As mentioned in the introduction, an inspiring logline is the foundation of a project. But the story’s framework is its narrative structure and how its major reversal beats drive the emotional journey of the protagonist.
This guide will detail how the story fractal grows from a well articulated logline into a well structured story.
These concepts will map to the recommended reading in the introduction. Many new writers will try to fight against them, thinking they box them in too much and limit their creativity. But the truth is these concepts will set you free creatively.
Prewriting
Unlike other forms of creative writing, the screenplay requires a very detailed pre-writing process. Not just in focusing the story with an effective logline, but also in ensuring every scene serves the story. As a result, almost all screenplays begin their lives as detailed scene outlines, beginning initially with a major reversal outline similar to Blake Snyder's beat sheet.
The key to screenplay (and storytelling) structure is that it’s really an emotional structure. The beat sheet/story spine has to follow the emotional journey of the protagonist. Every major emotional reversal experienced by the protagonist will be represented by a beat in the story spine, creating an emotional journey for the reader/viewer.
Almost every movie has around 70 scenes, each of which advance the story. Every 10th scene is a major emotional reversal that sends the story in a new direction.
These major reversal scenes make up the spine of the screenplay and are often referred to as a beat sheet. Blake Snyder's beat sheet template is a good introduction to the screenplay's spine/ major reversal outline, but please note that his beat sheet includes a few "beats" that aren't major story reversals (but are still very common scenes, so they help immensely breaking or pitching stories).
By putting time into the pre-writing stage, one can avoid many problems that will crop up while writing a script, reducing the rewriting stage significantly. Starting with a concise outline of every scene (centered around the major reversals/plot points) allows one to see how well a story works before typing a page of the actual screenplay.
To start, familiarize yourself with the spine of the story, seven major reversals plus the opening and closing scenes, that constitute the skeleton of a feature length script.
MAJOR REVERSALS: STORY SPINE
1) Opening Image
2) Inciting Incident (page 10-15)
3) Break into Act II (page 30)
4) Raising Stakes/ Set-Piece (page 45)
5) Midpoint (page 60)
6) False Victory (page 75)
7) Break into Act III (page 90)
8) Climax (page 105)
9) Final Image
This information is usually what causes the most frustration with new writers. Don’t look at this structure paradigm as limiting. Look at it as taking care of the plotting, pacing, and basic structure for you, so you can tell the best, most original story possible in 90 to 120 minutes.
This structure paradigm is what will make your movie script “feel” like a movie. The pacing will map to pretty much any successful Hollywood film. Yes, there are always exceptions. But master how it works before trying to reinvent the wheel.
The biggest problem with scripts from new writers is that their narrative is convoluted and the story just doesn’t make sense. This “sequences building to major reversals” approach will help you make sure your story tracks from beginning to end.
So take a step back from what you think the movie should be, and strip your story down to its bare essentials. Just the concept. Your amazing logline.
Then that logline builds into the emotionally engaging spine of your story (your beat sheet).
Then from that beat sheet, you flush out the scenes building each sequence leading to each major reversal beat.
And then the script will start to build a momentum of its own as you write, as your story is fully plotted, but within the framework of the screenplay fractal — each scene reflects the underlying theme of your script. And each scene makes sense in the context of your logline.
Each of these beats will send the story in an entirely new direction. Since most movies/screenplays have ~70 scenes, these major reversals (beats 2-8) occur roughly every ten scenes. Very often these reversals' emotional impacts on the protagonist will alternate between good and bad. (In other words, if beat 2 is good for the protagonist, beat 3 will be hard on him or her, beat 4 positive, beat 5 negative, beat 6 positive, beat 7 negative, and beat 8 positive).
70 Scene Outline
When you have a solid story spine that clearly reflects your logline, you can expand it into a complete 70 Scene Outline.
Almost every Hollywood style movie/screenplay will fit very closely into this 70 beat outline, with major reversals landing every ten scenes. Many movies will fit the format exactly. Since every scene must push the story forward, and since the major reversals drive the momentum of the movie, beginning the feature writing process with a 70 scene outline will prove invaluable, as you will spot many problems preemptively.
Ultimately you’re looking at writing seven sequences of around ten scenes/15 pages each.
70 Scene Outline
SEQUENCE A
Opening Image:
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Inciting Incident:
SEQUENCE B
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
Break Into Act II:
SEQUENCE C
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
Raising Stakes/Set-Piece:
SEQUENCE D
31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
Midpoint:
SEQUENCE E
41)
42)
43)
44)
45)
46)
47)
48)
49)
False Victory:
SEQUENCE F
51)
52)
53)
54)
55)
56)
57)
58)
59)
Break Into Act III:
SEQUENCE G
61)
62)
63)
64)
65)
66)
67)
Climax:
69)
Final Image:
Note that the Climax will not necessarily occur as scene 68; it will usually be somewhere from 66-69. Act I is Sequences A and B. Act II is Sequences C, D, E, and F. Act III is Sequence G.
Remember that each of these scenes and major reversals should only be described in a single sentence. If you need more than a sentence to describe the scene, it’s probably too complicated or actually more than one scene.
One of the most valuable exercises you can do to learn feature film structure is to watch some of your favorite movies and break them down using the Story Spine and 70 Scene Outline. Just write down the gist of every scene so you can see how the major reversals align and form the structure.
GUIDES: