Screenwriting : Three act structure by Brian Stoneking

Religiously. But check out how many produced features do too.

Billy WIlder invented the 3 act structure for movies.

still works.

And check out how many box office bombs follow the 3AS.

Every successful story has a beginning, middle and end - your basic three act structure. Predetermining what points occur on which page destroys its natural rhythm and flow by making the story predictable and thus, boring. Your story must include a wide organic variety of events, conflicts and issues - it's true - but pay no attention to those who insist on telling you what you must put on which page. Learn to go with the flow.

I use the revolutionary method of having a beginning, middle and end. Then I fill in the shit in between. This reflects my special brand of genius.

I have it in the back of my mind as I'm writing. However, sticking to "on page 10 (10%), your inciting incident NEEDS to happen" is somewhat hogwash and a creativity killer, IMHO. I like jolting the audience right at the onset (1st page). That's the hook that keep them looking forward to the rest of the story and how that scene relates.

Without a high concept or great story, at least a "good one", it doesn't matter what the structure is. Same with having a great story. Some great movies didn't closely follow structure, in the traditional sense.

I never think about plot points.

I give my hero a goal; I yell GO; they start running. Then I move the goal posts and start throwing rocks at them to make 'em change course. They're stubborn buggers, though. They keep wanting to do things their way. Eventually I just have to give 'em an oops up side the head. That usually brings them around and they realize they've been doing it wrong the whole time! Sheesh. "Welcome to the party, pal!" You better hustle. The boat's leaving and your island is sinking! ... Hmmm, come to think of it, that sounds like a lot of events in my life. I wonder why?... ;-)

When I started writing specs I didin't follow any pre-made beat sheet, I just wrote. It was a very creative experience, but I sometimes felt lost in the story. The real problem is afterward, when you want to make the spec marketable, and you have to move scenes, kill your darlings, or just start from scratch and do a whole re-write. I've just written my 8th spec and mapped it all out using a 'Board' before I even started. I also added to the Board in detail as I went along. You can see pictures of the process on my profile page. It really helped make the whole project go WAY faster, and in the end I have a product that industry scouts will recogize as having all the rights plot points on all the right pages. Hope this helps! Cheers!

As technical as I ever get is I write three paragraphs, one for each act and start writing. I have used Save the Cat beat sheet but I don't follow it exactly because not all stories will work using his beat sheet.

you might want to check this out in the S32 blog area

http://bit.ly/2t0y86q

Just sayin... :)

"Do not try and write Three Acts... that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth."

"What truth?

"There is no such thing as Three Acts. Then you'll see that Three Acts and Save the Cat and The Hero's Journey are crap. Story templates and beat sheets do not write the story... it is only you who does so."

My stories follow their own path. I write until I'm done- usually naturally ending around 95 pages. Then I go back and look for weak areas when editing.

I never seen a film without a beginning a middle and an end.

Ha,Ha, Dan. So true!

All stories of a beginning, middle, end structure. As a writer, we put the story on paper, that's our job, and if we do that, the structure will be there. No need to complicate it my friends.

A.S. Your most recent picture is the best one of you yet.

If I don't, Syd Field will return and remove my reproductive organs.

I have seen films stop rather than end. Those "endings" that leave you totally unsatisfied and yelling WTF at the screen- hoping that your television just broke, because you know that no way in hell are they stopping the film at that point- and yet they did.

But if you're asking about structure, Pulp Fiction has a beginning, middle and end- but they sure and the hell don't resemble any graph. And that's why we like it.

I use it for my features. I break the 2nd act up into two equal parts, so I end up with 4 acts. Essentially, Act 1, Act 2A, act 2B, and act 3. I use 4-5 acts for series scripts. Shorts vary for me. Usually 1-3 acts depending on the length and story.