The Structure of Script Writing
Let’s say you have an idea for a video – it could be for a new car commercial or a horror feature film. You’ve got an idea for the core concept, but how do you get that down onto paper? How do you start writing the script?
Film script writing can seem intimidating, we know. There are so many different types of screenplays and script formats out there, and it can be really overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. No matter what you’re writing, though, the essence of script writing remains the same. Once we take a look at two of the basic structures of film writing, script writing will be much easier to navigate.
In this article, we’ll be giving examples of two different ways to approach writing a script: the three-act structure and the five-act structure. Both of these use the same general concepts and ideas, so feel free to use whichever one gels with you the best!
The Three-Act Structure
Ah, the good ol’ three act structure. Whether your script is a romantic comedy or a commercial for a new soft drink, this structure will work for you. The three-act structure consists of a setup, a confrontation, and the resolution.
Act One: The Setup
This is the jumping off point for your story. Act one is all about establishing your characters and the world in which they live. This is, essentially, your “hook” – the first act is what will draw people in and make them want to keep reading.
Act One shouldn’t meander or be too long. Act Two is where most of the action will take place (we’ll tell you more about that next!), so don’t bog the first act down with anything that can be saved for later. If you fail to establish a tight and interesting first act, you’re going to lose your audience fast.
The first act should answer the following questions: Where are we? When are we? What are the stakes? Who are the characters? What can we expect for the rest of the movie/video?
Act Two: Confrontation
Here is where most of your action will be. Act two is the meat of your story. This is where you start to introduce the main issue that affects your characters. Show how this dilemma will unfold and how it will affect the world of the characters. Usually, the confrontation features rising action that will peak when the worst thing that can possibly happen to your characters happens.
The second act should answer these questions: Do your characters have a goal? What’s pushing the characters forward? Are you digging deeper into the world and characters? What are the hurdles that your characters need to face?
Act Three: Resolution
Finally, act three is where you wrap the story up into a satisfying ending. Generally, this is the peak of the action that ties up all the loose ends of your story. Character arcs get wrapped up, the conflict is resolved, and the emotional beats you set up in act two start to really pay off here.
Act three should answer the following questions: Have your characters hit rock bottom? How are they reacting to that? Did it change them? How will they come back from that and achieve their goal? And finally, is the ending hopeful? Depressing? A cliff-hanger?
Let’s give an example of script writing outlines that use this structure.
Set up:
Hank & Lisa live in a quiet village in Norway. He is a business consultant and she is teaching English at a primary school nearby. They both enjoy Yoga and maintain a healthy and ‘woke’ lifestyle.
Confrontation:
When Lisa suddenly dies in a car crash, Hank is determined to find the person who caused the car crash.
Resolution:
In his search for justice, he finds the man who caused the accident. He hands him over to the police and the man gets arrested. After Hank's mourning period he lives happily ever after.
The Five-Act Structure
The five-act structure is an extension of the three-act structure. It’s essentially the same core concept, but can be used to add a little more depth to your story. You may find it helpful to make an outline using the three-act structure first, and then circle back around and flesh it out using the five-act structure.
In the five-act structure, we add two additional phases to our script so that it looks more like this:
Act One: Setup
The setup in the five-act structure is essentially the same – it should establish setting and characters, and start to hint at the upcoming confrontation.
Act Two: Confrontation
Act two is also essentially the same – things start to amp up here, and the tensions begin to rise.
Act Three: Climax
The climax is the point in your story where everything peaks. This is the most intense part of your script - it might be the final showdown between your main character and the bad guy, or the moment where the football team is down by three points in the fourth quarter. The climax marks the turning point of your story.
Act Four: Falling Action
After the climax, it’s all downhill from there – the climax has finished and the resolution is drawing near. This section is like the calm after the storm. It lets the audience catch their breath, and gives you a great opportunity to start tying up subplots.
Act Five: Resolution
Again, the resolution is still basically the same as it was in the three-act structure – your story should be resolved here and everything should be all wrapped up.
Here’s another example of script writing, but this time using the five-act structure.
Set up:
Hank & Lisa live in a quiet village in Norway. He is a business consultant and she is Teaching English at a primary school nearby. They both enjoy Yoga and maintain a healthy and ‘woke’ lifestyle.
Confrontation:
When Lisa suddenly dies in a car crash, Hank is determined to find the person who caused the car crash.
Climax:
In his search for justice, he finds the man who caused turns out to be a wanted criminal. Hank prepares for a fight, and tangles himself in a high-speed pursuit and a gun fight.
Falling action:
Hank loses his fight and he is caught by the criminal. All hope is gone and the end of Hank's life is near.
Resolution:
The criminal doesn’t realize that Hank’s mobile phone is actually still in his pocket! Because Hank is missing, the police use Hank’s mobile GPS to find him. The criminal is arrested and Hank is released.
As you can see, this outline took the same basic concept of the first example but fleshed it out a little more.
This should give you a better feel of how to start writing a script. Almost every story can be fit into one of these two structures – as an exercise, try taking your favorite Hollywood movie or even a commercial and try to break it down into each act.
For more short script writing examples, we’ve got plenty more tips and tricks that’ll help you get started. You can start by watching the video below to work from story to a professional script.
