Post 1 - The Three Act Structure

The Three Act Structure





The three-act structure is a model used in narrative fiction that divides a story into three parts (acts), often called the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution.

Act I: Setup

The First Act is the setup - the main characters, dramatic premise and situation are introduced. Your protagonist should not be perfect, they should have some failings, fears or weaknesses), these are typically introduced in the first act also. The story will of course force your protagonist to confront (and hopefully overcome) their failings/fears/weaknesses. It is generally advisable to introduce all your lead characters within the first ten pages. Make sure no central character drops out of the script for a lengthy period of time. It is common for some writers to throw additional obstacles at their protagonist during this act - their protagonists tend to overcome these early obstacles.

Act II: Confrontation

The Second Act takes up the bulk of your screenplay, typically around 50% (so around 55 pages of a 110 page script). It should be a rollercoaster ride for your protagonist - highs and lows. Everything should get more intense for them, the dramatic tension (or threat) should steadily be amped up until your protagonist either springs into action or is forced to take action. They will make some progress but they will not succeed. A major setback, or new complications should be thrust their way, the stakes getting ever higher. This act typically ends with your protagonist at their lowest point, often all but defeated, spent, sometimes unwilling or unable to go on...

Many writers throw a number of obstacles at their protagonist during this act - the protagonist overcomes most but not the last one, suffers a huge setback which so severely knocks them back that they cannot continue, or are plunged into turmoil, even despair.

Act III: Resolution

The Third Act is the end game (aka resolution). It will commonly take up the last 25% of your screenplay. It commonly starts with your protagonist rising: they somehow find the energy or will to rise up, keep battling. Often they will form a new plan, implement it against whatever confronts them. The confrontation is incredibly hard and difficult but (against the odds and expectations) they will overcome, win through. The third act ends with a wrap-up aftermath scene or scenes - the Aftermath stage can be as short as a single page or up to ten pages. Keeping it short (1 to 3 pages) is typically best as you don't want your readers (or the audience) to come down too much from the highs just recently achieved.