How to Structure Your Screenplay

Hello and welcome to this series covering the fundamentals of screenwriting and storytelling. You can find the rest of the videos linked in the description or on the end screen of this video. If you're new to screenwriting, you may have Googled story structure or screenwriting structure and come across a lot of different books, graphs, articles, and videos all giving their two cents as to what actually makes a well ststructured screenplay.

There's a lot of people saying that screenplays have specific points and moments that are universal to every script. And there's a lot of people on the other side that hate these ideas and think that trying to say every screenplay has five points or 15 or 22 is academic garbage used to sell books and workshops. So, who's right?

Is there a script structure that's best? Should you even think about script structure before you start writing? I believe that there is a way to look at story structure that is practically helpful for screenwriters, whether they're stuck figuring out their full screenplay, an act, or even a scene.

Today, I want to identify the essential elements of story and how they can be used in the writing process. Let's begin by reviewing traditional screenplay structure. Screenplays are traditionally separated into three acts.

Act one usually takes around 25% of a screenplay. It sets up the story and sends the main character on his or her journey. Act two comprises about 50% of a screenplay and involves the protagonist going through various obstacles, learning, failing, and getting closer to their goal.

Act three contains the climax, which is the highest point of conflict and the resolution where the story ties up loose ends. This understanding of script structure was popularized by Sid Field in his book Screenplay. This book was very influential in shaping how script structure is viewed in Hollywood today.

This is Sidfield's paradigm where he divides a screenplay into three acts with two turning points that sit in between the acts. The turning points are where the action of the story is spun in a new direction, usually because of a character choice or action. But there's a problem with this system.

What do you actually do inside these acts? Of course, stories have a beginning, middle, and end. But how do you actually create narrative, drama, and momentum?

And how do you do so without being cliche? Many new screenwriters find that the second act of their story is the most difficult to navigate. It's where most of the story takes place, yet it can feel disorganized and undefined.

I've seen many scripts where the characters stop moving in a meaningful way in the middle of the story and just wait around for the end to come because the purpose of the second act was unclear. But I don't think it has to be this way. John Trouy, writer of The Anatomy of Story, said, "The mechanical and simplistic techniques of three-act structure don't give you a precise map showing how to weave a great plot throughout the difficult middle section of the story.

But where Trouy wants to give you his 22point plan to a good screenplay, I want to take this in another direction and focus on the essential elements of story structure. This is Dan Harmon. He's the creator and showrunner of hit shows like Community and Rick and Morty.

Dan Harmon observed that stories seem to have an innate structure, a pattern that could be seen in all sorts of stories, no matter the medium, subject matter, genre, or length. In a series of articles he wrote, Harmon explained that dramatic narratives organically follow a certain rhythmic pattern. And the reason for this is because this pattern found in stories is an essential part of the natural order of the world.

In biology, we see the rhythm of life and death. In psychology, we see the coexistence between the conscious and unconscious mind. And in societies, we see a rhythm of order and chaos.

This natural rhythm of the world then informs the way that we structure a story. Harmon says, "Our society, each human mind within it, and all of life itself has a rhythm. And when you play in that rhythm, your story resonates.

Stories move through the known world into the unknown world and back again, creating change in the characters and/or their world. And this becomes the basis of story structure. Now, let's get into the details.

Dan Harmon distilled this idea into his story circle. The story circle breaks down into eight points that Dan Harmon says are the fundamental elements of a dramatic narrative. Number one, a character is in a zone of comfort.

Number two, but they want something. Number three, they enter an unfamiliar situation. Number four, they adapt to it.

Number five, get what they wanted. Number six, pay a heavy price for it. Number seven, then return to the familiar situation.

And number eight, having changed. When we pull each of these points into a single word, we get this. You, need, go, search, find, take, return, and change.

This story circle creates a rhythm of momentum and change. As the characters go after what they want, they will enter a situation that they are unfamiliar with. This unfamiliarity forces adaptation.

The characters must grow. When they find what they are looking for, it must come at a cost. This cost gives meaning to the desire.

If what they want costs nothing, then it isn't valuable. This achievement of the want, the unfamiliar situation, and the sacrifice made creates change in the characters as they return home or to a place of equilibrium outside the conflict of the story. Of course, there are exceptions, but rather than just looking at stories and recognizing a pattern, this method looks at why stories exist and how they relate to the rest of the universe that we live within.

This is why Harmon's story circle can be such a strong tool for the writer. So, this is all a lot of theory. Now, let's take a look at an example so that you can see these ideas in action.

In my previous video on structure, I used the Dark Knight to illustrate the story circle. In this video, we're going to take a look at the Silence of the Lambs. In the Silence of the Lambs, Clarice is our character.

Her want is to become an FBI agent. Clarice joined the FBI because of her deeper want, which is to save people. Clarice enters an unfamiliar situation when she is given the assignment to speak with Hannibal Lectar, a psychopathic killer currently in prison.

This is a type of person Clarice has never encountered before in her life or in her FBI training. Clarice realizes that Hannibal may have information that would help the FBI find Buffalo Bill, a serial killer currently at large. Clarice adapts to this new situation and begins working with Hannibal to find Buffalo Bill.

Clarice makes a deal with Hannibal and gets what she wanted. Hannibal gives her valuable information about Buffalo Bill. Clarice believes she has found what she needs to capture Buffalo Bill, save lives, and become an FBI agent.

But this isn't over. Dr Chilton reveals to Hannibal that Clarice's deal was a fake. So, just as Clarice gets what she wanted, she pays a heavy price for it and completely loses her leverage.

This begins her journey back up the circle. As Clarice continues to work with Hannibal to find Buffalo Bill, we get a larger insight into who Clarice is and what motivated her to be an FBI agent. And you think if you save poor Catherine, you could make them stop, don't you?

Do you think if Catherine lives, you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs? Clarice returns to her familiar situation by continuing to work with Hannibal until she finds and kills Buffalo Bill at the climax. And at the end of the film, we get Clarice's external change.

She has become an FBI agent. And we get a small glimpse into her internal change. While Clarice, have the lamb stopped screaming?

Loud lantern. So this is the point where some get frustrated at the idea that Harmon is saying that all stories have to follow this structure. And Harmon says that there are exceptions to this understanding.

But he holds that this structure is what you should use to draw a story. Harmon writes, "It's not that stories have to follow this structure. It's that without some semblance of this structure, it's not recognizable as a story.

If you take elements away, at some point the story stops working. It loses what it is. You can have a story where your characters don't change or don't get what they want or never return to a familiar situation, but you can only take away so much.

The reason Harmon story circle is so useful is because it is a story tool, not a screenplay tool. Instead of trying to shoehorn a story into an arbitrary script structure, you can use Harmon's story circle to build a compelling story and ultimately a screenplay. Some have claimed that Dan Harmon's story circle is nothing more than a simplification of Joseph Campbell's monoth, which was Campbell's identification of a structural pattern that existed in many ancient stories across time and culture.

While Harmon's story circle seems like a simplified monoth, it's actually much more useful than this. While the hero's journey was a pattern found in different archetypal stories, the story circle is observing a natural way that stories operate. From an entire story, to each act, to each sequence, and even each scene.

This is where Harmon story circle becomes extremely helpful. You can apply the story circle to more than just a full screenplay. You can also apply it to each act of the script.

An act is more than just a percentage of a screenplay or a page count. Just like a screenplay, an act follows a character with a dramatic need heading towards a goal. Harmon's story circle shows that a screenplay is propelled by the characters making choices and encountering problems as they head towards a desire until they get it or not.

It logically follows that each act would also follow the story circle. This is what makes the story circle so valuable. To show how this works, we can now break down the silence of the lambs into four distinct parts.

Act one, act two, part one, act two, part two, and act three. Now, we can analyze each of these sections of the story and see that you can use the story circle to identify how the story continues to build and move forward. So, in the first act, Clarice is our character.

Clarice's want is to be an FBI agent with the deeper desire to save people. We meet her as she is in training. The act kicks into gear when Clarice is given an assignment to speak with the serial killer, Hannibal Lectar.

This places Clarice into an unfamiliar situation. She adapts to the new situation and goes to speak with Hannibal. Hannibal offers Clarice what he knows she wants.

Then do this test for me. No, but I will make you happy. I'll give you a chance for what you love most.

And what has that done? Advancement, of course. Clarice has gotten an opportunity to get what she wants, but she pays the price when Migs humiliates her as she tries to leave.

Note that six technically happens before five in this moment. Yet the structure of gaining what she wants through a cost still remains. Clarice tries to return to her familiar situation by following Hannibal's guidance and she finds a body.

So rather than the story tying up here with Clarice returning to training, the story continues. Clarice has failed to return. Her want remains unfulfilled, so the story must continue.

Clarice's change is mainly an outward change. She is no longer just a student. She is now actively involved in the hunt for a serial killer.

In the beginning of the act, the dramatic question was, "Will Clarice be able to get what she wants and become an FBI agent? " Now, it has shifted to, "Will Clarice be able to catch Buffalo Bill? " In the first part of the second act, again, Clarice is our character.

Her want is to find and capture Buffalo Bill. This is the way she will achieve her overarching want, which is to become an FBI agent. Clarice enters a new unfamiliar situation when a new body is found.

Also unknown to her, Buffalo Bill has taken another victim. Clarice adapts to this new situation and goes to investigate the body. When Clarice and the other agents examine the body, they find a moth cocoon lodged in the woman's throat.

Clarice sees this as an important clue to capturing Buffalo Bill. But just as she has this breakthrough, she learns of Catherine's kidnapping. The stakes have just been raised.

While she is getting closer, she is now running out of time. Her discovery has come at a cost. Clarice tries to get what she wants by giving Hannibal an offer for a better prison sentence in exchange for help on the Buffalo Bill case, and Hannibal decides to help.

He explains the cocoon found inside Buffalo Bill's victim. While Clarice is getting closer, she still hasn't achieved her want. So, the story continues.

But Clarice is now changing. She is gaining strength. Notice the difference in the first scene where she meets Hannibal.

And now we see a stronger Clarice, more in control and more determined to save Catherine. The earlier Clarice would never have made such a bold move as to present a lie to Hannibal, but she does now. In the second part of the second act, our character is Clarice once again.

Her desire still remains becoming an FBI agent by capturing Buffalo Bill. Clarice is again placed into another unfamiliar situation when Dr Chilton reveals to Hannibal the truth about the deal Clarice offered. She adapts to this by going back to Hannibal to make amends and try to get the necessary information she needs.

Hannibal tells Clarice to focus on first principles and that all the information she needs is right in the case files. But Clarice pays for this new information when Hannibal forces her to reveal more about her childhood and about why she wants to save Catherine. Clarice is getting close, but she hasn't gotten what she wants just yet.

So, the story must continue. Hannibal has forced Clarice to become aware of her deeper motivations. He has shown her why she wants to save Catherine so badly and why she wants to become an FBI agent.

Hannibal has shown Clarice that there is more at stake inside of her than she realized. In the third act, Clarice again is our character. Clarice's desire is still to become an FBI agent by finding Buffalo Bill.

Clarice is placed into another unfamiliar situation when she sets out to learn about Buffalo Bill's first victim. Now, I will make a note here and say that while Hannibal is having his own escape, this is not as important for Clarice and her story. By focusing on Clarice as the protagonist and her goals, we can maintain clarity in the third act.

Multiple characters can have their own story circles. And if you'd like to pause the video and look at Hannibal's story circle, you can do so now. So, at this point, Clarice and Hannibal have gone off in their own directions, but we will continue following Clarice.

Clarice adapts to the new situation by continuing to search for Buffalo Bill, and Clarice finds the last missing piece. She finds out why Buffalo Bill is taking the women. Clarice calls Jack Crawford to tell him what she's learned.

and he says that they already know where Buffalo Bill is and that Clarice should simply continue searching for more information to aid in the case. But Jack was wrong. The FBI was wrong about where Buffalo Bill was.

And Clarice ends up stumbling onto the killer and is now in extreme danger. Now, this is where the final act is different from all the others. Clarice fights Buffalo Bill and is able to defeat him and save Catherine's life.

Clarice has done what she set out to do and the story's conflict returns to equilibrium. And at the end, we can see the outward change. Clarice has become an FBI agent.

And we also get a moment to think about the inward change she's made when Hannibal asks her, "Wow, Clarice, have the lamb stopped screaming? " Understanding the fundamental elements of story can help you define your acts and focus your screenplay. But it can get even more specific.

The story circle also works when defining a scene. It's important to define what a scene is as well. A scene, as I define it here, is a continuous moment in a story's conflict, usually happening in one single place that turns the story in a new direction or reveals information about the character.

Let's take a look at this scene and identify the essential elements of story. Clarice is our character. Her want is to get important information from Hannibal.

Clarice offers Hannibal a deal in exchange for information about Buffalo Bill. Clarice enters an unfamiliar situation when Hannibal makes her talk about herself in return for information about the case. Quit proquo.

I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case though. About yourself.

Yes. And now Clarice, poor little Catherine is waiting. Clarice adapts by accepting Hannibal's deal.

And because she accepts his deal, she gets the information she needs. However, she pays a price. She has to tell Hannibal about the death of her father.

Clarice uses the information she learns from Hannibal Lectar to keep moving in the case. As a standalone scene, this can be considered a return to a familiar situation because the conflict of the scene has been resolved. You could also say that this is not a return because Clarice has not yet fulfilled her want of becoming an FBI agent or finding Buffalo Bill.

And both viewpoints would be correct and both are valuable in building a complete story. In this scene, we see a stronger Clarice. She is growing stronger and more intense in her pursuit of catching Buffalo Bill.

She risks lying to Hannibal and also sacrifices more information about her childhood to get what she wants. It doesn't matter whether you're stuck trying to figure out your entire story, an act, or even a scene. You can use the story circle as a reference when you're in a bind.

And remember, you don't have to be extremely formulaic with every decision that you make. There are definitely scenes, acts, and even full screenplays that don't incorporate every element of the story circle. And Dan Harmon acknowledges this when he says, "I'm not recommending that you sit there with a compass and a calculator breaking down your story to the point where every 4-se secondond line of dialogue consists of eight syllables and tells the story of a sentence.

But it's possible. And sometimes going there can help you make decisions or get unblocked. Rather than using undefined confusing acts made from page counts or percentages, it's more helpful to go to the essential elements of story to build a scene, act, and ultimately a screenplay.

However, I don't want you to misunderstand me and think that structure is the only key to telling a good story. Harmon says, "Perfect structure is not synonymous with good show. This is about what audiences recognize as stories.

Bad movies hit these structural beats all the time. It's not difficult to point at some films that are well structured but fail to resonate with an audience. There is a danger in believing that this is all it takes to create a great story.

Writers who rely solely on good structure will find themselves writing formulaic, conventional, unimpactful stories. So, what's the missing piece? Charlie Kaufman, one of the greatest living screenwriters, had this to say about writing.

Say who you are. Really say it in your life and in your work. Your writing will be a record of your time.

It can't help but be. But more importantly, if you're honest about who you are, you'll help that person be less lonely in their world because that person will recognize him or herself in you and that will give them hope. Kaufman is focusing on the purpose of the story rather than solely focusing on hitting story beats.

The story becomes a journey into who you are and what you are trying to say. This honesty is what separates great stories from decent or bad ones. A screenplay is an exploration.

It's about the thing you don't know. It's a step into the abyss. Conventional stories are written when writers don't take that journey into the abyss and focus instead on simply hitting certain beats at exactly the right time.

But if you can articulate what you are struggling with, if you can provide your perspective, if you can make someone else look at humanity in a new way, then you're on the right track to writing something genuinely great. And within that space, structure can be used. Harmon writes, "Good structure is the best weapon we can use in the fight against corporate garbage because good structure costs nothing.

It is instinctive to the individual and important to the audience. It's not about conventions of structure. What we have become truly tired of is seeing the same characters fight the same battles and learning the same lessons.

Those are the real conventions. Structure is not a hindrance to creativity, nor is it the only key to a great story. It is a tool used for focus, clarity, and rhythm to make your story the best it can be.

Rather than following an arbitrary script structure, the story circle gives you a way to analyze stories of all different shapes and sizes from full screenplays to individual scenes. Think of screenplays, acts, and scenes as all telling their own small stories and ultimately a larger story. Identify the essential elements of your story so you can use them to focus on what you are actually trying to say.

So, how do you actually build a story with meaning and honesty? and how do you create dramatic characters that actually have struggles that matter? In the next video, I'll be talking about how to build dramatic characters.

So, be sure to check out the other videos in this series by clicking the playlist now. And if you like this video, leave a like and subscribe for more videos just like this one.