In general, people tend to use a three-act structure when telling a story.
A beginning, middle and end are used to tell the story accurately and in a compelling way. We’ll start by setting the premise and describing the “big thing” that happened to kick-off the story. We’ll also describe the big challenge that has occurred because of the big thing. Then we will move into the middle of the story where we will describe how we go about trying to solve the problem. Then finally, we’ll end with the conclusion and how we solved the problem. Perhaps we’ll include a cliff-hanger if a secondary problem occurred, but overall, the conclusion would wrap up the big thing and big challenge that was outlined in the introduction.
The beginning is always the introduction to the world of the story and the obstacles. There are usually several different kinds of obstacles that balance each other out. There will be interpersonal obstacles, which are points of tension between people, and then environmental obstacles, like the geography of the story. It’s important for obstacles to be balanced. Too many interpersonal obstacles and your story will feel like a soap opera. And although many interpersonal obstacles allow the story to go on for years and years, and works for a soap opera, it is usually not a great strategy for a feature film.
The middle will contain both stakes and obstacles, and how the character overcomes the various challenges that they are met with.
Finally, the conclusion will typically be the final battle with the ultimate opponent. The battle that will determine whether the main character will get to the goal or not, whether they will live or die, whether they will get the girl. It’s important to note that your main character can only be as good as your ultimate opponent. Oftentimes, your opponent can be a broader issue like racism, sexism, or any other kind of ism. The key is that the opponent is really pressing down.
These are the main pillars of putting together a feature film script.
