An Overview Of 4 Act Story Structure by Adam Skelter
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2018
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#screenwriting #writing #screenplay - Krátké a kreslené filmy
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I have been using a four-act structure for 25 years. What is an "Act"? I define it as a "Quest." In each act, the character begins with a mission. At the end of the act, the character has either succeed or failed. Either way, it doesn't matter, because the situation has changed, requiring a new quest. The final act is the most important quest, its outcome defining the character's new equilibrium. In each quest, the stakes increase, the odds for success diminish.
I'll give you two classic examples:
THE WIZARD OF OZ:
Quest One: Save the dog
Quest Two: Get to the Emerald City
Quest Three: Meet the Wizard
Quest Four: Kill the Witch/Get Home
STAR WARS:
Quest One: Leave the Farm
Quest Two: Deliver the droid to Alderaan
Quest Three: Rescue the Princess
Quest Four: Destroy the Death Star
The great thing about this structure is that it gives each "act" a clear sense of direction but also URGENCY, which is critical for holding an audience's attention. It gives the movie rhythm and symmetry, which is critical in any temporal art form (e.g. music). It also helps you from getting bogged down in Act II, "The place where movies go to die."
Great comment Allen, thank you for sharing!
Brilliant! Thank you SO much.
This is not only the best definition of a four-act structure that I've ever heard, but it's also the most valuable advice that a beginning writer could ever want to use. Thanks :)
Allen Ury Wow. This is utterly brilliant. Thank you so much.
Yep. This is a brilliant definition.
"The end of an act is a point in the story where a character(s) makes a choice and can no longer go back." -- Film Critic Hulk.
Doesn't he also say that act structure is an analysis tool not an writing tool?
“use it as assets that help you write and anything thats holding you back from writing let it go” gold
This guys does these Anatomy of Chaos videos and they are some of the most useful resources you could find as a writer.
link that please
@Alex Rogers...Thanks for the tip! I'm watching them now.
very helpfull
Good interview 👍👍
THANK YOU
"All of it is modular." Love this. Whatever works, do that lol
Two more helpful plot points that work perfectly in this 24-point outline:
PP #9 = Pinch Point 1
PP #15 = Pinch Point 2
NOTE TO SELF: Watch this three more times. Take more notes. Apply those insights to the script.
Ok
No
An act is defined by its tempo. When the speed and texture of action changes, we have entered a new act.
this is probably my favorite video from this channel now
This is such valuable info!
Thank you Film Courage & Adam Skelter!
Very best to you always.
Cheers, Pete
When I write I never think of my story in terms of acts. I just make sure that all of my scenes are necessary for the telling of the story and that each scene logical flows to the next.
I find that if you do it correctly, you won't have to think about it. Some of my stories follow structure just because.
She just described Revenge of the Nerds
I like the way this guy thinks. Very useful ideas to live by when you're writing.
I have plotted out three stories this way--it is a BEAUTIFUL MODEL!!!
Love u Film Courage. This channel is so amazing. Am so happy ..feels like home. Appreciate all ur videos. Thank u.
Empedocles...made this structure. Prevailing act of Love - Transition from Love to Strife - Prevailing act of Strife - Transition from Strife to Love.
Love this video. Once you know how to define an act, you'll realise that you can have as many acts as your story needs. Truby likes to talk about a "revelation sequence", which I think is more useful.
What is an act? Well, it's not just a noun, but also a verb. Thinking of it as a verb, we can phrase the question around how the main character is _acting,_ or behaving at that point in the story. What is their reaction to the conflict? And as Adam explained, each act is a different approach (or reaction, or behavior, etc.) to the conflict and/or situation they are in.
helpful video to revisit thank you
4:10 David Franzoni: "Fuck 3 act structure, there is no such thing as acts."
I think an act is a portion of the story with an overriding sub tension. at the beginning of an act a goal/conflict arises and at the end of that act that conflict is resolved unto itself but the resolution opens up a new conflict for the next act, ....
I was a student in Ron Mita screenplay fundamentals. I think the 24 pp is great and innovative. It helps me today to work on my screenplay
Thank you Megh! Glad you had a chance to work with Ron. Many people have asked where his teachings can be found. Appreciate the feedback.
I went to the Art of Story channel after seeing his previous video (and I commented that I was there because of Film Courage). I am experimenting with an outline based on his Anatomy of Chaos map (also somewhat inspired by some useful nagging by Mark Sanderson in the comments from one of his videos). I am finding that while my story doesn't fit the some of the suggestions in the map (for instance, my protagonist experiences a revelation at the midpoint instead of disillusionment), the map is useful for letting me know that something is missing and where to look for it.
I am still trying to puzzle out why he has 8 sequences and not 12 as Gary Goldstein (the one with dark hair) suggests. Also, it looks like a plot point doesn't always equal a scene.
I don't think I've studied this hard since getting my degree.
Lon Johnson - Sounds like you are having lots of fun.
Trevor Prime - If you can say a runner training for a marathon is having fun, then yes.
Lon Johnson - I do say.
Trevor Prime - After having more time to think about it, I would describe it as meaningful and satisfying rather than fun. I'm not trying to nitpick your choice of words, but rather I'm acknowledging that your comment actually got me to think about what I'm emotionally getting out of this. I have to admit that I'm getting more out of this journey than I've gotten out of my years at a day job.
Lon Johnson The notion that the midpoint has to be one specific thing is a ridiculous proposition at best. The only important part of the midpoint is that it’s in the middle and represents a shift.
Different stories have different patterns and trajectories. If your character starts poorly, gets better, gets worse, then gets better again, the midpoint disillusionment can work wonders. If the story starts low, stays low, then gets higher, a midpoint disillusionment is ridiculous. See Cinderella.
I’d recommend looking up Kurt Vonnegut’s lecture on Story Charts. It might help you out a lot. The midpoint doesn’t have to be just one thing and, in fact, depending on the story-type, it can even be damaging to ascribe a certain beat to it. If it doesn’t fit, ignore it. Rags-to-Riches, Cinderella, Fall-From-Grace, the Quest, the Voyage and Return, the Metamorphosis, all of them are basic plots with different emotional-beats and trajectories completely. One size does not fit all.
that's an interesting way to talk abt the Shakespearean 5 Act Story, which was copied by Moliere & others.
I love the Art of Story but I think my favorite video explaining and defining an act is this one from Lessons from the Screenplay that basically boils it down to a story's Questions and Answers, Setups and Payoffs. Which is similar to what Adam is saying but I feel a bit more encompassing. czcams.com/video/j56WPBaiPYQ/video.html
Jared Clark I agree with that lessons from the screenplay is my favorite channel
Thank you for sharing
the audacity you have to comment this is hilarious
@@patheticgirl1000 Is there something wrong with his audacity?
"whatever element that helps people make sense of the story is fine" - such an overlooked point. Acts, plot points, structure, any and all of it are simply terms to help you tell you story. 3 Acts, 4 Acts, 5 Acts, reference whatever it is that helps you tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.
I'll nit pick though and say how much it irks me when people use the phrase 'begs the question' incorrectly. It's a rhetoric term in philosophy and it doesn't mean 'this is asks us to consider' as Adam (and many writers and journalists do too) misuses it as. As writers, we need to be clear and understand language when use it.
"when *we* use it."
My nitpick too. Always annoys me.
I like this guy
I have read Syd Field, Linda Seger, Save the Cat and studied it professionally for almost 2 years with the "Journey of the Hero" - I believe the structure has become a big standardized tool - Not only for the industry but also for writers and directors to generate more content. We have great producers having made the best movies by breaking this concept. The thing is - Writing screenplays is such a low-paid job and really comes down to just mining ideas - which lost its "magic" of story-telling with this structural and profitable thinking. As a writer, you can see yourself as a worker digging in the mud to find a gem. But I see a story is a story, and its essence is how it is told. If you really believe into your work, into your story - it all falls into place and cannot simply be put into a scheme which follows a page count or so. Meaning, that a well told story automatically and naturally has the three main parts of "indroduction - conflict - resolution" and a moral or ethical change within the characters.
Thank you
Hands up if you IMDB everyone on these videos.
The 4-Act Story Structure should only apply to very complex situations such as The Dark Knight, which unintentionally has 4 Acts. I don't think Nolan meant for that to happen, but if he did it enhanced the film even more.
Dark Knight has 6 acts actually!
Can you explain the 6 acts in the movie? I genuinely want to know haha.
@@ninjawaffles007 I can hahaha!
Six acts? 🤔Hmm... Let me see
𝗔𝗖𝗧 1: Begins by introducing the Joker; ends with Batman going to Hong Kong.
𝗔𝗖𝗧 2: Begins with Batman kidnapping Lou; ends with Gordon's "death"
𝗔𝗖𝗧 3: Begins with Batman opting to hang up the cape; ends with the Joker's capture.
𝗔𝗖𝗧 4: Begins with the Joker interrogation; ends with Bruce and Dent in dispair after Rachel's death.
𝗔𝗖𝗧 5: Begins with Joker threatening to blow up a hospital (that bastard😒); ends with the evacuation of the ferries.
𝗔𝗖𝗧 6: Begins with the hostage situation in the building; ends with Dent's death.
😮...well I gave it a shot. How did I do? The idea was whenever a main character made a decision to move the story, the act changed, whether it was Batman, Joker or Gordon.
However, if we only deal with when Batman moves the needle, then it's a 4-act structure. OR, there are not acts😂😂
4:50 he explains it
What a thinker and moves me to consider what an act is 😂
What was the name of the guy who he said gave his favorite lecture ever
it sounded like, David frenzoni?
All Subjective David Franzoni
I think they invented acts because of the need for toilet breaks.
2:29 What does he call the action of the forth act? "(something) action"
Hi Nicholas, at 2:29 he says "falling action"
@@filmcourage thank you. That's what I thought he said, but it didn't make sense to me. Not sure what he means by that, but I did find his videos explaining the 24 plot points, so I can follow off of that, i think. Thank you again.
Is there any link to these 24 plot points?
Check out Adam's CZcams channel. We have it linked up in the information section above.
Badshah hai america me bhi :P
But WHICH MOVIE (BESIDES TARANTINO) DOESN'T worry about acts?
I didn't understand the part about the person with the 24 easy beat sheets, that made him plot out a story easy. Who made that exact example he is giving? I know Hauge and Snyder, but not the one he is mentioning above, please help thank you :)
Thank you for watching. I believe a former teacher of Adam's talked about the 24 point beat sheet?
This would be me, Ron Mita. I teach the 24/7 Plot Point system at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. MEA 108 - Screenplay Writing. We offer it online. Adam took this course several years ago.
Hi Ron, It's great to see you comment. We would love to speak with you on the channel if you're available. Thank you! FC
What is the name mentioned @ 4:05??
Ron Mita?
This is plot driven writing.
Plot and Character are the same thing.
My definition of an act (or any plot structure definition) is the same as the congressional definition of porn: as a writer, "you know it when you see it"
Too many writers end up talking about rigid structures and rules instead of the goal of the story or the process of pulling out the emotions you intend to convey. Every single writing lecture on CZcams is about that damn story circle, 3 act structure dissections, or meeting publisher expectations... I never read a good book or watch a great film and walk away thinking "wow that flawless 3 act structure brought me to tears"
I love this so much that I ordered the book- Ay Dios mio! - The type is super small :(
I often hear this "twitsy" thing (at 5:32), but I can't find it anywhere. Can anyone help me? I must be spelling it wrong x)
Tea Follet雨 “Tootsie” is a Sydney Pollack Film
@@andresmilonas thank you :)
wow the interviewer doesn't know what an act is at all. she's describing the setting of the first scene in what might be the beginning of act 2. an act is a portion of the film defined by overriding circumstances. for example in first act -- the circumstances are precursor to embarking on adventure. act 2 the circumstances are -- wanting something and actively trying to get it. act three -- putting cards on table -- seeing if you can get it - now or never.
Which one? The first?
whoever is off screen, (SORRY btw -- didn't mean to be critical if this is the person who conducted interview) just an observation, seems like the interviewer was answering what an act break could look like rather than what an act is. nobodies perfect, overall love the interview -- great material.
Vehemently Flat . 2:59 "Sets you up for one part of the jouney" isn't too different from "overriding circumstances" The examples seem caught off guard, but it's clear by the Initial definition she knows what an act is. Flubbing articulation while put on the spot is to be human; it's not indicative of not knowing something..
C Ch sure, good point.
That's because what an act is is a theoretical framework that isn't a literal thing in theatrical features the way it is in theater (curtain closing) or television (commercial break). So what you're left with when trying to define what an act break is in features are vague propositions about what a story should be doing at certain pages/times.
The interviewer could not define an ACT. It is much simpler than that. An ACT is just a MAJOR TURNING POINT:
A story is a consecutive series of TURNING points, each one getting bigger and more important and increases in tension. The smallest unit is a BEAT, BEATS creates micro turning points that form a SCENE. SCENES creates small turning points that when bundled with 3 or 4 other scenes creates a bigger turning point called a SEQUENCE. A SEQUENCE are semi large turning points that when bundles with 3 or 4 others create a MAJOR TURNING POINT which is an ACT.
Therefore an ACT is a MAJOR turning point in the story. And each ACT progresses higher and higher in stakes until reaching the CLIMAX which is the highest TURNING POINT and usually to make it really BANG it should be a turning point of NO RETURN!
I think it's easier to think of it as an irrevocable decision. That means there's no way for the character to simply go backwards, and it also places the hero in an active position, rather than being passive.
He was talking.. & talking.. and bam! She broke in! Her voice is so intense and intriguing! My God! Who is she?
Arguing terminology seems irrelevant as long as you understand the mechanics
To me the 3 act structure originates with the first storytellers. Shaman as mythmaker, shaman as firekeeper. There is a problem in the tribe. Tell a story passed down from the ancestors that shares insight on how the people can move past this problem that was encountered by the people who came before them.
On the day that there is no story in the culture to match the problem the shaman leaves the ordinary world and goes into the spirit world to seek an answer directly. They go through challenges and then return with the answer to the problem for the tribe.
In the process of encoding this into story so it can be shared and also passed down for the benefit of all future generations, the shaman naturally tells it in the same order it occured for them.
Did he really credit Sydney Pollack's genius for Tootsie's screenplay? Way to disrespect Larry Gelbart, bro!
I hate their adherence to other's opinion of what structure is.
screw the acts i need half the book before the inciting incident
24 Plot Points
2:10
An act is a very loose definition and you shouldn’t worry about it. Your job is to make a link with the characters and the viewer, love hate sympathy empathy whatever. And you jerk on that perception.
Way, way too many ads
An act to me is just a setup. I didnt like Mollys Game voice over. It made me dizzy
Q: What is an Act?
A: Just a glorified TV-episode...
Way too complicated. Story is simple. Read "Invisible Ink" by Brian McDonald.
Except he is talking about a screenplay .
Too many formulas, too little talent and effort: that’s why movies and TV suck so much
TV does not suck so much these days. It is as good as it has ever been. You want to see bad tv, watch old shows.
This interviewer is awkward af
What is an Act? First act, beginning. Second Act, middle. Third Act, end. Duh.