Explaining Act 1 - Story Structure - Screenwriting

Story Structure Series - Explaining Act I - Screenwriting 101
What is it, what to expect from it and which are the major plot points in this act.

Intro - 0:00
3-act structure naming - 0:14
List of Information we get in Act I - 0:27
Major Plot Points of Act I - 1:07
The House Analogy - 2:48
Examples in the film: The Silence of the Lambs - 4:10

Feel free to make suggestions or even request an episode on a subject you'd like to watch!

Music from YouTube Free Audio Library:
Sleeplessness by the Brothers Records

House: Designed by Vectorpocket

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Relevant links for Inciting Incident:

First Plot Point:

Beginning of Act 2:

Call to Adventure vs. Inciting Incident:

[grossbrosparodies]

How do these videos not have thousands of views??? I feel like I just discovered gold. Your website is outstanding as well. Great job!

[vietanhnguyengia]

this vid better than StudioBinder one, it focuses analysis on only one film and provides a analogy simple enough for beginner to understand. Whereas StudioBinder puts tons of cuts from other movies :V

[강준혁-wb]

thanks for big help for ACT 1 writing!

[mboniledawson]

Wow!!!, thank you!!! I really do appreciate that you got into it right away!. Thank you for sharing this.

[patriciamendes]

Great video, great analogy, much more easy to understand. Thank you!

[Rafael-kbql]

Yet another great video! In Silence of the Lambs, Act 1 almost feels like a micro-story within the major plot, considering the hurdles she has to go through just to get to TP1, where Lecter agrees to team up with her.

It seems that the Incident Incident to Act 1 is the FBI agent breaking up Clarice's routine exercise, her boss sending her off to Lecter is the TP1 of Act 1, the failed interview being the first half of Act2, Lecter sending her off on a riddle is the midpoint, her searching the premises the final half of Act 2, the head in the Jar being the Climax and Lecter agreeing to help being the resolution.

It almost seems like you can layer in a subplot if it's able to satisfy the requirements of the Act... And it seems more complex and easily could break up the organic flow of things if done incorrectly.

Am I reading too much into this?

[parthoghosh]

Ur explanation style very good... Thanks

[omarbradosti]

thank you very much for this amazing video

[lukesmhudson]

Intriguing video but the accompanying soundtrack is distracting and kept making me think there was a faint alarm going off in my room, and for thank I deduct 50 points from Gryffindor

[commercialand]

So professional writers that I've talked with, say the inciting incident must happen before the 12 min mark. Can you give me more details as to why you think it can happen after that. Mine hits around page 17, and I'm thinking about moving it with 12min.

[elliotleboeuf]

I really feel if your going to cite the opening of The Silence of the lambs you should mention the reason it opens with her running is because of Hannibal’s diagnosis. She is still the little girl running from the screaming lamb.

[ranaghm]

Thank you for your clear explanation. I just want to ask you don’t mind, how can you upload scenes with no copyright?

[joshuadouglas]

Great video! The music playing over the video is distracting. It makes it hard to hear the actual content of the video.

[chrissystewart]

Thanks for the details I'm interesting learning

[ЖудаМ]

How do a Four-Act movie structure works? Is it recommended to long screenplays?

[EMMandM]

Hi
I wonder what difference there is between the first plot point and the beginning of the act 2
1:54

[jayashreechakravarthy]

Every clip of me crying is to be shown to Abhigel.

[jayashreechakravarthy]

Abhigel I will not question a single thing you tell me.

[jayashreechakravarthy]

I’ll be very gentle. Say things at your own pace. Slap me as many times as you want. Downstairs-our house. Do anything you want. Just don’t be nervous.