reason is that the All Is Lost beat is the "Christ on the
cross" moment. It's where the old world, the old character, the
old way of thinking dies.
• the thing you show dying, even a goldfish, will resonate and
make that All Is Lost moment all the more poignant
Break in to three Both in the external story (the A story) and the
internal story (the B story), which now meet and intertwine, the
hero has prevailed, passed every test, and dug deep to find the
solution. Now all he has to do is apply it.
FINAL IMAGE As stated earlier, the final image in a movie is the
opposite of the opening image. It is your proof that change has
occurred and that it's real.
save the cat
SET UP • The first 10 pages of the script, or first dozen
pages at most, is called the "set-up." If you're like me, and
like most readers in Hollywood, this is the make-or-break
section where you have to grab me or risk losing my
interest.
• Like little time bombs, these Six Things That Need Fixing,
these character tics and flaws, will be exploded later in the
script, turned on their heads and cured. They will become
running gags and call-backs. We, the audience, must know
why they're being called back!
This is the point where Neo is taken to meet Morpheus and wants
to learn about The Matrix, or where Ike gets fired and wants to go
meet the Runaway Bride.
Notice that the desire created by the opportunity is not the specific
goal that defines your story concept, or the finish line your hero
must cross at the end of the film. It is rather a desire to move
into...
Something happens that provides an opportunity for the
protagonist to act, and this will lead him to what will ultimately
make him happy and complete. This opportunity leads to a...
Between stage 1 and 2, your hero should be presented with an
opportunity which creates in him or her a visible desire. This is not
the overall goal which governs your story, but rather something
STAGE 2: The New Situation 10-25% - Stage Two: New Situation
For the next 15% of the story, your hero will react to the new
situation that resulted from the opportunity. He gets acclimated to
the new surroundings, tries to figure out what’s going on, or
formulates a specific plan for accomplishing his overall goal: Very
often story structure follows geography, as the opportunity takes
your hero to a new location: boarding the cruise ships in Titanic
and The Talented Mr. Ripley; going to Cincinnati to bury his father
in Rain Man; the President taking off on Air Force One.
In most movies, the hero enters this new situation willingly, often
with a feeling of excitement and anticipation, or at least believing
that the new problem he faces can be easily solved. But as the
conflict starts to build, he begins to realize he’s up against far
greater obstacles than he realized, until finally he comes to…
The protagonist gets a glimpse of what life would be life if he took
the opportunity and acted. Things are changing for him, and it's all
very new and exciting, yet also scary. This leads to...
Now the protagonist must figure out what’s going on and how to
react, and in response will formulate a specific, visible outer
motivation.
For the next 15% of the story, your hero will react to the new
situation that resulted from the opportunity. During this stage, the
hero gets acclimated to the new surroundings, tries to figure out
what's going on, or formulates a specific plan for accomplishing his
overall goal: Fletcher has to figure out that he's been cursed to tell
overall goal: Fletcher has to figure out that he's been cursed to tell
the truth in Liar, Liar; and Mrs. Doubtfire devises the plan for
seeing his children.
In most movies, the hero enters this new situation willingly, often
with a feeling of excitement and anticipation, or at least believing
that the new problem he faces can be easily solved. But as the
conflict starts to build, he begins to realize he's up against far
greater obstacles than he realized, until finally he comes to...
The protagonist gets a glimpse of what life would be life if he took
the opportunity and acted. Things are changing for him, and it's all
very new and exciting, yet also scary. This leads to...
The hero is now getting used to the new environment, he or she is
perhaps feeling excited about this situation, may feel optimistic
that any challenges faced here will be easily overcome, and is
unaware of what really awaits.
For the next 15% of the story, your hero will react to the new
situation that resulted from the opportunity. She gets acclimated
to the new surroundings, tries to figure out what’s going on, or
formulates a specific plan for accomplishing her overall goal.
Very often story structure follows geography as the opportunity
TURNING POINT #2: The Change of Plans (25%)
Something must happen to your hero one-fourth of the way
through your screenplay that will transform the original desire into
a specific, visible goal with a clearly defined end point.
This is the scene where your story concept is defined, and your
hero’s outer motivation is revealed. That’s the visible finish line the
audience is rooting for your hero to achieve by the end of the
story.
Outer
STAGEmotivation
III: Progressis my term for the visible finish line the audience
is rooting
Erin Brockovich: for your hero
Erin getstosome
achieve by theresidents
Hinkley end of the film.Ed
to hire It istohere
that Tess discovers that Katherine has
represent them, and gets romantically involved with George.stolen her idea in Working
Girl, and now
Gladiator: wants istotaken
Maximus close tothebedeal herself
killed, by posing
escapes to findashis a broker.
family
This
murdered, and is captured and sold to Proximo, who makeswhen
is what we’re rooting for Tess to do, and we know that him a
she’s
powerful accomplished
gladiator. this goal (or failed to), the movie will be over.
Please
For thedon’t confuse
next 25% outer
of your motivation
story, your hero’swith plan
the inner
seemsjourney
to be your
hero takes. Because much of what we respond
working as he takes action to achieve his goal: Ethan Hunt begins to emotionally
grows
closingout in onof the
the villain
hero’sin longings,
Mission:wounds,
Impossible fears, courage
2; Pat and
gets involved
growth,
with the woman of his dreams in There’s Something Aboutour
we often focus on these elements as we develop Mary.
stories.
This is not Buttothese invisible
say that character
this stage components
is without conflict.canButemerge
whatever
effectively
obstacles your onlyhero
if they growheout
faces, of a simple,
is able to avoidvisible desire. them as
or overcome
The protagonist
he approaches… changes what he's been doing and acts. This
launches
Act Two: 25-75% act two.
The heroine will begin pursuing the outer motivation.
Most
In act Hollywood movies involve
two, the protagonist worksaon heroine pursuing
changing his lifeone
andorsolving
more of
five visible goals:
the problems of the plot. He isn't sure how to do that and has both
1. To winand
victories the setbacks.
love of another
Act two person
breaksorout a competition
like this:
2. To stop something bad from happening
3. To escape
Progress (Stagea bad situation
Three)
4.
The heroine’s plan seems an
To deliver or transport to item of valueShe’s moving closer to her
be working.
5. To retrieve something of value
goal but still has conflict. She must bypass and bringorit overcome
to safety or possess
obstacles
it.
until the midpoint or Point of No Return (Turning Point 3).
Emotion
Something should
happensgrowthatoutforces
of conflict and not outtoofmake
the protagonist desire. In a
a full
romance, you have to delay pursuit of the love
commitment to her goal. In a romance, it might be the first kiss, interest. Or, haveor
them meet but then go back and show their
the first time your couple goes to bed together. Now they are not normal lives
beforehand.
able to returnOr, toforce
the lifethem
theytogether
once had. but give them different goals.
The heroine should have another goal than pursuing the guy. For
example, “You two have to work on this project together. The
outcome
25-50% - Stage will determine which one
Three: Progress: Theofprotagonist
you gets the promotion.”
tries to
Hold
accomplish things to fix the problems and become thebyperson
back her admission that she’s falling for the guy giving he her
awants
different goal to pursue.
to be, eventually reaching the...
until the midpoint or Point of No Return (Turning Point 3).
Something happens that forces the protagonist to make a full
commitment to her goal. In a romance, it might be the first kiss, or
the first time your couple goes to bed together. Now they are not
able to return to the life they once had.
Stage 3 – Progress
The hero appears to be succeeding in his or her plan, there are
obstacles and conflict, but he or she is managing these and
overcoming them. Things seem to be working.
STAGE III: Progress
For the next 25% of your story, your hero’s plan seems to be
working as she takes action to achieve her goal. This is not to say
that this stage is without conflict. But whatever obstacles your
hero faces, she is able to avoid or overcome them as she
approaches…
Point 4). All appears lost. In romance jargon, we call this the Big
Black Moment. This is when the two lovers break apart.
Turning Point 4 – The Major Setback
Now something terrible happens and it seems that all is lost. But
your hero is fully committed and he or she really has no choice,
things are critical, so he has to make one, last, desperate effort to
win, escape, stop something or retrieve something (remember
Michael’s basic categories of visible goals).
TURNING POINT #4: The Major Setback (75%)
Something must happen to your hero that makes it seem to the
audience that all is lost: These disastrous events leave your hero
with only one option: she must make one, last, all-or-nothing, do-
or-die effort as she enters …
75-90% - Stage Five: Final Push: The protagonist finally sheds his
old self and becomes the new person, and this enables him to
old self and becomes the new person, and this enables him to
face...
Retreat and Final Push (Stage Five)
Each character will try to return to the way they were in the Set
Up. They go back to the original situation, but it’s no longer
satisfying. So the protagonist makes a final push to achieve her
goal.
TURNING POINT #5: The Climax (90-99%)
Erin Brockovich: Erin and Ed win a $330 million dollar settlement,
and George returns.
Gladiator: Maximus has his final battle with Commodus in the
arena.
Several things must occur at the climax of the film: the hero must
face the biggest obstacle of the entire story; she must determine
her own fate; and the outer motivation must be resolved once and
for all. This is the big moment where our heroes go into the Twister
and the Jewish factory workers make their escape in Schindler’s
List.
Notice that the climax can occur anywhere from the 90% point to
the last couple minutes of the movie. The exact placement will be
determined by the amount of time you need for…
The Climax (Turning Point 5) is where the heroine faces her biggest
obstacle. She either achieves her goal or she doesn’t.
90-99% - Turning Point Five: The Climax: The final fight with the
antagonist and the resolution of the story's problem. The
protagonist realizes if he fully embraces the new him, he will win.
This ends with...