{"id":6555,"date":"2024-02-29T03:05:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T02:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2024\/02\/29\/what-is-five-act-structure-and-how-do-you-use-it\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T03:05:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T02:05:30","slug":"what-is-five-act-structure-and-how-do-you-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2024\/02\/29\/what-is-five-act-structure-and-how-do-you-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Five-Act Structure and How Do You Use It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

\nHave you ever sat to write but had no idea what should happen when in your story? While tools like outlines<\/a> and treatments<\/a> help, it all boils down to how your structure your story.\n<\/p>\n

\nStory structure is not mandatory but many writers find it incredibly useful and comforting when they sit down to work. Outside of that, you may need to know it as you take professional meetings for staffing. Today, I want to go over one of the less talked about structures five act, and let you know how yo use it and why.\n<\/p>\n

\nSo let’s fade in!<\/p>\n

\n

\nWhat is Five-act Structure?
\n<\/h1>\n

\nStory structure marks the beats<\/a> or moments in a play, tv show, or movie that move along the plot. The structure itself comes from Aristotle’s Poetics<\/em>. In 350 BCE, Aristotle wrote that the plot structure of a drama is formed like a basic triangle.\n<\/p>\n

\nWe call that the rhetorical triangle.\n<\/p>\n

\"The-rhetorical-triangle-1024x1024\"Credit: The Visual Communication Guy<\/small>\n<\/p>\n

\nOur traditional three acts come from this triangle. But people wanted more nuance as plots got more complicated. While traditionally marked in three acts, a German playwright and novelist named Gustav Freytag wrote a book called Die Technik des Dramas. <\/em>In it, he put forth the five-act dramatic structure.\n<\/p>\n

\nToday, it’s referred to as “Freytag’s pyramid.”\n<\/p>\n

\"Five-act-structure\"Credit: Creative Prototypes LLC<\/small>\n<\/p>\n

\nWho uses Freytag’s Pyramid?
\n<\/h2>\n

\nWilliam Shakespeare. That should be good enough for you.\n<\/p>\n

\nBut I am aware Shakespeare didn’t sign any overall deals at Netflix or Amazon. So instead, let’s talk about Vince Gilligan and Breaking Bad<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n

\nGilligan used the five-act structure in every episode of Breaking Bad<\/em>. Including the pilot<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\nIt’s also used in the Grey’s Anatomy<\/em> pilot as well. In fact. Many TV pilots you read and write will be done with five acts.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn terms of films, check out things like Erin Brokovich<\/em> and Gladiator<\/em>. Writer Michael Hauge<\/a> diagrams both movies as having five-point plot moments they defy the typical act structure seen in most films.\n<\/p>\n

\nSo what should happen in each act?\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat are the five acts inside Freytag’s Pyramid?
\n<\/h2>\n

\nWhile Freytag triangle was created to be used on plays, we’re evolved as a society and now try to use them for film and television. Let’s diagram each part of the triangle, which is more like a parallelogram, and see how they can help you map your story.\n<\/p>\n

\nOh, an since we’re writing screenplays, I switched up some of the titles so they’ll be more useful to writers.\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Tag: Start exciting <\/li>\n
  2. Act One: Exposition for the Audience <\/li>\n
  3. Act Two: Conflicts appear <\/li>\n
  4. Act Three: Things get real bad <\/li>\n
  5. Act Four: Everything’s downhill <\/li>\n
  6. Act Five: Tying up loose ends <\/li>\n
  7. The D\u00e9nouement: Where do we go from here? <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \nWhat about page counts for those acts?
    \n<\/h2>\n

    \nHere’s a few page-centric goals for you to try to hit. Know that these page numbers will totally vary when it comes to length of teasers, tags, and how many characters you want within the story.\n<\/p>\n