Screenplay Structure Theory

(not “to scale” on how long each moment takes)

The diagram is meant to have a rhythm to it. Showing how each act has a cadence to it. Each box does not represent a certain amount of time, but rather just a story point and how a similar type of moment may be repeated later.

The Opening presents one flaw, which immediately ignites the idea in the audience on how this could be a story. While it may not be shown in this first act, underneath the flaw there is actually a misguided belief system that is causing this flaw. That’s where the real story and change will eventually occur. At the core. 

The flaw is seen in action over and over in different scenarios. It has infiltrated all the most important areas of the character’s life. 

The Catalyst happens to the character. It’s a singular challenge. It’s the OPPORTUNITY to confront the thing they have been putting off fixing, or the opportunity to confront the piece of their life that’s holding them back. It holds the potential solution to the flaw, to permanently test this initial belief. But it’s a big one, and comes with the option to either say YES and forever be changed for better or worse, or say NO and continue life as is. Even if the flawed belief isn’t shown in Act 1, this “all knowing” Catalyst still is actually there to confront the true core to that flaw.  

The character Debates all the options. They see at one moment the potential for future Failures if they say no. They must take the challenge. 

Each Yes is directed towards this Catalyst, this challenge. It’s saying: 

• “Yes, I will be brave and fight for my freedom.” (Braveheart)

• “Yes, I will uncover the truth beyond the matrix.” (Matrix)

• “Yes, I will study the emotions in the brain from the inside out and bring balance.” (Inside Out)

• “Yes, I will make an effort to restore the relationship with the one I love.” (The One I Love)

• “Yes, I will use the magical repetition of the day to fix my selfish way of life.” (Groundhog Day)

• “Yes, I will let everyone know how amazing I am.” (Napoleon Dynamite)

• “Yes, I will find true happiness by joining forces between myself and Maude.” (Harold and Maude)

The title of the film often takes directly from the Catalyst, because the Catalyst is what the movie is about.  

In each act, the Yes moment, or the attempt, is different. It creates a major change that brings us to the next act.  

• A the end of Act 1, the YES attempt is more physical and superficial. This makes Act 2A fun. With no real change there isn’t much at risk. It’s like putting on a costume and role playing for an afternoon. When the character fails at this, they see the potential to go back to the beginning.
  

• At the end of Act 2A, saying YES is fully spiritual, taken closer to the core. The journey in Act 2B has the character dig deeper because they don’t want to return to the character they were before. This time saying yes was more serious because it’s changing the core. It’s the grown up moment.
  

• At the end of Act 2B, when they fail at this challenge, it brings them back to the person they were from the start. They feel as though they have learned nothing. They fully realize here that it’s their belief system that is incorrect. They’ve been wrong all along. A guru gives a piece of advice to set them on one last attempt towards eternal change. This time they fight the flaw by combining both heart and mind, body and soul, left brain and right brain, analytical and instinctive, to make a permanent change. They’ll use their new understanding, their updated belief, to fight the flaw. Sometimes at this point the flaw itself doesn’t matter anymore, as the belief lets them know what’s truly important.
  

• All of Act 3 has them executing their new plan on how to defeat the Flaw once and for all.

In the Closing, we see that the initial flaw is gone or rendered harmless because of the new belief (or in a down ending, we see that the flaw will never be defeated, even though we fully understand it now). 

IN SUMMARY

• A movie is about a character with one surface level flaw.

• Underneath there is the true source of this flaw, there is a misguided belief.

• A Catalyst moment arrives, which is a defined moment or action that comes to give direct conflict to this flaw, or more accurately, to the core belief. It’s here to test and challenge it. It’s a chance to change forever.

• The character says YES and takes the chance.

• Through a series of renewed and deeper commitment towards the challenge, the character changes first on the surface, then from the core, then in a holistic and eternally committed way.

• The character may no longer try to change the flaw, because they now understand it’s the belief beneath it that was mistaken all along. They realize it was never about the flaw, but rather about the belief.

• So the character changes that belief, and their life permanently improves (or is permanently flawed in a down ending) from the inside on out.

RESEARCH

—BOOKS—

***Screenplay - Syd Field (in my opinion, if you are going to only get one book - buy this one)

4 Screenplays - Syd Field (takes what was mentioned in his book, and breaks four movies down to showcase structure)

Story - Robert McKee (the “Bible” on story)

Save the Cat! - Blake Snyder
*Take this with a grain of salt. The cover itself says “The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need” which is not the most humble approach to teaching someone. The book has this tone overall, but if you strip that away and just take each note as a suggestion it actually is a very helpful resource.

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies - Blake Snyder (takes what was mentioned in his book, and breaks various movies down)

The Writer's Journey - Chris Vogler

The Hero's Journey - Joseph Campbell

How to Write a Movie in 21 Days - Viki King (despite the very infomercial sounding title, I found this book have some great thoughts on structure and identifying what helps hold a movie up for 90 minutes)

Write Screenplays that Sell: The Ackerman Way - Hal Ackerman

—VIDEO RESOURCE—

Pandemonium (by Michael Arndt, the screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3, Star Wars VII)
Beginnings - https://vimeo.com/237921575
Endings - https://vimeo.com/238637906

—VIDEO ESSAYS—

EVERY FRAME A PAINTING - in depth studies on the visual language of film
https://www.youtube.com/user/everyframeapainting

LESSONS FROM A SCREENPLAY - in depth studios on story
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErSSa3CaP_GJxmFpdjG9Jw

IN DEPTH CINEMA - in depth study and practical knowledge of cinematography and filmmaking
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUodELQsFwF8dq0X-bK9FQQ

—PODCAST—

Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith - this is one of the greatest things out there. While it doesn't dive into structure very often, it does give in-depth conversations with the writers (and writer/directors) about their personal process and methods. It won't give you the basics at all, but once you start diving into the basics with the books above, and supplement that with this podcast, you could have a very good understanding of the language and the way things are done.

...and with that, iPad users should download his Backstory magazines. You can find more info here http://backstory.net/

I can't express how amazing of a resource this podcast and magazine is.

—WEBSITE—

This you could jump to immediately, as it'll help you understand what the film structure is. Save the Cat has a website and a thing called the Beat Sheet, which is the breakdown of the important moments in a film. Think of it like music, and if they were to say Verse 1, Verse 2, Chorus, Verse 3, Bridge, Chorus, Chorus. They'd explain to you how you need each of those elements to make a song move and feel complete. It's kind of the same with screenwriting.

http://www.savethecat.com/category/beat-sheets

http://www.savethecat.com/beat-sheets/the-lobster-beat-sheet

http://www.savethecat.com/beat-sheets/inside-out-beat-sheet

—WORKSHOP—

Blueprint Screenwriting Group (NYC)
http://blueprintscreenwritinggroup.com
Hosted by Timothy Cooper - screenwriting in a small, constructive, creative writing-group environment.


Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive
https://www.kaplancomedy.com/course-outline-ciriculmn
The Comedy Intensive is a two-day course that explores the hidden tools and principles of comedy: what it is, how it works, why it works, what’s happening when it’s not working and what you can do to fix it, and offers proven and practical methods and techniques.

Save the Cat workshop
http://www.savethecat.com/services/beatsheet
Ok, it's now starting to sound like I get royalties on the book. It’s not that I’m pushing it, it’s just that I feel like this book has done a great job of producing many resources around its method. So in that sense it's a lot of fun because you get to learn about a theory and then see it applied in many ways. I did this workshop and actually loved it. To me, it was well worth it.

Corey Mandell
http://coreymandell.net/
I did one of this online and loved it. I thought he had a great approach.

Storylogue
http://www.storylogue.com/
Robert McKee's workshop. While I have not done this workshop myself, I would have to imagine that it’s a great resource.

If you have ever seen Adaptation by Spike Jonze, you’ll know the part in the movie where it turns from a nuanced and inner-struggle story, to a game of cat and mouse super action Hollywood movie. It's the moment when he is stuck, goes and sees Robert McKee's "Story" workshop, has a drink with him, and then decides to just say screw it, I'm just going to write a Hollywood action flick and be done with this thing. And in a meta way, that's what the movie turns into.

—DVD'S—

You can rent DVDs from the library and watch them with the director's commentary on. This is one of the most incredible things ever. I watch the movie once, and then watch it again right away with the commentary on and it's amazing how much you'll learn.

—ADVICE TO GETTING STARTED ON WRITING SCREENPLAYS—

1) Do something quick and fun to wrap your head around this whole structure thing, and just read this beat sheet first - http://www.savethecat.com/beat-sheets/inside-out-beat-sheet

2) Buy Screenplay by Syd Field and indulge in that to really understand what's happening.

3) Then start diving in deeper, like with 4 Screenplays (Syd Field), Story (Robert McKee) and Save the Cat (Blake Snyder)

4) Consider taking a workshop.

5) Get lost in all of this stuff, but not so lost that you don't actually write. With very little, you can do a lot.

6) Remember this - one thing I've realized is that none of these books will help you write your story. You have to write it and have it be something that is alive and feels good, and then after that you can go back and see if something is broken by referencing these books. Basically, soak it all in, make it feel like second nature to you, and then write from the heart, and when you get stuck you now have the tools to go back and see why something is or is not working in hindsight and then fix it.

—MICRO-BUDGET FILMMAKING—

Great resources on micro-budget filmmaking:

"Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez (hyperlinks to Wikipedia. Support local! Find this at your local bookshop)

"Independent Ed" by Edward Burns

"The Cavalry Isn't Coming" speech at SXSW by Mark Duplass

Articles on Lena Dunham's first film "Tiny Furniture" like this one: https://www.mentorless.com/2013/04/10/the-art-of-framing-tiny-furniture-directed-by-lena-dunham/

Want to discuss, debate, jam? Reach out at: hello@bradleyhasse.com