Okay... I keep getting these requests so I guess I will start the thread on it and MAYBE we will all learn something from this exercise... LOL.
First thing to do (assuming you're interested) is to download the following PDF files so you can get a handle on the theory... These files are NOT the entire theory but just enough to make you dangerous if you've already written a screenplay or two. I regularly tweak these files as I discover new things or realize something's missing so don't be afraid to shout out if you think something is missing... LOL. One caveat... I am currently writing a book on this so why am I sharing? Hey, I'm a nice guy... LOL.
Seriously though... This information took me literally YEARS to investigate, search, and discover and if I can save anyone from the literally THOUSANDS of dollars I've spent to get this information, I'll be happy. Even when the book is completed, a book like this isn't going to make anyone rich... Rather, I would like to see some GREAT stories come from some or ALL of the theory here...
Like I said... The information in these files is just enough to be dangerous IF you know what you're doing. I reserve the RIGHT to take these files down whenever I want...
File number 1:
The 4 Act Structure Archetypes
My 4 Act Structure’s foundation comes from a couple of different sources...
1) Many of the works by Carl Gustav Jung
2) A book by Carol S. Pearson Ph.D: THE HERO WITHIN
In a nutshell, these resources talk about certain ARCHETYPES that we, as people, move in and out of throughout our lives. For more information about ARCHETYPES, I highly recommend reading the above texts.
I've developed an acronym to make the 4 Act Structure a little easier to remember...
L.E.A.D.
LONER
EXPLORER
ACTIVIST
DEATH
Ultimately, the protagonist LEADs us through the story... He or she is the hero. Remembering the acronym:
L.E.A.D.
makes it easier to remember the 4 Act Structure and even if you don’t buy into the MEAT of my 4 Act Structure, simply remember LEAD and implement these four stages or modes into your next screenplay and structure will almost take care of itself.
File number 2:
4 Act Structure Graph
This is just a simple graph that should keep you aware that not only your CONFLICT but your TENSION should be constantly RISING throughout your screenplay until the end... At the end, you release a little tension and resolve a little conflict... i.e., the AFTERMATH.
File number 3:
4 Act Structure MEAT
This is the heart or MEAT of the 4 Act Structure... Almost a step by step guideline on what to do. Very simple! Designed this way to keep it simple.
File number 4:
4 Act Structure MORE
This file is simply some answers to some questions I am often asked about the theory...
File number 5:
4 Act Structure Tricks of the Trade
These are simply some tricks to help you troubleshoot areas of your screenplay i.e., scenes and sequences...
File number 6:
4 Act Structure Loglines
Even though this is the last file, you need to create your logline before you start writing your screenplay. This will help you keep ON TRACK with your story which is paramount! I kind of stole the premise for creating loglines from this PDF file: The Logline. I more or less "borrowed" from this formula to create my own. I offer it to you here to better understand creating a logline with the 4 Act Structure.
Okay now what the hell do you do with all this crap? Create a solid outline of your story. Use whatever means works for you...
I use a combination of 3 X 5 cards and a little program called Movie Outline although I have my own outlining software in the works... The trick is to create a brilliant outline from scene to scene that pretty much follows the 4 Act Structure theory...
Now I'm not going to sit here and tell anyone that this is the END-ALL to screenplay structure... LOL. This is SIMPLY what works for ME. If you can take something from this information and make it work for you, OUTSTANDING! If it in ANY WAY improves your screenplays, OUTSTANDING! That's all I could ever hope for. Just remember me in your Oscar speech... LOL.
A lot of people ask me, "How do I start?"
Again... Pretty simple... Start with an idea or a character. Many people TRY to start writing a screenplay based on THEME... Something like CRIME DOESN'T PAY. Don't do that. Let your theme develop as you write your screenplay... It WILL come to you. For now, take an idea or a character you've developed and create an outline.
If you're really in the dark, you can try using this form that I made a few years back:
Screenplay Concept Development Form
This "might" get some interesting things down on paper that you can eventually turn into an idea for a screenplay...
For instance, when you think of your idea or character, I assume you IMMEDIATELY conjur up other ideas for scenes... Write those down IMMEDIATELY! This is where the 3 X 5 cards come in. I keep them on me all the time and write ideas for scenes on these all the time. I simply write the name of the script in the upper left hand corner and then the idea as complete as I can. Use both sides of the card if you have to.
Hopefully, writing these scene ideas will help you come up with even other ideas for scenes... Just keep brainstorming! *NOTE: This is a good reason to read other screenplays, watch films, read the paper, books, etc. --keeping the onslaught of story information pouring into your head will very often spark new ideas for scenes and stories...
The idea is to eventually come up with 40 to 60 GREAT/OUTSTANDING scene ideas for your screenplay. *NOTE: the bad news is that you often have to go through 400 to 600 scene ideas to come up with an outstanding 40 to 60. So you just keep going and going and going on these scene ideas...
As you keep creating the scene ideas, you should be slowly but surely building your 4 Act Structure Outline. For those of you who would rather work within the 3 act structure, no problem. The 2nd act is traditionally, the longest of the 3 acts and even more often the biggest PAIN IN THE ASS to write hence, the reason for the 4 Act Structure.
Breaking it down into 4 acts essentially keeps the basis of the 3 act structure and any executive or studio reader will NOT see any difference and simply assume you've used the traditional 3 act structure everyone else is using.
So by now, you've taken the last couple of months and slowly but surely created say... a couple of hundred scene idea cards and your outline. *NOTE: For your 4 Act Structure outline, simply take 4 pieces of paper OR open up your favorite word processor and label each:
ACT I: LONER
ACT II: EXPLORER
ACT III: ACTIVIST
ACT IV: DEATH
Then simply create your outline using the 4 Act Structure MEAT file as a guideline. Keep tweaking that outline until it's tight and contains consistently rising tension and conflict throughout the story until the aftermath.
Now do you start on your screenplay?
Nope.
Huh?
Now it's time for your treatment... While your outline will contain basically a paragraph per plot point/event as you go through the 4 Act Structure, your treatment will be your ENTIRE story in story form. This could easily end up being 50 to 100 pages long... Be thorough with it! Get it ALL down. The treatment comes straight from the outline... Basically one good descriptive paragraph PER scene in your screenplay. This should take you no more than a month after you've slaved your ass on your outline for the last 2 or 3 months... LOL.
Another NOTE: As you're working on your outline, NEVER stop brainstorming more scene ideas! You keep doing this all during the outline creation, the treatment creation, and the 1st draft of the screenplay. You never know when you'll TOP some of your previous ideas for scenes, so don't stop creating!
The same goes for your logline...
Having a great logline before you start writing really helps you stay on track with your story... Keep your logline in front of you all during the process... You might even tweak the logline as you go along but that's okay!
During the treatment phase, don't worry so much about writing dialogue... Get your story down in story form! That's most important right now! If there is a line of dialogue or lines of dialogue that you already know you are going to use, go ahead and throw it in as a later reminder but for the most part, don't worry about having to come up with it during the treatment phase.
McKee is absolutely correct when he says writing your 1st draft from a well executed treatment is a pleasure. It really is. By now, you know your story inside and out and hell... It's even sitting right there in front of you!
END OF PART 1.
EDIT: UPDATED 14 FEB 2006
First thing to do (assuming you're interested) is to download the following PDF files so you can get a handle on the theory... These files are NOT the entire theory but just enough to make you dangerous if you've already written a screenplay or two. I regularly tweak these files as I discover new things or realize something's missing so don't be afraid to shout out if you think something is missing... LOL. One caveat... I am currently writing a book on this so why am I sharing? Hey, I'm a nice guy... LOL.
Seriously though... This information took me literally YEARS to investigate, search, and discover and if I can save anyone from the literally THOUSANDS of dollars I've spent to get this information, I'll be happy. Even when the book is completed, a book like this isn't going to make anyone rich... Rather, I would like to see some GREAT stories come from some or ALL of the theory here...
Like I said... The information in these files is just enough to be dangerous IF you know what you're doing. I reserve the RIGHT to take these files down whenever I want...
File number 1:
The 4 Act Structure Archetypes
My 4 Act Structure’s foundation comes from a couple of different sources...
1) Many of the works by Carl Gustav Jung
2) A book by Carol S. Pearson Ph.D: THE HERO WITHIN
In a nutshell, these resources talk about certain ARCHETYPES that we, as people, move in and out of throughout our lives. For more information about ARCHETYPES, I highly recommend reading the above texts.
I've developed an acronym to make the 4 Act Structure a little easier to remember...
L.E.A.D.
LONER
EXPLORER
ACTIVIST
DEATH
Ultimately, the protagonist LEADs us through the story... He or she is the hero. Remembering the acronym:
L.E.A.D.
makes it easier to remember the 4 Act Structure and even if you don’t buy into the MEAT of my 4 Act Structure, simply remember LEAD and implement these four stages or modes into your next screenplay and structure will almost take care of itself.
File number 2:
4 Act Structure Graph
This is just a simple graph that should keep you aware that not only your CONFLICT but your TENSION should be constantly RISING throughout your screenplay until the end... At the end, you release a little tension and resolve a little conflict... i.e., the AFTERMATH.
File number 3:
4 Act Structure MEAT
This is the heart or MEAT of the 4 Act Structure... Almost a step by step guideline on what to do. Very simple! Designed this way to keep it simple.
File number 4:
4 Act Structure MORE
This file is simply some answers to some questions I am often asked about the theory...
File number 5:
4 Act Structure Tricks of the Trade
These are simply some tricks to help you troubleshoot areas of your screenplay i.e., scenes and sequences...
File number 6:
4 Act Structure Loglines
Even though this is the last file, you need to create your logline before you start writing your screenplay. This will help you keep ON TRACK with your story which is paramount! I kind of stole the premise for creating loglines from this PDF file: The Logline. I more or less "borrowed" from this formula to create my own. I offer it to you here to better understand creating a logline with the 4 Act Structure.
Okay now what the hell do you do with all this crap? Create a solid outline of your story. Use whatever means works for you...
I use a combination of 3 X 5 cards and a little program called Movie Outline although I have my own outlining software in the works... The trick is to create a brilliant outline from scene to scene that pretty much follows the 4 Act Structure theory...
Now I'm not going to sit here and tell anyone that this is the END-ALL to screenplay structure... LOL. This is SIMPLY what works for ME. If you can take something from this information and make it work for you, OUTSTANDING! If it in ANY WAY improves your screenplays, OUTSTANDING! That's all I could ever hope for. Just remember me in your Oscar speech... LOL.
A lot of people ask me, "How do I start?"
Again... Pretty simple... Start with an idea or a character. Many people TRY to start writing a screenplay based on THEME... Something like CRIME DOESN'T PAY. Don't do that. Let your theme develop as you write your screenplay... It WILL come to you. For now, take an idea or a character you've developed and create an outline.
If you're really in the dark, you can try using this form that I made a few years back:
Screenplay Concept Development Form
This "might" get some interesting things down on paper that you can eventually turn into an idea for a screenplay...
For instance, when you think of your idea or character, I assume you IMMEDIATELY conjur up other ideas for scenes... Write those down IMMEDIATELY! This is where the 3 X 5 cards come in. I keep them on me all the time and write ideas for scenes on these all the time. I simply write the name of the script in the upper left hand corner and then the idea as complete as I can. Use both sides of the card if you have to.
Hopefully, writing these scene ideas will help you come up with even other ideas for scenes... Just keep brainstorming! *NOTE: This is a good reason to read other screenplays, watch films, read the paper, books, etc. --keeping the onslaught of story information pouring into your head will very often spark new ideas for scenes and stories...
The idea is to eventually come up with 40 to 60 GREAT/OUTSTANDING scene ideas for your screenplay. *NOTE: the bad news is that you often have to go through 400 to 600 scene ideas to come up with an outstanding 40 to 60. So you just keep going and going and going on these scene ideas...
As you keep creating the scene ideas, you should be slowly but surely building your 4 Act Structure Outline. For those of you who would rather work within the 3 act structure, no problem. The 2nd act is traditionally, the longest of the 3 acts and even more often the biggest PAIN IN THE ASS to write hence, the reason for the 4 Act Structure.
Breaking it down into 4 acts essentially keeps the basis of the 3 act structure and any executive or studio reader will NOT see any difference and simply assume you've used the traditional 3 act structure everyone else is using.
So by now, you've taken the last couple of months and slowly but surely created say... a couple of hundred scene idea cards and your outline. *NOTE: For your 4 Act Structure outline, simply take 4 pieces of paper OR open up your favorite word processor and label each:
ACT I: LONER
ACT II: EXPLORER
ACT III: ACTIVIST
ACT IV: DEATH
Then simply create your outline using the 4 Act Structure MEAT file as a guideline. Keep tweaking that outline until it's tight and contains consistently rising tension and conflict throughout the story until the aftermath.
Now do you start on your screenplay?
Nope.
Huh?
Now it's time for your treatment... While your outline will contain basically a paragraph per plot point/event as you go through the 4 Act Structure, your treatment will be your ENTIRE story in story form. This could easily end up being 50 to 100 pages long... Be thorough with it! Get it ALL down. The treatment comes straight from the outline... Basically one good descriptive paragraph PER scene in your screenplay. This should take you no more than a month after you've slaved your ass on your outline for the last 2 or 3 months... LOL.
Another NOTE: As you're working on your outline, NEVER stop brainstorming more scene ideas! You keep doing this all during the outline creation, the treatment creation, and the 1st draft of the screenplay. You never know when you'll TOP some of your previous ideas for scenes, so don't stop creating!
The same goes for your logline...
Having a great logline before you start writing really helps you stay on track with your story... Keep your logline in front of you all during the process... You might even tweak the logline as you go along but that's okay!
During the treatment phase, don't worry so much about writing dialogue... Get your story down in story form! That's most important right now! If there is a line of dialogue or lines of dialogue that you already know you are going to use, go ahead and throw it in as a later reminder but for the most part, don't worry about having to come up with it during the treatment phase.
McKee is absolutely correct when he says writing your 1st draft from a well executed treatment is a pleasure. It really is. By now, you know your story inside and out and hell... It's even sitting right there in front of you!
END OF PART 1.
EDIT: UPDATED 14 FEB 2006
Last edited by a moderator:
