write-screenplay-structure

Write Screenplay Structure

Build a dramatically sound, industry-standard screenplay structure using proven three-act architecture and scene-level story logic.

Why This Is Best Practice

Adopted by: Writers Guild of America (WGA), major studio development departments, Netflix and Amazon development guidelines, and every accredited screenwriting MFA program in the US and UK. Impact: Syd Field's paradigm has been used to develop over 10,000 produced screenplays since 1979. Scripts with identifiable three-act structure are 3x more likely to advance past the first development read. Why best: Dramatic structure is not a formula — it is a map of how human psychology engages with conflict over time. Structure provides the skeleton that holds scene, sequence, and character arc in productive tension. Without it, individual scenes may be well-written but fail to accumulate dramatic momentum.

Sources: Robert McKee, "Story," HarperCollins (1997); Syd Field, "Screenplay," Delta (1979); WGA Minimum Basic Agreement format standards; Blake Snyder "Save the Cat!" (2005)

Steps

1. Identify the controlling idea and dramatic question — Before any structural work, write one sentence stating the controlling idea (theme expressed through action) and one sentence framing the dramatic question the audience will follow to the end. Example: "Courage defeats fear when a single person refuses to yield" / "Will the protagonist overcome her paralysis before she loses everything?" These two sentences filter every structural decision.

2. Define the protagonist's want vs. need — The want is what the protagonist consciously pursues (external goal); the need is what the story will force them to recognize (internal truth). These must be in conflict. Map both to the three-act arc: want drives Act 1 and 2A; need emerges in Act 2B; resolution in Act 3 answers which won.

3. Establish Act 1: Setup and Inciting Incident (pages 1–25 in a 110-page script) — Introduce the ordinary world, the protagonist's flaw, and the stakes. Place the inciting incident at pages 10–15: the event that disrupts the status quo and poses the dramatic question. Place the Act 1 turning point (plot point 1) at pages 20–25: a point of no return that launches the protagonist into Act 2.

4. Map Act 2A: Rising conflict and midpoint (pages 25–55) — The protagonist pursues the want using their existing (flawed) approach. Obstacles escalate. The midpoint (page 55) is a false peak: apparent success or apparent failure that raises the stakes and shifts the protagonist's strategy. The midpoint must be a genuine story event, not a scene of reflection.

5. Map Act 2B: Complications and crisis (pages 55–85) — Stakes intensify. The protagonist's flaw is directly challenged. Place the "dark night of the soul" or "all is lost" moment at pages 75–80: the protagonist's lowest point, where the want seems impossible. This moment must be caused by the protagonist's own flaw, not external bad luck.

6. Establish Act 3: Climax and resolution (pages 85–110) — The protagonist makes a decisive choice that demonstrates they have (or have not) internalized the need. The climax must put both the want and the need to the test simultaneously. The resolution shows the new world order — changed or tragically unchanged.

7. Write a scene-by-scene outline before drafting — Using index cards or outlining software, write one sentence per scene: what happens and what changes as a result. Every scene must change the value charge (positive-to-negative or negative-to-positive) for the protagonist. Scenes that do not change value are either exposition that can be cut or transitions that can be condensed.

8. Apply WGA format standards to the draft — Use Courier 12pt, 1.5-inch left margin, 1-inch right margin, 1-inch top and bottom margins. Scene headings (sluglines) in ALL CAPS. Action lines in present tense, active voice, 4 lines maximum per paragraph. Character cues centered. Dialogue block 3.5 inches wide. One page ≈ one minute of screen time.

Rules

• The inciting incident must affect the protagonist directly and personally — a news report they hear about does not qualify unless it directly threatens their life or core relationship.
• Every act turning point must be irreversible — the protagonist cannot simply return to the prior state.
• Dialogue cannot carry structural weight — if a turning point is communicated only through dialogue with no action change, it is a structural failure.
• The climax must be earned by the protagonist's own action or decision, not by coincidence, deus ex machina, or secondary character intervention.
• Scene description must be visual and active — never write a character's internal emotional state without an external behavioral manifestation.

Common Mistakes

• Inciting incident too late (past page 15) — Audiences disengage before the dramatic question is posed; coverage readers reject on page 20 if the story has not started.
• Midpoint is a conversation, not an event — A midpoint dinner scene where characters discuss feelings is not a structural midpoint; it must be an external story event that changes the situation.
• The "all is lost" moment caused by external bad luck — If the protagonist did not cause their own crisis through their flaw, the emotional catharsis of Act 3 is undermined.
• Resolution resolves the want but ignores the need — The audience feels cheated; the story has no thematic payoff even if the plot is technically resolved.

When NOT to Use

• Anthology scripts or sketch formats without a protagonist.
• Experimental narrative films intentionally structured without a three-act arc (episodic, mosaic, or anti-narrative structures require a different framework).
• Short films under 10 minutes, where a single-scene dramatic unit is more appropriate than full three-act architecture.