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Your quick guide to screenplay structure

Even after you have a solid grasp on how screenplay structure works, sometimes hearing it reframed or re-explained can give you new insights.

So today let's talk about one aspect of structure that a lot of writers seem to struggle with:

The Major Plot Points

What most movies boil down to is: someone wants something badly and goes after it against strong opposition. The Major Plot Points are the most significant milestones or turning points in that journey. Together, they create a spine that holds the story together. And each one has its own particular function to perform.

There may be some familiar stuff in the explanations below, but I hope there's some new-to-you stuff too.

Whether you’re brand new to screenplay structure, or it’s just time for a refresher, today’s post is meant to be a quick guide you can reference as needed.

Your quick guide to each of the major plot points

1. Inciting Incident

The Inciting Incident usually occurs about 10-15 pages into the script (10-15 minutes into the movie), and you can think of it as the event that sets the story into motion or that shakes up the protagonist’s normal world. (Also known as the Catalyst, if you’re a Save the Cat! fan.)

It is usually something that happens to the protagonist (as opposed to a choice or action by protagonist). Often it’s the first appearance or indication of the antagonist or main force of opposition.

The Inciting Incident very often fulfills its function (to kick the story into motion) by introducing a problem or opportunity that the protagonist must act on. That’s how it sets things into motion. It creates circumstances in which the protagonist must take action, which soon leads to forming the story goal. (More on that in the next section.)

It’s useful to note that the Inciting Incident doesn’t have to be a negative event. Sometimes it looks more like an opportunity that the protagonist wants to take advantage of (rather than a problem to deal with), such as a job offer, a chance to compete for a big prize, or meeting a potential love interest. And it’s not unusual for an Inciting Incident to feel like both a problem and an opportunity.

But whether the Inciting Incident feels like a problem or an opportunity (or both!), the effect we want it to achieve is the feeling of something happening, of that first domino falling. It’s the plot events starting to move.

2. Break into Act 2

The Break into Act 2 is the turning point between Act 1 and Act 2, and you can think of it as the start of the Act 2 Adventure. (It’s also known as Plot Point 1 if you’re a Syd Field fan.)

Sometimes the Break into Act 2 is described as the event that locks the protagonist into the story. What that usually looks like is the protagonist acknowledging the main conflict, forming or declaring the story goal (the thing they’re going to pursue in Act 2), or beginning to pursue the story goal in earnest.

By the time we get to this plot turn, which takes us from the setup (Act 1) into the meat of the story (Act 2), the audience is looking for a sense of where the movie is headed, what kind of story we’re about to experience.

This plot point offers that sense of direction by solidifying the goal that the protagonist will pursue or the main conflict that we’ll watch play out over the rest of the movie. That gives the audience something to track and helps us engage with your story, because it allows us to follow the progress toward the goal.

3. Midpoint

The function of the Midpoint is to create new tension. By this point in the movie, the main conflict needs more fuel on the fire to maintain the intensity – and the audience’s interest – through the second half.

What happens at the Midpoint causes the audience to lean in with renewed interest or more emotional investment, or both. It makes us eager to stick around for the rest of the story.

To fulfill that function, a good Midpoint usually does one or both of these things in a big way: increase opposition, or raise the stakes. Think of it as anything that makes the story goal harder to achieve, or more important, urgent, or meaningful to achieve. Or all of the above.

A strong Midpoint can manifest in a variety of ways. Sometimes it looks like a big reveal, for the audience or the main character or both. Sometimes it’s the start of a ticking clock. It can be a huge defeat or a huge win. It can be a “now it’s personal” loss, or “sex at 60” moment (where a romantic relationship takes a major step).

After the Midpoint, good stories feel more intense, faster paced, more urgent, and higher stakes, and sometimes even drastically change their direction. And that effect is a direct result of what happens at the Midpoint.

4. Low Point

This plot point is often described as the point where the protagonist seems furthest from reaching his or her goal. It can also look like the protagonist’s worst nightmare coming to bear, or a huge new setback that the protagonist will have to overcome.

The Low Point might be where the protagonist loses their support system, such as if a mentor character dies, the love interest leaves, or the hero is fired from his position of responsibility or authority.

Putting the protagonist at a disadvantage creates tension as we fear a negative outcome, and that tension keeps us riveted as we prepare to move into the resolution phase of the story (Act 3).

And in stories where the protagonist wins in the end, taking us to rock bottom at the Low Point makes the eventual victory feel that much more earned and satisfying.

A good Low Point can also prime the audience for the final push toward the story goal by showing us how much it all means to the protagonist. What happens at the Low Point reinforces just how difficult this journey is and will continue to be, and it may be where the protagonist questions whether it’s worth continuing on at all. Then, if they decide that achieving the story goal is worth all the fight and struggle, we know how important it must be to them.

And the Low Point helps to show us the lasting emotional or psychological effect the experience is having on the protagonist. This is the place in the story where the character may first realize what they must learn or change going forward. We often see the thematic lesson reflected back to the protagonist here, even if they’re not ready to accept it yet.

5. Break into Act 3

This plot point marks the start of the story’s resolution. (It’s also known as Plot Point 2, if you’re a Syd Field fan.) Its function is to propel us into Act 3, to launch the line of action that will ultimately resolve the main conflict.

A hallmark of this plot point is the protagonist’s new plan to achieve the story goal or new goal altogether. Sometimes it also showcases the protagonist’s new, “growth” way of addressing the problem – now that he or she has been through the transformative events of this story.

The new plan, however nascent, far-fetched, or dangerous, will be the final attempt to achieve the story goal or resolve the main conflict. By stating or re-stating the story goal or plan to achieve it, the Break into Act 3 re-orients us, gets everyone on the same page, and gives us something to track as it launches us toward the big finish.

6. Climax

The Climax is the main character’s final confrontation with the primary force of opposition. (It’s also sometimes called the Final Battle, not to be confused with the Save the Cat! Finale beat.) The Climax ultimately shows us whether the protagonist achieves the story goal or not. It determines the outcome of the story’s main conflict.

After the Climax, the audience will finally know whether the protagonist succeeds or fails, and then the movie is essentially over. We may need just a bit of wrap-up to bring a feeling of closure and satisfaction, but that’s it. We’re ready for the Fade Out.

Movie examples to compare and contrast

How to Train Your Dragon

1. Inciting Incident: Hiccup finds the downed dragon, Toothless, but can’t bring himself to kill the injured animal. Hiccup cuts Toothless loose and the dragon first pounces on Hiccup, but then flies away without incident.
2. Break into Act 2: Hiccup returns to the scene to try to understand why this dragon didn’t “go for the kill,” as the Vikings believe dragons always do.
3. Midpoint: Hiccup and Toothless learn to fly together, bonding as they go. Soon they work as one.
4. Low Point: Hiccup’s father, Stoick, confronts him about defending dragons over his own tribe. Stoick tells him, “You’re not a Viking. You’re not my son,” and makes plans to use Toothless to find the dragons’ nest so the Vikings can destroy them completely.
5. Break into Act 3: With a pep talk from love interest, Astrid, Hiccup realizes he must do something to stop the Vikings from destroying the dragons.
6. Climax: Hiccup and Toothless take on the giant dragon together, luring it into an airborne fight until they bring it down. In the process, Hiccup is knocked loose and falls to the ground. Toothless dives after him and, once on the ground, Stoick and the other Vikings discover Toothless has managed to save Hiccup’s life. Everyone cheers; Stoick thanks Toothless.

Disney’s Jungle Cruise

1. Inciting Incident: Von Hoch and the Germans have followed Lily to the Amazon, where Lily (and MacGregor) arrive and meet Frank.
2. Break into Act 2: Von Hoch (antagonist) makes known his intentions and Lily makes a deal for Frank’s help to beat Von Hoch to the Tree of Life.
3. Midpoint: Action sequence – Lily, Frank and the tribe they’re with are attacked by the just-revealed and now-ghoulish conquistadors, doing Von Hoch’s bidding. Lily gets away but Frank is (seemingly) killed.
4. Low Point: Frank attempts to block the canal so the antagonists can’t follow in their U-boat… but we see (unbeknownst to Frank and Lily) that the bad guys are coming after them, and they have MacG held captive. Frank gets lost navigating supernatural weather patterns. Then MacG manages to signal to Frank and Lily that they’re headed into a trap!
5. Break into Act 3: Lily and Frank learn MacG is on the German U-boat with the journal, which they need in order to find the Tree. Lily (and Sam) convince Frank they need to go back for MacG and the journal. Frank has a plan.
6. Climax: Lily makes it to the Tree of Life, but Von Hoch torches it. Frank and Aguirre work together to open the floodgates and stop the fire. Meanwhile Lily manages to best Von Hoch to survive the ordeal and then chooses to go to Frank’s aid over one last chance at getting a sample from the Tree. They escape as the temple crumbles.

One more thing to note about the Major Plot Points

As you identify the Major Plot Points in movies you watch, you’ll start to recognize certain patterns for yourself. You’ll notice common types of things that happen at an Inciting Incident, for example. And how those are likely different from a typical Climax.

You may also notice that some of the Major Plot Points tend to play out more quickly than others. Some land in the story with a sudden impact, creating a sharper turn. Others may occur over longer, more substantial scenes, or even short sequences of scenes.

How much weight, time, and space a Major Plot Point takes up affects rhythm and pacing, and contributes to the overall effect it creates in the story.

• The Inciting Incident is often a sudden, perhaps quick event. It can feel like a little explosion in the protagonist’s normal day-to-day, or like a thunderbolt from the sky, as Michael Arndt has said. It can also be an event that puts the audience ahead of the protagonist, creating tension as we anticipate the moment when the character will become aware of and have to deal with this disruption.
• The Break into Act 2 and Break into Act 3 are likely to feel like sharp or well-defined turns in the story, and to occur within one scene. (Even though there’s plenty of context that’s established leading up to these turning points.)
• The Midpoint can feel like a sharp turn, especially if it spins the story in a drastically new direction. But it’s just as likely to play out over a short series of scenes, a longer scene that’s packed with important moments, or a big genre set piece.
• The Low Point is less likely to happen in one moment or scene, and can span a series of scenes or even feel somewhat undefined, like a slow slide to rock bottom at the end of Act 2.
• The Climax, too, will often play out over a sequence of scenes – which makes sense since it’s the culmination of the whole story. Not only is there a lot to resolve and pay off, but the story’s finale needs to feel significant, substantial, decisive.

There are no hard and fast rules, of course, about how any plot point must show up. Take this as an opportunity to see how the patterns create the recognizable movie rhythm we’re familiar with, as well as which movies manage to do it differently to surprise, but still satisfy, the audience.

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Until next time!