screenplay understanding structure. what is structure? in a general sense, what does structure mean...
TRANSCRIPT
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ScreenplayUnderstanding structure
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What is structure?
In a general sense,what does structure mean to you?
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Structure in story
✤ Screenplays succeed in part because of a structure, just like the structure within everyday things
✤ The root “struct”-
✤ to build, or put something together
✤ the relationship between the parts and the whole
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Structure
✤ ...the parts and the whole...
✤ Let’s use the game of chess as an example:
✤ Pieces: paws, knights, kings, queens, etc.
✤ Players: You can’t play without players
✤ Board: You can’t play without one
✤ Rules: Need to follow the rules of the game
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Structure
✤ Those 4 parts (pieces, players, board, rules) are integrated in the whole, a game of chess. This relationship between the parts and the whole determine the game.
✤ The same relationship holds true in a story, and a screenplay is a story told with pictures!
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Story Structure
✤ The story is the whole! What are the parts?
✤ Actions
✤ Characters
✤ Dialogue
✤ Scenes
✤ Acts
✤ Conflicts
✤ Incidents
✤ Episodes
✤ Events
✤ Music
✤ The structure is the glue that holds everything in place!
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Structure
✤ The most common and successful structure, is the 3-Act Structure
✤ Why?
✤ Because all stories have a beginning, middle, and end!
✤ And we can use math to figure out how it breaks down...
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3-Act structure
✤ Most scripts are 90-120 pages in length...
✤ ...Divide by 3...
✤ ...Each act is roughly 30-40 pages long
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3-Act Structure
✤ Act 1: The Set-Up
✤ Act 2: Confrontation
✤ Act 3: Resolution
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Act I: The Set-Up
✤ Typically 30 pages in length
✤ This is where you:
✤ Set up the story
✤ Establish the characters
✤ Launch the dramatic premise (what the story is about)
✤ Illustrate the situation (the circumstances around the action)
✤ Create the relationship between the main character and others
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Act I: The Set-Up
✤ The First 10 pages of the screenplay are the most important
✤ It usually takes 10 minutes of watching a movie to determine whether or not you like it or not.
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The Segue
✤ In order to transition from one act to another, you need to change the direction of the story.
✤ We call this device a “plot point”
✤ A plot point is defined by any incident, episode or event that hooks into the action a spins it around in another direction
✤ Always a function of the main character
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Plot Points
✤ Do not need to be big or dynamic scenes
✤ Purpose is to keep story progressing
✤ Acts as the “true” start of the story
✤ Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
✤ When Frodo and Sam leave the shire
✤ The Matrix
✤ When Neo takes the red pill
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3-Act Structure
✤ Act 1: The Set-Up
✤ Plot point one
✤ Act 2: Confrontation
✤ Plot point two
✤ Act 3: Resolution
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Act II: The Confrontation
✤ Typically 30-60 pages in length
✤ Revolves around the character encountering obstacle after obstacle that keeps them from achieving their need.
✤ Your main character needs to survive Act II
✤ Things need to happen!
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Act II: Confrontation
✤ Lord of the Rings: The journey, and obstacles, and weather, creatures, and danger made up the second act.
✤ The Matrix: Rebirth, training, the oracle, agents, Morpheus gets kidnapped...and just as he gets rescued...
✤ Bam! Plot point two
✤ Neo discovers he is the one.
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Act II: Confrontation
✤ “All drama is conflict. Without conflict you have no action; without action you have no character; without character you have no story; without story you have no screenplay.”
✤ -Syd Field
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Act III: Resolution
✤ The last 30 pages of the story
✤ Resolution does not mean ending.
✤ The ending is just the last scene
✤ Resolution means solution
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Act III: Resolution
✤ The Matrix:
✤ Resolution: Neo saves morpheus, discovers he is the one, wakes from death, destroys the agent, and rescues his crew from the sentinel attack.
✤ Ending: Neo places a phone call to an “unknown” (machines) threatening to show people the true reality, then flies into the sky
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How to start
✤ To begin a screenplay you need a subject, not just an idea
✤ A subject is an action and a character
✤ An action is what the story is about
✤ A character is who the story is about
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Subject and Character
✤ Take out a piece of paper...
✤ List 5 of your favorite movies (or movies you know very well)
✤ Who is the main character?
✤ What are the actions they go through?
✤ For one (your absolute most favorite movie of all time) identify the the three acts, and two plot points