This is the most common structural paradigm in screenwriting, and it dates back to Aristotle's Poetics. The three-act structure consists of:
Act I: Establishing the characters, setting, and conflict.
Act II: Rising action and conflict.
Act III: Climax and resolution.
Five-Act Structure
The five-act structure is a variant of the three-act structure, but it adds two more acts:
Act I: Exposition.
Act II: Rising action.
Act III: Climax.
Act IV: Falling action.
Act V: Resolution.
The five-act structure is often used for longer, more complex stories.
Hero's Journey
The Hero's Journey is a mythic structure that has been used in storytelling for centuries. It consists of the following stages:
1. Departure: The hero leaves the ordinary world and enters the world of adventure.
2. Initiation: The hero undergoes a series of tests and challenges.
3. Crisis: The hero faces a life-or-death struggle.
4. Reward: The hero overcomes the crisis and achieves a goal.
5. Return: The hero returns to the ordinary world, but has been changed by the journey.
The Hero's Journey is often used for action-adventure stories, but it can be used for any type of story that involves a protagonist overcoming adversity.
Other Structural Paradigms
In addition to the three-act structure, five-act structure, and Hero's Journey, there are a number of other structural paradigms that can be used in screenwriting. These include:
The Linear Structure: This structure follows a chronological order of events.
The Episodic Structure: This structure consists of a series of self-contained episodes that are loosely connected to each other.
The Parallel Structure: This structure tells two or more stories that are parallel to each other.
The Circular Structure: This structure begins and ends with the same event, creating a sense of symmetry.
The choice of structural paradigm depends on the story being told and the writer's personal preferences.