creenwriting
When Developing Structure:
- Make the turning points big, bold moments. Don't go for subtlety.
- Ask yourself what events would force your characters to change?
- Brainstorm various conflicts, then structure them in terms of increasing escalation.
Now to brass tacks—structure is the primary function of a screenplay, and being able to properly structure the story is the most critical skill set a writer needs to break into this industry.
Without structure, a story isn’t a story—it’s, at best, just a collection of semi-related scenes. But with the proper shape, these scenes build to an experience of emotional peaks and valleys, intellect-teasing plot twists, and unforgettable moments.
Let’s start with a basic building block for a screenplay: the three-act structure. Simply put, the story must have a beginning (Act One), a middle (Act Two), and an end (Act Three). This is, perhaps, too simply put. A better explanation would be:
A story begins with the introduction of your protagonist, a slightly flawed individual who is living in a state of ease and equilibrium, his or her “ordinary world.” Until one day, an incident rips them out of that ordinary world—and they are brought into conflict by the individual behind this incident, the antagonist.
But your protagonist isn’t ready to willfully abandon their ordinary world and does whatever they can to remain here—they deny, avoid, outsource, or otherwise dodge the conflict. But the antagonist isn’t finished—not by a long shot. Soon, another incident occurs that locks the protagonist on the journey, usually kicking and screaming...
This would be a general description of Act One, the beginning. Let’s unpack this just a bit further.
Screenplay structure has several key elements, starting with the Inciting Incident.