I write a lot about structure in this space and there is a reason for that. The reason is that people keep sending me scripts to read that totally lack structure or that have structure that is weak and can’t carry the story. I also feel that it’s important to discuss at this time again because I was just reminded of something that a former screenwriting instructor from USC said while I was attending his class.
“The structure isn’t restrictive. The structure will set you free.”
And he was absolutely right. The reason he was right, as he went on to explain, is that when you’re writing with no structure you’re also writing with no organization. You might think that without structure you are free to write anything you choose and just let the story organically play itself out. You can allow your free spirited nature and creativity to concoct a tale that is entertaining and interesting because you’ll be free to put whatever you want where ever you want in the script. You might be someone who says, “If I want my first act to end on page 15 and then have a 50-page third act, then that’s what I’m going to do because I’m a writer and an artist, and I can’t be subjected to outdated rules about structure that do nothing more than make every script fit into some cookie cutter, one size fits all mode of story telling.”
You think that the structure is stifling your creativity, but what it’s really doing is allowing your creativity to blossom.
Structure allows your creativity to blossom by allowing you to organize your thoughts. Screenplay structure doesn’t necessarily dictate where to put things, but it does offer an organizational pattern that allows your creativity to flow in an organized way. Think about it for a moment. You’re writing a 120 page screenplay. That’s a fairly daunting task in and of itself. But breaking it up in to acts allows you to think of it in smaller, 30-60 page chunks. Then if you follow the Hero’s Journey model, it breaks it down to even smaller sizes. Then knowing that the structure calls for certain dynamics throughout the story, you can use the structure to organize your story in a fashion that is dramatic and entertaining. It will have rising tension throughout and it will be a dramatic story that engage the audience and allow them to become emotionally involved. Stories that lack structure tend to be disorganized and also lack the emotional impact that their well-structured counterparts have.
I recently read a script that lacked structure, and the writer was all over the place. There was no pacing to the story, there was no emotional buildup in the story, and there was no dramatic arc to the story. It was a disorganized mess and the only way to fix it was to go back the drawing board and outline it again, but this time using the 3-Act structure as a model for building the story. I assisted the writer in this, and he ended up with a much stronger story and a better written screenplay.
And here’s the key. You don’t need structure to come up with a unique premise.
The structure is not a formula where you plug in the same thing over and over, no matter what story you’re writing. You have a unique idea, and you should express it in a creative way. Following the structure merely allows you to express that unique idea in a way that works if you’re looking to entertain and enlighten.
And one more thing to mention as well is that the reason people keep harping on this and the reason that people keep making films that rely on 3-Act structure is because it works. It’s worked since the beginning of sound cinema and it continues to work to this day. I included an image of a pyramid at the head of this post. Do you think that those pyramids could have stood for thousands of years had they been poorly structured? No, they could not. Think now about the pantheon of great films. They all had screenplays that were well-structured and they have stood the test of time. If you want your script to someday be included in that pantheon of timeless films, then you need to embrace the structure and allow it to set your creativity free.
If you’re in need of a fresh pair of eyes to go over your screenplay to see if the structure is working, Monument Script Services can help. Check the link below to see how.