How to Structure a Screenplay in 7 Steps
A screenplay is one of the most crucial aspects of any movie. I’m sure you have seen movies and plays on television and other sites like YouTube. Do you think that they start their acting without a guideline?
Of course not; there is always a guide for every play or action you see around. Otherwise, nothing would be so straight and right without the screen playwriting. And that’s what makes it perfect.
I will guide you through the crucial steps you should undertake while writing a screenplay. But first, I would like you to understand the script.
What is a Screenplay?
A screenplay is usually a written form of the movies or plays you see on television or YouTube channels. In other words, I would say that it’s a blueprint that the actors follow in coming up with a polished play or movie at the end.
It’s some guideline that helps the actors to produce content that is acceptable and alluring to the public. But, of course, it’s every actor’s goal for the viewers to accept them in the role they play.
Therefore, a screenplay highlights every task for every actor to ensure that it’s precise and up to standard.
In most cases, a screenplay should have three divisions that would eventually make up the entire play or movie.
The Main Divisions and Structure of a Screenplay
The Play Set Up/Introduction
This section carries the play introduction of the play image and the involved characters. This part ensures that the movie viewer understands each role and the play’s central theme.
The Screenplay Body
This part consists of the natural acting of everyone’s role. At this point, the audience understands the actors’ roles and their abilities.
This part could show that the actors struggle with the play and may seem overwhelmed by their tasks.
The End/Resolution
Like I always say, there is usually a solution to every problem. And that’s what happens in this final section of the screenplay.
The main character tries to develop a small hope to help the team win the play. However, it doesn’t always end in victory, but there should be an end.
What is the Importance of a Screenplay?
- A screenplay tells the complete story
Like I said earlier, this is a blueprint that shows the actors what they ought to do to make the play a success in the end. Therefore they have to follow the exact screenplay to create the perfect picture of the main aim.
- The characters get to know their tasks
Let me say that every movie or play comes from a story. And probably from a few individuals who use their dream. They write a screenplay and get talented actors to validate their intent to make it right.
That’s why the screenplay will help the actors who participate in the entire play. However, remember that it has to be real and have an emotional impact on the viewers. Therefore, every actor should be perfect in what they do.
- A screenplay is the producer’s guide
Apart from being the actor’s guide, the producer will also need a screenplay to know what they need to succeed. The materials necessary and the systems they need during the production process.
- A screenplay will help in estimating the movie budget
Without a script, it will be impossible to have a clear budget for the whole play. Therefore, the directors use the screenplay to estimate the funding required for the total product price.
As a result, they plan their finances and fundings prior, making it possible to complete the movie successively without challenges.
- A screenplay determines the success or failure of a movie or a play
Since a script carries the story of a film, if you write it in the wrong way, there is a likelihood of falling in the entire project. And that means that you have to be careful when writing a screenplay because it’s a guide.
Like anything else, if you follow the wrong guidance, the result will be a failure. In contrast, an excellent screenplay will eventually translate to a successful play.
Now,
How do you Structure a Screenplay in 7 Steps?
Being a screenplay writer could sometimes be challenging since you need to hear the story from someone else. It would have been a better version if you were the story’s origin.
But it doesn’t happen that way anyway, and you have to be keen and attentive when writing a screenplay. Remember, you are about to write a guide that will lead to the success of a massive project, so please be super attentive.
Step 1: What is the Movie Title?
Like anything you write on earth, a movie or play must have a title. The title is what carries the entire film. Let’s call it the scene heading or a slugline in these cases.
The scene title shows the central theme of the upcoming play and all that is inside the action. Do you remember the main divisions I said earlier? The title lies in the introduction of the playing set-up. But, of course, you cannot write a script title in the middle of your screenplay.
Ensure that your screenplay title page is one of the best. Remember that’s the first impression you will pass to all those concerned with the play. And if the title page is not that good, it may turn them off. And you don’t want that, of course.
The title page of a screenplay should have the following:
- The script title
- Your name
- And your contact details
In addition, some directors can tell you to add the draft dates on your title page. For example, a draft date could show how recent or how old the script is.
Some templates could help you to put everything in the desired place. However, some directors will give you a particular guideline to follow on the title page.
Step 2: The Location and the Time the Action Takes Place
After writing the script title page, you need to know where and when the action occurs. The play directors will have to tell you all the venues where the action will occur.
The earlier you write about the movie venues, the better. Knowing the location of the scenes saves the actors from the frustrations of being stuck during the act.
When the action takes place is also essential in planning the budget of facilitation of the actors and anyone involved. This part of the screenplay still lies in the set-up stage.
Step 3: It’s Time to Introduce the Actors
After portraying the script title and the venues, you need to introduce the movie characters of the entire play. Here is where you give the characters’ action names and the role that they will play in the act.
This part is crucial since it concerns the actors directly. Therefore, you need to make them understand their roles without much struggle.
In other words, write the actors’ roles emotionally to feel the action. That way, you will have hooked them in their roles completely.
This section also introduces the main character of the play and their complete roles. Remember that the main character eventually becomes the apple of an eye to every reader or viewer. Therefore, when you first write the actor’s name, you do it in Caps lock.
Step 4: The Inciting Incident of the Play
This part will keep the reader or even the movie viewer to continue with the script in most cases. However, if this incident doesn’t uniquely complete the reader, they may stop at that point.
At this point, the play’s central character does a compelling act that brings them closer to the audience. And the hero’s expertise in acting will determine the sweetness of the movie.
The inciting act could also lead to a change in the environment. Whereby the main character adapts the news story of the play. The hero leaves their everyday life behind, focusing on their primary purpose in action.
For instance, in the 24 American series, 2001, Jack Baure accepts his new life after knowing that the terrorists have abducted his family. So he focuses on rescuing his wife and daughter from terrorist hands. And that makes him accept the new development that he has to be part of in the series. So that becomes the end of act one, the introduction or film set up.
Step 5: The Screenplay Body
In this step, the audience is now familiar with the different characters and their unique roles. As a result, the audience tends to understand the play more than the introduction part in this part.
In addition, other subtitles and threats towards the star emerge in this play’s middle point. Here the real drama unfolds, and the hero alienates their true colors and capabilities.
Still, at this point, the star tends to find an inner circle that helps them to solve their obstacles. But that doesn’t wave the betrayers away from them. As a result, new barriers keep on emerging every time.
The play midpoint also introduces new challenges that the hero has to deal with before achieving their primary goal. That means that the main character should always be on their toes to ensure that he doesn’t alienate from their primary goal.
Still, in this section, the hero may feel cornered and unable to deal with the current challenges. And this brings emotional feelings to the readers. But that’s what you want.
The readers at this point have a team supporting the hero’s side, while there could be others of the contrary opinion. However, the readers are all down to earth, praying that a miracle salvages the hero.
Step 6: The Actual Disaster
This section is where the actors feel that they have lost; at least, that’s how the readers see it. It becomes so hard for the hero to get out of a particular problem. And it eventually seems that they have exhausted all their means.
The other accompanying actors of the play have all their hope in their hero, who seems to have given up in the entire game. But that’s not usually the case.
At this point, the readers also feel that they have lost all hope in the next moves. For instance, in the 24 series, there is a time when Jack Baure, the hero, goes to the Chinese prison to kill one of the Chinese on American soil.
After his arrest, we all feel that he’s not going to make it to the Chinese prison, considering that the Chinese needed to get American defense secrets.
Since Jack Baure is the hero who leads in arresting terrorists on US soil, everything goes wrong once he goes to the Chinese prison. But here comes the next step.
Step 7: The Solution
As much as Jack was in life imprisonment in the Chinese government, the new president in the US rescues Jack to come and save the country from terrorism. And that’s how he’s back in the line.
I’m saying that the main character always has a leeway to come back into their senses and do what they do best. That’s why we call this the resolution stage.
This stage is for salvaging the situation and solving the problem once and for all. Finally, of course, the hero would have accomplished all their main goals and targets of the play.
And that takes us to finalize the screenplay structure. Then, finally, the remaining actors come together and maybe celebrate their win in a big way. Of course, others end in dilemmas and sad situations, but the end has to happen anyway.
The Bottom Line
Now, you’ve seen the actual structure of a screenplay, kindly ensure that you follow all the guidelines since what you write determines the success or failure of the play.
Like I said earlier, ensure that you are keen on the instructions you get from the play’s directors. And as a result, you will live to be happy with the story you’ve told. Your storytelling technique could be emotional enough to impact and change many people’s lives.
