Screenplay Structure: Three Acts & Five Points | Script Frenzy

Screenplay Structure: Three Acts & Five Points | Script Frenzy: "You’ve heard of the one-act play. And if you’ve ever watched “Law and Order,” you’ve seen a five-act TV show. So what’s all this talk about a screenplay in three acts? Aren’t the number of acts ultimately up to the screenwriter? Well, the truth is that almost every movie you’ve ever seen was constructed in three well-delineated acts. Some filmmakers take greater pains to disguise their act breaks, but trust me, they’re there, bubbling beneath the witty banter and gravity-defying stunts. ET moves into Elliot’s house? Act break! Guido visits his mother’s grave in Fellini’s 81/2? Act break! Derek Zoolander retires from the world of professional modeling? You got it—a big old obvious act break"