What is structure?

No subject is more shrouded in jargon and mystique than screenwriting structure. This is mainly the responsibility of the authors of text-books on screenwriting with titles like "The Fifty Six Step Approach to writing a Movie Blockbuster ". It's easy to become confused by such prescriptive advice especially if it's conflicting.

Don't be. The basic concept is pretty simple. Here is a working definition of structure as it applies to the scriptwriter:

The way in which he/she uses the audience's time. Literally what the scriptwriter does with the portion of their lives surrendered to the viewing of the film.

The way in which the scriptwriter tells his or her story. Form and Content are inextricably linked but it is in the structural choices the scriptwriter makes that his/her individual voice is most strongly heard.

Structure, in other words, is another name for strategy . This is how the scriptwriter decides where the emphasis and focus of the story will lie.

Why is it useful?

If a script is going well, you may never need to think about structure at all. Sometimes the gods make you such presents: a story that literally writes itself. In such circumstances you usually know instinctively the best and most effective choices to make.

It is only when you are having problems, when you sense weaknesses and flaws in your story, that structural models become useful. By breaking down your story into separate components and looking at the mechanisms in operation, you can often identify where the problem lies.

Structural models are therefore analytical tools . They are not something graven in stone. If they solve a problem: use them; and if not: ignore them. Trust your instincts and the critical feed-back to your work before you worry that your script fails to comply with a rigid set of rules.

Units of Structure

The acknowledged units of structure are:

Beats: Action that marks a change in the behaviour of the characters.
Scene : Action that marks a significant change in the life situation of the characters.
Act : A sequence of significant moments of change. Ideally culminating or leading to a major change in the storyline.
Plot or Story : The master event.