The Basic Three-Act Structure

In previous posts I’ve written about how I am in favor of the four act structure. However in the interest of presenting all the knowledge I know, I wanted to share a method some writers use, called know as the three act structure. In the end, it’s not somebody else’s rules that matter, it’s your own. Do what works for you. If you do it by trial and error from the inside out, your work will find its own unique storytelling voice, no matter the structure.

Movies for streaming and television, as well as feature films, run approximately 95 to 105 pages. These acts are invisible; they are not spelled out in the script; they are for the purpose of structuring only. This page count is only approximate. Script length can vary according to story requirements. Streaming movies can run on the short end of 95 pages, and features can run on the long end of 105 pages, but the days of turning in 120-page scripts are over. Screenplays are getting leaner and leaner. No executive or script reader today wants to take home a read that is over 110 pages. A script that runs long is dangerous, especially coming from a spec writer.

The Setup (approximately 25 pages)

Act 1 is the setup. The setup, just as with the half-hour and one-hour scripts, establishes everything we need to know to get the story going.

• Establishes the tone, the texture, and the place of the movie.
• Establishes the main characters and the circumstances of the story.
• Presents hook/inciting incident (by page 10).
• Establishes problem for the character/characters and dramatic need.
• Builds to the act 1 turning point (by page 25).

Setup the characters. Identify the hook. Establish dramatic need.

At the end of this 25-page unit of action, a turning point is introduced into the story that totally shifts the action around.

The Confrontation (approximately 50 pages)

Act 2 is the confrontation. Here the character meets the majority of his or her obstacles. The act builds to another turning point that catapults the action and raises the stakes.

• Presents obstacles to the character’s…