Three Act Structure Explained — The Secret to Telling a Great Story

Three Act Structure Explained — writer and story expert K.M. Weiland breaks down three-act structure and how it works using Jurassic Park. What is the Three Act Structure? ►► Watch the Full Interview with K.M. Weiland ►► StudioBinder Blog ►► K.M. Weiland resources: Helping Writers Become Authors (Blog) ►► K.M Weilan (YouTube) ►► Structuring Your Novel (Book) ►► Writing Archetypal Character Arcs (New Book) ►► ───────────────────── Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to the Three Act Structure 00:49 - Why the Three Act Structure Matters 03:24 - Part 1: The Hook 06:18 - Part 2: Inciting Event 08:16 - Part 3: 1st Plot Point 11:16 - Part 4: 1st Pinch Point 14:36 - Part 5: Midpoint 17:45 - Part 6: 2nd Pinch Point 20:11 - Part 7: 3rd Plot Point 22:54 - Part 8: Climax 25:56 - Takeaways ───────────────────── THREE-ACT STRUCTURE EXPLAINED If you’re a writer, hoping to be a writer or even a casual movie-goer, you’ve probably heard of three-act structure. More than simply “beginning, middle, and end,” three-act structure is dominant in Western storytelling. And in this video, we sat down with writer and story expert K.M. Weiland as she breaks down the eight parts of three-act structure, how they work, and what they aim to accomplish. To do this, Weiland dissects one of the best-structured movies of all time — Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, written by David Koepp based on a novel by Michael Crichton. WHAT IS THREE-ACT STRUCTURE While the concept of a three-act structure is fairly recent, stories have followed this pattern for centuries. Act One introduces us to the characters, their world, and the major conflict. Act Two sees the characters set out to resolve that conflict and attain whatever goals were established in the previous act. Act Three contains the final test or confrontation that will decide the outcome of this pursuit with either success, failure, or something in between. In a nutshell, this is the structure that most stories, novels, films, TV shows, or any other narrative medium follow. DOES THREE-ACT STRUCTURE WORK? Yes, it does, but not for every story. Shakespeare often constructed his plays in five acts. The three-act structure is ubiquitous in Western storytelling and, therefore, has, in some circles, garnered a negative reputation as being creatively restrictive. But as Weiland explains, story structure of any kind doesn’t preclude creativity — it is merely the container, and what is inside (the characters, the plot, the themes, etc.) is the real gift. Learning three-act structure is a way to grasp the fundamentals of storytelling. That way, when bending or breaking those rules becomes necessary, it can be done without sabotaging a story’s chances of reaching and connecting with the audience. #FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking ───────────────────── ♬ SONGS USED: “Fratres (Version for Cello & Piano)“ - Avro Pärt “A Battle in the East“ - Rhythm Scott “Last But Not Least (Instrumental)“ - Chelsea McGough “All Star“ - ANBR “Journey To The Island“ - John Williams “War Banner (Instrumental)“ - Cody Martin “Incident At Isla Nublar“ - John Williams “The Princess Appears“ - John Williams “Shining Star“ - Earth, Wind & Fire “The Hands Dealt“ - Michael Giacchino “Theme From Jurassic Park“ - Michael Giacchino “1986“ - Angel Salazar “Three Is Company“ - Howard Shore “Welcome To Jurassic Park“ - John Williams “British News Team“ - Lance Conrad “Glass“ - Claudio Laucci “T-Rex Rescue & Finale“ - John Williams “The Raptor Attack“ - John Williams “Crystal Clear (Instrumental)“ - Tiko Tiko “Dennis Steals The Embryo“ - John Williams “Terminal’ - Stanley Gurvich “Many Mothers“ - Junkie XL “High-Wire Stunts“ - John Williams “Merge“ - Theatre of Delays “Forrest Gump Suite“ - Alan Silvestri “State Lines (Instrumental)“ - Aaron Kellim Music by Artlist ► Music by Artgrid ► Music by Soundstripe ► Music by MusicBed ► ───────────────────── SUBSCRIBE to StudioBinder’s YouTube channel! ►► Looking for a production management solution for your film? Try StudioBinder for FREE today: — Join us on Social Media! — Instagram ►► Facebook ►► Twitter ►►