Change. It's all around us. It's all those cliches - inevitable, the only thing that's for sure, and well, honestly, a bit of a bitch, isn't it? But the Universe just keeps rolling and we have to evolve with it or become irrelevant.
Used to be that screenwriting was strictly thought of as a three-act construct. Now, more and more writers choose to work with four acts. The Wave-inatrix switched over several years ago and never looked back. Most of us know that the three-act structure dictates a first act that ends at approximately page 30, and a second act that ends right around page 90 and a third act that takes your script right into the 120 page range. That's craziness.
The problem with the three-act structure is that it is archaic and outdated. Expectations in the industry have shifted toward shorter, punchier scripts in which more happens faster. Call it ADD, call it whatever you want, but times, they are a' changin', kids.
But change is good. From a writer's perspective, having a second act that lies there like a hot, 60 page prairie of pain is a challenge that frankly leaves many stories lost in the desert with no oasis in sight.
Used to be that the inciting incident arrived right around page 10. And the first act break would then be at page 30. Midpoint, page 60. Second act break, page 90. That is for those of us who really tried to keep the math straight. And actually, Wavers, as geeky as it sounds, screenwriting is nothing if it isn't elegant math.
But things are changing fast in the entertainment industry and it behooves writers to keep up with the trends and expectations that your script will be compared with.
Executives increasingly look for shorter page count. They look for the first act break to happen much earlier. And that skews the whole structure differently, doesn't it? So are you keeping up with this, are you aware that the expectations are shifting?
Thanks to the Rouge Wave, you are. So listen up kids, and don't argue with mama, because I know some of you will. Get familiar with these new expectations and implement them in your writing and in your grasp of structure.
The new page 10 is page 3
That's right - that's your inciting incident. Executives are tiring of 9 pages of set up. Go for it earlier. The earlier the better as long as your set up is still executed soundly and smoothly.
The new page 30 is page 20
Yup, move that first act break as close to page twenty as you can. I do not make this stuff up.
The new midpoint is page 50
Remember, we're shooting for roughly a 100 page script
The new page 90 is page 75
That's bumping your second act break back by 15 pages. Yep, that makes your third act short as hell. The acts are no longer divided evenly.
In fact, here's what the whole structure should look like:
Page 1 to 25 - act one
page 26 to 50 - act two (a)
page 51 to 75 - act two (b)
page 76 to 100 - act three
Used to be that screenwriting was strictly thought of as a three-act construct. Now, more and more writers choose to work with four acts. The Wave-inatrix switched over several years ago and never looked back. Most of us know that the three-act structure dictates a first act that ends at approximately page 30, and a second act that ends right around page 90 and a third act that takes your script right into the 120 page range. That's craziness.
The problem with the three-act structure is that it is archaic and outdated. Expectations in the industry have shifted toward shorter, punchier scripts in which more happens faster. Call it ADD, call it whatever you want, but times, they are a' changin', kids.
But change is good. From a writer's perspective, having a second act that lies there like a hot, 60 page prairie of pain is a challenge that frankly leaves many stories lost in the desert with no oasis in sight.
Used to be that the inciting incident arrived right around page 10. And the first act break would then be at page 30. Midpoint, page 60. Second act break, page 90. That is for those of us who really tried to keep the math straight. And actually, Wavers, as geeky as it sounds, screenwriting is nothing if it isn't elegant math.
But things are changing fast in the entertainment industry and it behooves writers to keep up with the trends and expectations that your script will be compared with.
Executives increasingly look for shorter page count. They look for the first act break to happen much earlier. And that skews the whole structure differently, doesn't it? So are you keeping up with this, are you aware that the expectations are shifting?
Thanks to the Rouge Wave, you are. So listen up kids, and don't argue with mama, because I know some of you will. Get familiar with these new expectations and implement them in your writing and in your grasp of structure.
The new page 10 is page 3
That's right - that's your inciting incident. Executives are tiring of 9 pages of set up. Go for it earlier. The earlier the better as long as your set up is still executed soundly and smoothly.
The new page 30 is page 20
Yup, move that first act break as close to page twenty as you can. I do not make this stuff up.
The new midpoint is page 50
Remember, we're shooting for roughly a 100 page script
The new page 90 is page 75
That's bumping your second act break back by 15 pages. Yep, that makes your third act short as hell. The acts are no longer divided evenly.
In fact, here's what the whole structure should look like:
Page 1 to 25 - act one
page 26 to 50 - act two (a)
page 51 to 75 - act two (b)
page 76 to 100 - act three
EJ
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