THE THREE-ACT

STRUCTURE

Emma Dempsey

WHAT IS THE THREE-ACT

STRUCTURE?

The Three-Act Structure is a model used when writing and

evaluating modern storytelling which divides a screenplay into three

parts called the Setup (beginning), the Confrontation (middle) and the

Resolution (end).

THE FIRST ACT

The first act is used to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world around

them. The protagonist is usually presented as content in their situation so that when it is

interrupted, the protagonist wants to fight to regain their world. Earlier in the first act, a

dynamic, on-screen incident occurs that confronts the main character, whose attempts to deal

with this incident leads to a second and more dramatic situation, known as the first turning point,

which signals the end of the first act, ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist

and raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film. The dramatic

question can be many things for example; Will X recover the diamond?, Will Y get the girl? Will

Z capture the killer? All these questions are valid as long as the dramatic question calls the

protagonist to action. This is known as the inciting incident, or catalyst. As an example, the

inciting incident in the 1972 film The Godfather is when Vito Corleone is shot, which occurs

approximately 40 minutes into the film.

THE SECOND ACT

The second act, also referred to as "rising action", typically depicts the

protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only

to find themselves in ever worsening situations. Part of the reason the protagonist

seems unable to resolve their problems is because they do not yet have the skills to

deal with the forces of antagonism that confront them. They must not only learn

new skills but arrive at a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they

are capable of, in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who

they are. This is referred to as character development. This cannot be achieved alone

and they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and co-protagonists.

THE THIRD ACT

Finally, the third act features the resolution of the story and its

subplots. The climax, also known as the second turning point, is the

scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are

brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question

answered. The protagonist can never return to the same life they lived

before the confrontation occurred however; they are left with a new

found sense of who they really are.