Reader Question: Is it okay to take more time than normal to set up the story in Act One?
A reader question from Anug Mehta:
Hi Scott,
Most of what I have read on Acts division shows it typically like: 20:40–40:20, in 120-page script, with 40–40 being the middle Act and with a mid-point. However in some films I have observed that the Act I point comes around 25–30 page mark. As in 30:35–35:20.
Of course each story has it’s own structure and it’s not a sacrosanct equation to follow, yet I admit that I felt a relief, since working on a romantic drama I couldn’t get that Act 1-end, the Threshold Crisis/Crossing come in too soon. Establishing the world and characters is taking time; I will confess that when I dig in more I may realize that the Crisis should come earlier.
What’s your take — do you believe it typically takes a wee bit extra time for the first Act to end or is it wise to get in early? Or…is it more genre dependent? Guess can’t have a thriller sitting ‘low’ for a while.
I had another query, which I had mailed you earlier: I haven’t heard of it but I can’t say why couldn’t it happen — writing for a preview/trailer? Or…what could be the stuff to focus on to make a trailer? Does it even make sense?
Thanks for your wonderful endeavor…
First off, despite all the screenplay structure paradigms, theories, methodologies, and approaches floating around, there are no hard-and-fast rules about this stuff. So if your first act lands on P. 31, it’s not like the Script Police are going to burst into your room and haul you away to Final Draft Prison.
There are principles and three-act structure is one of the most commonly used versions in Hollywood. While some would decry it as old-fashioned or irrelevant, they are missing the point. All stories have a Beginning, Middle and End.
Beginning: Act One
Middle: Act Two
End: Act Three
If there is a Golden Principle related to screenplay (indeed story) structure, it’s probably this one.
So your question is how long can Act One be?
Answer: As long as it needs to be.
I’m serious. On the heels of my 4-part analysis of True Grit, the recent remake by the Coen brothers, Act One — where Mattie finally gets Cogburn to agree to go after Chaney — doesn’t end until P. 39. And in fact, there’s an argument to be made that Act Two doesn’t officially begin until Mattie rides off with Cogburn and LeBouef — and that scene ends on P. 45.
So here you have a story with a long first act. This is especially true in light of the fact scripts are getting shorter. It used to be you had 120 pages (1 page per minute of screen time). Now the upper end of page count is around 110. And for certain genres like Action, Comedy, Horror, scripts can clock in at 100 or even 95 pages. As a result of the overall script shrinking in length, so, too Act Ones. I have a colleague who teaches screenwriting in a well-known university and he tells his students Act One should be no longer than 20 pages.
But then we have True Grit. And I’ve read several articles and interviews with screenwriters who state they tend to write longish first acts primarily because they feel a story needs that much time to set up characters, story universe, plot conceit, genre, tone, and so on.
Again if it works, then a first act can be as long as it needs to be.
Of course, there is a difference between how a script written by a professional screenwriter and an aspiring screenwriter will be read and perceived. And scripts by the former are less likely to draw quibbles from a script reader / coverage than the latter.
So after all that, let me land on this advice: If you write a script and your first act is 35 pages long, and you are certain it has to be that length to work, then you’re probably okay — as long as those pages rock, are entertaining, don’t feel slow, etc.
However my guess is you can tighten up those pages. Why do I say that? Because there’s not a script written that couldn’t be tightened. In fact, I’ll be running a 4-part series next week called Trimming Tricks of the Trade, so look for that.
Re writing a movie trailer: No point in it. Trailers are cut by post shops who specialize in that sort of thing. They do tons of market testing, then re-cut and re-cut trailers. In other words, it’s not a writer’s domain at least directly (obviously what you write and what gets shot becomes the assets for the trailer).
My advice: Focus on writing a great script so you can sell it and get it produced. Then sit back in a theater and enjoy the trailer to your movie!
UPDATE: I originally posted this question and my response in 2011 and while I would still contend the needs of a story trump any sort of preconceived formula or paradigm, specifically re page count, the continuing trend of genre movies to get the plot going and get it going fast raises the bar. In other words, we have to make damn sure it’s the STORY which requires those additional pages in the setup and not just us being lazy when it comes to editing or stubbornly insisting the first act works as is when it could benefit from tightening.
Citing a couple of examples from last year:
* Ex Machina: Caleb finds himself deposited at Nathan’s compound by minute 5.
* Lucy: Lucy finds herself swept up into the plot by minute 4.
Scarlett Johansson in Lucy
Granted these are opening incidents and there’s more in the way of setup comprising each movie’s first act, but they reflect a continuing pattern we see in — especially — action, horror, and thrillers to drop the viewer into the plot as quickly as possible.
We see this same drive to ramp up the pace when comparing contemporary movies to those from as recently as the 80s. What used to function as the Act One ending plot point, where the Protagonist is propelled into the New World experience of the central plot, is nowadays much more likely to happen as the midpoint of the first act with the act end an event which drives home and foretells what’s in store for the Protagonist the rest of the way.
Seriously, check out almost any 80s action, comedy, horror, or thriller movie and you’ll be amazed to see how slow they feel in getting things going as compared to movies in this decade.
There are many reasons why this is the case, but I think two big ones are (1) audiences are used to seeing what they want, when they want, and how they want, so instant gratification is their default expectation, and (2) contemporary audiences are much more sophisticated in at least an unconscious understanding of Story because they’ve seen, heard, or read a gazillion more stories in their lives than previous generations. They ‘get’ it and don’t need as much setup or exposition. Just go!
Which is not to say you can’t write a movie with a ‘slow burn’ or lengthy setup. Again the bar has been raised and you would be wise to make sure it’s your Story requiring those additional pages… and not something else blinding you to a flabby first act.
Thoughts?
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