Using the Story Circle to Structure Your Screenplay

if you're new to screenwriting you may have googled story structure or screenwriting structure and come across a lot of different books graphs articles and videos all giving their two cents as to what actually makes a good screenplay there's a lot of people saying that screenplays have specific points and moments that are universal to every script and there's a lot of people on the other side that hate these ideas and think that trying to say every screenplay has five points or 15 or 22 is academic garbage used to sell books and workshops who's right I believe that there is a way to look at story structure that is practically helpful for screenwriters whether they're stuck figuring out their full screenplay and Act or even a scene today I want to identify the essential elements of story and how they can be used in the writing process let's begin by reviewing traditional screenplay structure screenplays are traditionally separated into three acts Act one takes around 25% of a screenplay it sets up the story and sends the character on his or her journey act 2 comprises about 50% of a screenplay and involves the protagonist going through various obstacles learning failing and getting closer to his or her goal Act three contains the climax which is the highest point of conflict and the resolution where the story ties up loose ends this understanding of screenplay structure was popularized by Syd field in his book screenplay this book was very influential in shaping how screenplay structure is viewed in Hollywood today this is Sid fields paradigm where he divides a screenplay into three acts with two turning points that sit in between the acts the turning points are where the action of a story is spun in a new direction usually because of a character choice or action many new screenwriters find that the second act of their story is the most difficult to navigate it's the longest and where most of the story takes place and they can feel disorganized and undefined I see many scripts where the character stopped moving in a meaningful way in the middle of a story and wait around for the end of the story to come because the purpose of the second act was unclear but I don't think it has to be this way John Truby writer of the anatomy a story said the mechanical and simplistic techniques three X structure don't give you a precise map showing how to weave a great plot throughout the difficult middle section of the story so instead of trying to build a screenplay using traditional three-act structure I want to take this in another direction and focus on the essential elements of story this is Dan Harmon he's the creator and showrunner of hit shows like community and Rick and Morty Dan Harmon observed that stories seem to have an innate structure a pattern that could be seen in all sorts of stories no matter the medium subject matter or length Dan Harmon distilled this idea into his story circle the story circle breaks down into eight points that Dan Harmon says are the essential elements of story a character is in a zone of comfort but they want something they enter an unfamiliar situation adapt to it get what they wanted pay a heavy price for it then return to their familiar situation having changed when we pull each of these points into a single word we get this you need go search find take return and change let's look at an example and the Dark Knight Batman is our character his need is to bring order and justice to Gotham Batman also wants Harvey Dent to eventually replace him as a symbol of justice and Gotham Gotham needs a Batman enters an unfamiliar situation when the Joker appears this is the type of criminal Batman has not experienced before one that isn't after money or power but after something much more sinister Batman adapts to this new situation and goes up against the Joker Batman realizes the Joker is strong but finally Batman gets what he wanted the Joker is captured Batman believes he has fulfilled his need to bring order and justice to Gotham by capturing the Joker but it isn't over the Joker planned to be caught and as a result of Batman getting what he wanted he pays a heavy price for it this begins the journey back up the circle Batman returns to his familiar situation by beating the Joker and ending his reign of terror in Gotham the interesting element to the structure of The Dark Knight is that although the Joker is defeated Batman hasn't fully changed Batman has his moment of change when he kills Harvey Dent it's in this moment that we see that Batman's beliefs have shifted he breaks his one rule so this is the point where some you frustrated at the idea that Harmon is saying that all stories have to follow this structure and Harmon says that there are exceptions to this understanding but he holds that this structure is what you should use to draw a story Harmon writes it's not that stories have to follow this structure it's that without some semblance of this structure it's not recognizable as a story you can have a story where your characters don't change or don't get what they want or never return to a familiar situation but you can only take away so much the reason Harmons story circle is so useful is because it exists outside of screenplay structure instead of trying to shoehorn a story into an arbitrary script structure you can use Harmons story circle to build a compelling story this is where homage story circle becomes extremely helpful you can apply the story circle to more than just a full screenplay you can also apply it to each act of the script and act as more than just a percentage of a screenplay or a page count just like a screenplay and act follows a character with a dramatic need heading towards a goal and if we define an act using Harmons method we see that the Dark Knight actually breaks up into four definable acts rather than three let's analyze each act of the Dark Knight and see how each one fits inside the story circle in the first act Batman is our character Batman's need is to bring order and justice and Gotham to do this he needs to take down the mob so we watch Batman as he breaks up the deal in the parking garage and we see that Batman is working with Gordon to seize all of the mobs money the act kicks into gear when the mob moves their money under the protection of Lao this places Batman into an unfamiliar situation Batman adapts to the new situation and goes after Lao in Hong Kong Batman fights through Laos security and captures him now that Lao and the other members of the mob are arrested that man has gotten what he wanted and fulfilled his need but he pays the price for succeeding when the Joker appears and kills one of Batman's copycats Batman thought he had fulfilled his desire to bring order to Gotham by capturing the mob Batman's need stays the same but now he has to do something else to accomplish it take down the Joker when the Joker comes for Harvey Dent Batman attempts to return order and justice back to Gotham by capturing the Joker but Joker forces Batman to make a choice between saving Rachel or capturing him this is one of the key elements to continuing the story Batman fails to fulfill his need and therefore fails to return in this act which means the story must continue Batman's change is that he realizes he has underestimated the Joker in the beginning of the act the dramatic question was will Batman be able to take down the mob now it has shifted to will Batman be able to take down the Joker in the second act again Batman is our character his need is still the same to bring order and justice to Gotham but now his way of doing that has changed instead of going after the mob Batman is going after the Joker at the funeral for Commissioner Loeb Joker shoots Gordon which sends Batman again into an unfamiliar situation Batman has lost the one cop he can trust Batman must now adapt to the new situation as he searches for the Joker Batman gets even more violent in trying to track the Joker down the people of Gotham are now pressuring Batman to turn himself in so Batman continues to adapt to this new situation by deciding to reveal his identity to the people of Gotham but Harvey lets himself get arrested instead Bruce was unaware that Harvey would do this so he continues to adapt knowing that the Joker will come for Harvey Dent the Joker comes after Harvey and Batman finally gets what he wants and captures the Joker but just when Batman has gotten what he wanted he pays the price and the Joker escapes again Batman fails to return Gotham to a state of order and justice which keeps the story moving forward however Batman has changed the one person he truly loved has been taken from him Batman spirit is destroyed by Rachel's death in the third act our character is Batman once again his desire still remains bringing Gotham back to order and justice by capturing the Joker Batman is shoved once again into an unfamiliar situation when a lawyer named Reese decides to come forward with the identity of the Batman the Joker tells the people of Gotham to kill Reese so Batman must stop his hunt for the Joker and adapt to Joker's new threat Batman helps Gordon identify a cop that is about to kill Reese Batman gets what he wanted and is able to successfully protect Reese but Batman pays for this because this was only a distraction from Joker's real plan getting Harvey Dent out of the hospital and back onto the streets Batman has once again failed to return Gotham to a state of order and justice it's important to note that there is no major internal change made by Batman in this act and that's okay remember that a story doesn't always need every single element to function as a story but a compelling story will always have a large number of these elements in the fourth act Batman is still our character Batman's need is still to bring Gotham to order injustice through capturing the Joker the Joker shoves Batman into yet another unfamiliar situation when he rigs the fairies to blow and also switches the hostages and the criminals positions to confuse the police Batman adapts to the situation by figuring out Joker's scheme Batman stops the cops from shooting the hostages finally Batman is able to capture the Joker but it's not over yet Batman pays for capturing the Joker because Harvey Dent kidnaps Commissioner Gordon's family Batman's need is still not fulfilled now this is where the final act is different from all of the others Batman is finally able to return Gotham to a place of order Batman fulfills his need however the only way Batman is able to fulfill his need is by changing Batman changes by killing Harvey Dent and breaking his one rule understanding the fundamental elements of story can help you to find your axe and focus your screenplay but it can get even more specific the story circle also works when defining a scene it's important to define what a scene is a scene as I define it here is a continuous moment in a stories conflict usually happening in one single place that turns the story in a new direction or reveals information about the character let's take a look at this scene and identify the essential elements of story Bruce Wayne is our character Bruce's need is that he wants to eventually be able to stop being Batman he wants Harvey Dent to become his replacement as Gotham's symbol of Justice so Bruce throws Harvey a fundraiser The Joker enters and disrupts the fundraiser Bruce must now adapt by turning into Batman in fighting the Joker Batman gets what he wants when he overpowers the Joker and his thugs but Batman pays for this because as he takes down the last of Joker's thugs the Joker grabs Rachel and holds her out of the broken window Batman returns to his familiar situation by saving Rachel's life as a standalone scene this can be considered a return to a familiar situation because the conflict of the scene has been resolved you could also say that this is not a return because Batman has not yet fulfilled his need to find a replacement and both viewpoints would be correct and both are valuable in building a complete story Batman does change here because he realizes that he has underestimated the Joker it doesn't matter whether you're stuck trying to figure out your entire story and act or even a scene you can use the story circle as a reference when you're in a bind but you don't have to be extremely formulaic with every decision that you make there are definitely scenes acts and even full screen plays that don't incorporate every element of the story circle and Dan Harmon acknowledges this when he says I'm not recommending that you sit there with a compass and a calculator breaking down your story to the point where every four second line of dialogue consists of eight syllables and tells the story of a sentence but it's possible and sometimes going there can help you make decisions or get unblocked the story circle is a useful guideline and helps to understand what the essential elements of story are and how to practically apply them to the writing process however I don't want you to misunderstand me and think that structure is the only key to telling a good story Hartman's story circle is extremely helpful however simply following this method will not necessarily create a good story Harmon says perfect structure is not synonymous with good show this is about what audiences recognize as stories not how to be a good writer writers who rely solely on good structure will find themselves writing formulaic conventional stories so what's the missing piece Charlie Kaufman arguably one of the greatest living screenwriters had this to say about writing say who you are really say it in your life and in your work tell someone out there who is lost someone not yet born someone who won't be born for 500 years your writing will be a record of your time it can't help but be but more importantly if you're honest about who you are you'll help that person be less lonely in their world because that person will recognize him or herself in you and that will give them hope Kaufman is focusing on the purpose of the story rather than solely focusing on hitting story beats the story becomes a journey into who you are and what you are trying to say this honesty is what separates great stories from decent or bad ones a screenplay is an exploration it's about the thing you don't know to step into the abyss conventional stories are written when writers don't take that journey into the abyss and focus instead on simply hitting certain beats at exactly the right time but if you can articulate what you are struggling with if you can provide your perspective if you can make someone else look at humanity in a new way then you're on the right track to something genuinely great and within that space structure can be used Herrmann writes good structure is the best weapon we can use in the fight against corporate garbage because good structure costs nothing it is instinctive to the individual and important to the audience structure is not a hindrance to creativity nor is it the only key to a great story it's a tool used for focus clarity and rhythm to make your story the best it can be rather than following an arbitrary script structure the story circle gives you a way to analyze stories of all different shapes and sizes from full screenplays to individual scenes think of screenplays acts and scenes as all telling their own small stories and ultimately a larger story identify the essential elements of your story so you can use them to focus on what you are actually trying to say and if you disagree with Dan Harmon and his story circle Harmon replies prove me wrong it'd be a great exercise the first lesson you'll learn is that it's pretty hard to actively defy this story model as soon as you get in the zone and you're writing something that's making you happy you're going to realize with horror that you've accidentally nailed one of the story steps at exactly the right time expose humanity examine flaws tell honest stories and you structure to do it hello everyone I hope you enjoyed the video please give it a like if you did I've launched a Facebook group for screenwriters to come and talk about the writing process swap story ideas brainstorm together and more it's free if you want to join and it's the first link in the description below there was a lot of research in a structure that went into this video and it wasn't able to cover all the interesting things I found but if you go over to that Facebook group I'll be making some posts over the next few days talking about how Quentin Tarantino uses story structure Kurt Vonnegut's unique understanding of structure seeing some of Shakespeare's ideas in modern films and even how music theory and story structure are very similar I hope to see you there what did you think of this video let me know in the comments below my next video we'll take a look at characters and how to use them too better stories thanks for watching

Channel: Tyler Mowery

Views: 402,883

Rating: 4.9652805 out of 5

Keywords: film analysis, movie review, tyler mowery, nerdwriter, lessons from the screenplay, every frame a painting, screenwriting, script breakdown, writing, workshop, writing course, teach screenwriting, oscar best screenplay, film school, story structure, script structure, how to write a script, script format, story structure masterclass, screenwriting masterclass, the dark knight, joker, christopher nolan, dan harmon, rick and morty, syd field, three act structure, story circle

Id: _hxnulkE3Dc

Length: 17min 40sec (1060 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 02 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/dennismfrancisart]

Harmon's concept is well grounded as well as flexible. That's important in any good idea on building structure. I'm a Syd Field proponent, but flexibility is a key point in delivering fresh stories. Just my opinion.

[u/roboteatingrobot]

Well done video! The story circle has been used since Homer's odyssey and is very well explained by Harmon. Are the following videos about different approaches to structure or how other films fit the circle?

[u/TallHonky]

"Instinctual" is a good word to describe this process. Every story we've ever told follows this route. It's embedded in our human fiber.

[u/4EyedEntity]

Remember, this also applies to any type of story. I've used the Harmon circle to write a short story before and it was VERY handy.

[u/BobJWHenderson]

I've been thinking that the 3 act structure and Harmon's story circle should be thought of as guides and not templates that are set in stone.

[u/fox_chicken_grain]

I'll be bookmarking this one. Thank you very much for the share!

[u/sasquatchsweater]

Ive been using a miniature version of save the cat structure for each act. I kind of feel like all the structure types are saying the same thing but with slightly different words.

[u/fabondi]

Thanks for sharing!

[u/applecinnamon1]

I used Blake Snyder in the beginning and it was so useful in my first few screenplays. What I liked about Truby was that he dealt with more characterizations and the reasons why you're writing the story. But this structure is also interesting and gives me an additional way of looking at a story, without changing what works for me.