Post by George Willson on Oct 17, 2005 20:05:44 GMT -5
I hear this question more than any other question. On another board, I gave a rather detailed explanation of plot points and it went like this:
Quoting myself: My overview of the 3 Act system based on info from the Screenwriter's Bible as I remember it (it isn't in front of me). The lengths I have laid out here are not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination and can be as long or as short as they need to be. Nor are these the ONLY plot points or turning points in every story. Some may have more, but these typiclaly make up the basic story.
Act One consists of the exposition part of the story and contains two major plot points. It should contain most, if not all, of the characters in the story and make it so the world is setup and you can concentrate of filling out the plot from here on. In a 90 page script, this portion takes about 20 pages. When you watch movies, pay attention. The act usually ends about 20 minutes in regardless of length of the finished picture.
When the story begins, life is in balance and everything is good..almost. Some part of the character is incomplete or flawed, but the main character doesn't usually know this. As they see their life, it is what it is and will stay that way.
Point 1 - Catalyst - this is something that occurs during the first act that sends the character to the next point. It is not life changing, and the main character can turn back to their normal life right now.
Point 2 - The Big Event - This is the end of act one. This event forever changes the main character and he cannot ever go back to what there was before. It launches the character into the heart of the story where all the good stuff happens. If you were to lay out your character and think, "what is the worst thing that can happen", the answer is usually a big event. Sometimes, the catalyst and the big event are the same thing.
Act Two - the story takes a turn and your maiun character has something to do. Some kind of goal to accomplish. It could be anything and is totally based on the type of story you have. At this point, though, the ultimate goal is rarely know. It might be, but it often isn't. In a 90 page script, this makes up about 50 pages with the pinch somewhere around the 25th page, or about page 45.
Point 3 - The Pinch - Something happens to turn the story closer to the climax, the ultimate goal. Often, the main character discovers something important that leads them further to where they need to go. In a two act play or musical, this is where the intermission goes. Sometimes, this is the lowest point of the stary where the character must start climbing out of the pit.
Point 4 - Crisis - It's decision time. The main character is forced to decide something critical to the success or failure of the story. Sometimes, there isn't a decision and this point flows on past dragging the character with it. Usually, there is. Do you go left or right? Left, the safe path will take you home and nothing happens and we have a boring story. Right is more dangerous, it's more exciting, and you will grow from it, but there might be consequences. This decision drives us into the third act and closes the second.
Act Three - this is where it all comes down to the end. The main character has changed or is changing to make the best of whatever he has been thrust into. This is the final 20 pages of that 90 page script.
Point 5 - Climax - This is where we've been aiming for. This is the goal. This is where the two powers meet and clash and duel until only one is left standing, hopefully our hero. The main character is forced to us everything he has learned on this journey to come out on top, but it won't and shouldn't be easy for him.
Point 6 - The Realization - After all is said and done, we are left with one burning question: what was the point? What did the character learn from this journey. What did we get out of all this. This is the big payoff. This is what the audience came for. Did the boy get his girl? Of course. Did the stable boy become a knight and vanquish the giant, proving his strength to become king? Of course he did. Whatever you were trying to say, this is where you say it. Wizard of Oz has the most blatent of Resolutions when they ask Dorothy, "What did you learn, Dorothy?" I always joke in Star Trek The Next Generation, it's the part where they said, "You see, Wesley..."
There it is. A movie in a nutshell. Start with these 6 points, and the movie will start to write itself...plotwise.
Another good thing to begin with in any story in a character flaw that that character must overcome in order to beat whoever the antagonist is. The script should also have a theme: something it is trying to say. It doesn't have to be Aesop's fables, but it should have some kind of message.
Quoting myself: My overview of the 3 Act system based on info from the Screenwriter's Bible as I remember it (it isn't in front of me). The lengths I have laid out here are not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination and can be as long or as short as they need to be. Nor are these the ONLY plot points or turning points in every story. Some may have more, but these typiclaly make up the basic story.
Act One consists of the exposition part of the story and contains two major plot points. It should contain most, if not all, of the characters in the story and make it so the world is setup and you can concentrate of filling out the plot from here on. In a 90 page script, this portion takes about 20 pages. When you watch movies, pay attention. The act usually ends about 20 minutes in regardless of length of the finished picture.
When the story begins, life is in balance and everything is good..almost. Some part of the character is incomplete or flawed, but the main character doesn't usually know this. As they see their life, it is what it is and will stay that way.
Point 1 - Catalyst - this is something that occurs during the first act that sends the character to the next point. It is not life changing, and the main character can turn back to their normal life right now.
Point 2 - The Big Event - This is the end of act one. This event forever changes the main character and he cannot ever go back to what there was before. It launches the character into the heart of the story where all the good stuff happens. If you were to lay out your character and think, "what is the worst thing that can happen", the answer is usually a big event. Sometimes, the catalyst and the big event are the same thing.
Act Two - the story takes a turn and your maiun character has something to do. Some kind of goal to accomplish. It could be anything and is totally based on the type of story you have. At this point, though, the ultimate goal is rarely know. It might be, but it often isn't. In a 90 page script, this makes up about 50 pages with the pinch somewhere around the 25th page, or about page 45.
Point 3 - The Pinch - Something happens to turn the story closer to the climax, the ultimate goal. Often, the main character discovers something important that leads them further to where they need to go. In a two act play or musical, this is where the intermission goes. Sometimes, this is the lowest point of the stary where the character must start climbing out of the pit.
Point 4 - Crisis - It's decision time. The main character is forced to decide something critical to the success or failure of the story. Sometimes, there isn't a decision and this point flows on past dragging the character with it. Usually, there is. Do you go left or right? Left, the safe path will take you home and nothing happens and we have a boring story. Right is more dangerous, it's more exciting, and you will grow from it, but there might be consequences. This decision drives us into the third act and closes the second.
Act Three - this is where it all comes down to the end. The main character has changed or is changing to make the best of whatever he has been thrust into. This is the final 20 pages of that 90 page script.
Point 5 - Climax - This is where we've been aiming for. This is the goal. This is where the two powers meet and clash and duel until only one is left standing, hopefully our hero. The main character is forced to us everything he has learned on this journey to come out on top, but it won't and shouldn't be easy for him.
Point 6 - The Realization - After all is said and done, we are left with one burning question: what was the point? What did the character learn from this journey. What did we get out of all this. This is the big payoff. This is what the audience came for. Did the boy get his girl? Of course. Did the stable boy become a knight and vanquish the giant, proving his strength to become king? Of course he did. Whatever you were trying to say, this is where you say it. Wizard of Oz has the most blatent of Resolutions when they ask Dorothy, "What did you learn, Dorothy?" I always joke in Star Trek The Next Generation, it's the part where they said, "You see, Wesley..."
There it is. A movie in a nutshell. Start with these 6 points, and the movie will start to write itself...plotwise.
Another good thing to begin with in any story in a character flaw that that character must overcome in order to beat whoever the antagonist is. The script should also have a theme: something it is trying to say. It doesn't have to be Aesop's fables, but it should have some kind of message.