How To Map Out a Three Act Film?

While mapping the acts of a play or film, there are certain rules which need to be followed in order to make the screenplay interesting and successful. Success is not something which comes easily in any field. Hence, the required level of effort must be put in to achieve the desired results.

The most important thing while formulating a play is to observe how the individual acts of the screenplay have been mapped. These acts should have a certain level of coordination between each other in the sense that they should lend an ambiance of originality to the screenplay. The entire screenplay including each of the acts should be knit around a specific structure. Structure is very important for any play because it helps to increase or decrease the duration of each act based on requirement.

The three act play is based on the structure -- beginning, middle and end. Every play or film is supposed to consist of each of these acts. For argument sake, we are going to consider this a fact, as every film begins and ends to a certain extent. Yes, there are exceptions, but we are going to follow a general 3 act script.

Everyone has an idea for a screenplay, or at least part of a screenplay. You can ask your grandfather, your crazy uncle, your twice removed sister-in-law, everyone has at least part of an idea for a screenplay. You do as well. You may be missing the first act, or you don't really know how it ends, but you have at least something that is the beginning of a story, so write it down. Write it down now.

When you are writing or planning a screenplay, you can first formulate your idea in short notes according to these 3 acts. This will be your outline. Your outline will be your saving grace when it comes to writing a screenplay. You must have at least a small something for each act. You can then expand upon these as you begin to write your characters, create conflict and plot. The outline will prevent you missing out on any nice ideas while you are writing the other ones in detail. These notes will form the templates for your story. Now, each of these ideas can be expanded and more details can be included by dividing them into the three acts in an accurate manner.

The beginning is one of the most important acts in a screenplay. It has the capacity to make or break your entire play. It establishes everything. The mood, the location, the characters, the conflict. The length of the first act (the beginning) should be analyzed depending on the necessity. Some screenplays may require a lengthy first act while some suffice with a short one. Recently, the belief is, the shorter the better as audiences have shorter attention spans. So, write one at the length you desire and then see if you can cut down from there. The length of each act varies from film to film. There is no unique duration of each act by which it can be judged as too long or too short.

The middle is the next act, act two. This act consumes a greater time than the other two acts in most of the screenplays. This is a crucial act as the suspense and continuity of the play must be maintained properly in this act. The content to be included in this act must be analyzed carefully and the duration of this act must be decided based on the content. Too long middle act can cause boredom to the viewers while a too short one might bring the play to the end quickly. Hence the length of the middle act should be just right. Play around with the second act, write extra scenes, take away scenes, mix scenes up and place them in different orders. Create the tension and lead up to the climax in this act.

The last act is the end of course. Or in a sequel, the beginning of the next film. The end act brings the screenplay to the finale. The plot of the story is usually revealed in this act. The climax takes place in this act and the conflict finds a resolution in whatever form it finds as an outlet. This act should be written such that the suspense in the minds of the viewers is taken out in a very interesting manner. The end act is usually indicated by close of a drama or an action sequence.

It is observed that most of the screenplays you come across follow the 3-act plot. It is this compilation of story events for a story writer which provides a basis for him to expand or shrink the story as required.

So, start plotting the plot.