Screenwriting Structure: Expanding the Beginning, Middle, and End

Let’s be clear: there’s no magic formula for a great screenplay. I’ve yet to find a genie in a lamp granting wishes for some “secret” template. However, a basic understanding of screenwriting structure will give your story the elements it needs to keep your audience engaged from beginning to end.

Your audience subconsciously expects certain things to happen at certain points in a movie. Your job is to reveal the information so seamlessly they forget it’s coming and are hooked to keep watching more. Pacing the release of information is critical to keep your audience on the edge of their seats. Remember, every great film (even comedies) has suspense. Don’t think of suspense in terms of its genre, think of it in terms of keeping your audience glued to the screen.

How do we start?

The 3 Act structure can be credited to Aristotle’s Poetics. He identifies the key factors that make drama. We first introduce the characters and location, then comes the conflict and obstacle the character needs to overcome, and finally, there’s the resolution. So…you need a beginning, middle, and end – or 3 Acts. But beyond that cut and dry, simplistic structure, what do each of those 3 Acts need to include?

For the sake of simplicity, I’ve stuck with the beginning, middle, and end structure for this article. Was the following summary handed down to me on stone tablets as the final word? No. Hopefully it will make you take a second look at your story and see what’s working, could use improvement, or needs some major development.

The Beginning

Every story has to start somewhere. It’s important to introduce your protagonist (hero) and establish the world they live in. Your audience also needs to meet, or at least learn about, the other players. What event brings your characters together in order to introduce them to the audience? One of the best examples (or at least my favorite) is the dinner table scene in the beginning of Little Miss Sunshine. Everyone’s gathered and we learn more about who their characters are based on their interactions with one another.

Now something needs to disrupt the protagonist’s world, something must push them to take action. This is usually what’s referred to as the “inciting incident” or “call to adventure.” Your protagonist needs to be committed to doing whatever it takes to restore the balance and normalcy of their world.

As you transition to the next section of your story the audience should be able to identify the protagonist, what the story is about, the antagonist (villain- not always a person, but represents the opposing threat), and what’s at stake if the protagonist doesn’t succeed at their goal. Once the protagonist emotionally commits to their decision they need to take physical action. The protagonist sets forth into unfamiliar territory.

The Middle – Part 1

The story unfolds. The middle of your script is full of conflict. Here your protagonist will be faced with challenges and setbacks. Allies will be introduced who will accompany your protagonist on their journey. As they work toward their goal they will have small victories and defeats along the way, each one outdoing the next. During this first half of this mid-section your protagonist will learn lessons and gain the knowledge they will need to overcome the antagonist and achieve their goal.

A classic example of this is Luke’s journey to Dagoba in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where he meets Yoda and learns about The Force.

We’ve built up the hero’s victories- they’re unstoppable! They’re ready to move forward and fight like there’s no tomorrow for their goal. It appears they’re on the right track, but there are unforeseen obstacles ahead…

The Middle – Part 2

When life appears to be going well it’s inevitable someone or something will pull the rug out from under you. It should be no surprise your hero needs to suffer a major setback. What seems to be a point of defeat really turns out to be a blessing in disguise. The hero can refocus their energy, realizing there’s still hope, but they really need to change up their game plan. The hero can also realize that there’s another way to reach their goal- all hope is not lost!

Your protagonist needs to go full steam ahead, fighting harder than ever against challenges they never saw coming. The hero will question whether or not he can face the final challenge and might be ready to give up once and for all. This low point is necessary for your protagonist to have a rebirth of sorts. There comes a time when they debate whether or not to throw in the towel. Basically, that action they committed to in the beginning of the story proves to have been a gamble and they lost. Out of this moment of darkness is born the beginning of enlightenment.

Let’s pull from another classic example here, The Lion King. Simba sees the devastation of his homeland and realizes it’s time to step up and help his pride.

Your hero has a new perspective. Their old way of doing things doesn’t work anymore. That’s the realization they’re making right about now. Your protagonist understands they need to give up on the ways that aren’t working and try something new- most likely an action that signals that they’ve transformed as a character. If they begin your story as a coward, it’s an act of courage that will save them. If they were cold and unloving, perhaps it’s an act of compassion.

The End

This is what we’ve been waiting for! At the climax of your story, the protagonist will use all the lessons and experience they’ve gained throughout their journey to face the biggest fight yet. The outcome- whether victorious or tragic- will reflect the true character of the hero. Now that they’ve defeated the villain and achieved their goal, their world returns back to normal, but the hero is forever changed. All loose ends are tied up. Your characters have reached their goals and hopefully learned some sort of lesson.

Sometimes Rocky wins…

And sometime’s he loses…

Storytelling goes beyond just making sure you hit specific milestones on certain pages. Whether you gravitate towards one approach over another, following “formula” and hitting your plot points and beats is no guarantee of a killer script. The concept needs to be interesting, the characters compelling, the dialogue believable. Just remember the old adage “no one knows anything.” Rules are made to be broken, but in order to break the rules you must first know them.

I highly reccomend the following reading on screenplay structure:

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby *There’s a reason this book is listed at the top of my list. Required reading, in my opinion.

The Hero’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder

Screenwriting in the Land of Oz by Richard Krevolin

In Poetics, Aristotle wrote “A whole [story] is what has a beginning and middle and end.” His articulation of each of these three parts and how they fit together is as follows:

“A beginning is that which is not itself necessarily after anything else, and which has naturally something else after it. An end is that which is naturally after something itself, either as its necessary or usual consequent, and with nothing else after it. And a middle, that which is by nature after one thing and has also another after it.”

Beginning. Middle. End. Three parts. Three movements. The number “3” is an interesting one.

• Three is first odd prime number and the second smallest prime
• There are three types of galaxies: elliptical, spirals, and irregulars
• Three basic Earth divisions: Igneous- Metamorphic- Sedimentary
• Freud suggested that psyche was divided into three parts: Ego, Super-Ego, Id
• Holy Trinity: Father — Son — Holy Ghost
• The three R’s: Reading — ‘Riting — ‘Rithmetic

There is an inherent sense of structure to the number 3: a triangle of three points; three pitches in a triad, the most basic form of a chord.

There is also a sense of finality upon experiencing that third part: third’s a charm; three strikes and you’re out.

Furthermore there are innate cycles in the physical universe that reflect three movements: Sunrise — Day — Sunset; Departure — Journey — Return; Birth — Life — Death.

So, too, in the world of ideas: Hegel’s dialectic of Thesis — Antithesis — Synthesis; classical music’s sonata form of Exposition — Development — Recapitulation.

This idea of these three movements [Beginning — Middle — End] is so fundamental to the human experience, it is little wonder it has dominated storytelling on Broadway and in Hollywood for more than a century — known as 3-Act Structure:

More than likely you have run into this concept. You may be so familiar with it, the very idea might seem rather obvious. Indeed there are those who deride 3-Act Structure as an outdated approach to screenwriting. I disagree. And I urge you in the strongest sense possible: Do not stray from Beginning — Middle — End.

First on a pragmatic level, whereas people involved in the moviemaking process may have varying ideas or understanding of story, it’s guaranteed they will all know the concept of three acts. Agent or manager, studio executive or producer, director or actor, everyone uses Act One, Act Two, and Act Three when discussing a script.

More importantly and directly related to screenwriting, these three movements undergird all aspects of the craft:

• Every scene should have a Beginning — Middle — End.
• Every sequence should have a Beginning — Middle — End.
• Every subplot should have a Beginning — Middle — End.
• Every screenplay should have a Beginning — Middle — End.

Beginning. Middle. End. Innate to story. Innate to screenplays.