Structure Your Screenplay (Part II)

Four Act Structure

This is part two of a two part series. For part one, click here.

Making Friends and Learning New Things

If you consider the midpoint of your story as similar to a plot point that turns an act from one to another, then the midpoint of your screenplay can serve the same function. Instead of the structure of your story being three acts in which the second is twice as long as the first and third, by viewing the midpoint as an act break, you create four acts — all of generally equal length.

While it has no bearing on acts one or three, it does change how you view Act Two. In a four act structure, “Act Two” (the first half of what we used to think of as Act Two) becomes the part of the story where your hero goes from having their life upended by the events at the end of Act One to now struggling with how to respond. In this part of your script, the hero begins to learn skills, make allies, and acquire the knowledge they need to fulfill their task.

This is the period in “Star Wars” where Luke finds Obi-Wan-Kenobi and Han Solo.

In “Rocky,” it’s when Rocky starts listening to Adrienne and Mickey about who he is and what he’s worth.

In “When Harry Met Sally,” this is when Harry and Sally are both single and start hanging out together.

This is the period where buddy cops struggle with each other and learn how to work together. It’s when the hero relocates to a new environment if necessary. This is the period in which the hero experiences things which open their eyes to what they are facing.

Getting Busy

In this 4-Act structural scenario, “Act Three” is the latter half of the old Act Two. This is the section of your story from the midpoint up to the events that make the end inevitable. This is the period in which the main character comes to understand what it is that they must do.

It’s the point in action movies when the hero forms a plan of attack against the villains.

In a love story, it’s usually the point where the main character realizes they’re chasing the wrong person.

In a horror flick, it’s the point when the characters realize what kind of demon they are up against.

From this point forward, the story becomes about the main character using their acquired knowledge, skills, and allies to escape, conquer, vanquish or win over the people or things they need to resolve their situation. Usually, there is still some piece of the puzzle missing that the main character doesn’t learn until the final Act.

The detective knows how the victim died but not who the victim is yet; a lover knows who they wants to be with, but that person is about to become unattainable because it’s too late; and the action hero’s most important object/family member/lover/friend is kidnapped and needs to be rescued.

Rising Conflict

Throughout this period, the hero becomes more confident and focused, which demands a greater response from the antagonist to stop them. This is what complicates the main character’s situation and raises the stakes.

In “Marriage Story,” this is when Adam Driver’s character Charlie hires the expensive high powered attorney (Ray Liotta) to fight dirty for him.

In “Wonder Woman,” it’s when Diane and Steve uncover the secret Nazi plan for chemical warfare and have Dr. Maru’s notebook as proof.

As the protagonist becomes wiser and more skilled, the antagonist must respond with greater determination and focus in order to keep putting challenges in front of the main character. This leads to a moment when the antagonist in your story does something that forces the main character to make a choice that will irrevocably alter their course.

In “Get Out,” it’s when Chris finds photos of Rose with her exes, thereby catching her in a lie. Having discovered the family secret, Chris can no longer leave. He must now escape.

In “Marriage Story,” it’s when Charlie must decide whether to heal and forgive his ex-wife for the betterment of their son, Henry, or to remain lost in his own anger potentially losing his connection with Henry forever.

In “The Notebook,” it’s when Allie (McAdams) goes on the trip before her marriage to Lon, and spends the night in Seabrook with Noah (Gosling). When she learns that her mother hid Noah’s letters, Allie realizes she‘s in love with Noah, and must now decide between the “perfect life” with Lon or true love with Noah.

The Lowest Moment

The end of this act is what is known as the “Lowest Moment” because it is the moment when the main character has exhausted all of their resources — time, money, emotion, intellect and allies — and must decide if they will give up or dig deeper to find the strength to confront the antagonist. Usually, this involves confronting all aspects of a character’s weakness.

There’s usually a physical component: the character has get somewhere difficult; they are out-manned; and they have no resources left.

There’s an emotional component: what’s at stake is terribly valuable to them, and failure would devastate them.

There is a psychological element: they don’t know if they have the inner strength or confidence in themselves to pull it off.

Lastly, there is often an outright survival component: if the main character fails, they will die; or just generally won’t be able to survive physically or emotionally.

The more developed your character and the greater the challenges they face along the way, the more your audience will fear for your character and root for their survival or achievement. This is what will compel your characters into the inevitable final act.

Conclusion

Act Four, as we now call it, is everything that happens from the moment the main character makes the choice to take on the final challenge. This decision must be inevitable. The stakes must be huge. If not, there is nothing to root for and the audience won’t be satisfied when the conflict is resolved.

This act is when the main character takes everything they learned and all the changes they went through and puts them to effective use. As a result, the main character ends up getting not necessarily what they thought they needed at the beginning of the story, but what they truly need.

In romantic comedies, it’s never the boy or girl the main character thought they wanted, it’s the one who always loved them.

In action movies, it’s usually what the main character had previously lost, likely some sense of family or love.

In horror movies, it’s a new appreciation for life that the main characters took for granted at the start of the story.

In mysteries, it’s the self-esteem that the main character was secretly lacking (and concealing) at the beginning of the story.

Then after all of it, you get to write: FADE OUT.