Screenwriting

Today we learnt about the 3 Act Structure and tricks we need to use to make the audience interested in our film.

Act 1

Act 1 should give the audience all the ingredients from which your story should be made.

• The characters
• The setting
• The tone
• The characters goals 
• A time scale

Act 1 has to give the audience a hook so that they will be gripped to the story and feel emotionally attached to the characters.

As we approach the end of Act 1 there will be the inciting incident which causes a crisis and leads to the first turning point of your film.

Act 2

Give your audience breathing space, a pause for reflection.

The rest of the act put your characters through a series of highs and lows.

At the end of Act 2 there is a second turning point where the stakes are raised and the protagonist has more to lose.

Act 3

At the end of Act 2 the protagonist is defeated (temporarily).

Their actions in the second turning point has now thrusted them into the climax and the protagonist will now have new goals.

In the climax the protagonist will be forced to put their physical survival at risk, they must do something they never thought they could/ would do.

Through the final act you will be tieing up all the loose plot ends building to your final climax.

The push to the climax will often involve a chase against the clock.

The climax is the greatest obstacle that the protagonist face in the story. It must integrate 3 elements:

• Resolving main plot
• Showing through action the new transformation of the protagonist.
• Playing out the theme of the script

Ending Resolution

Having got over the final climax you have to give the protagonist and audience time to breath.

Protagonist has faced their biggest challenge, won or lost but either way they would have learnt something.

You will also tie up and resolve any secondary plot-lines and create a sense that these characters will continue to live on after the credits.