ACT ONE:
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
OPENING IMAGE. Establish tone, world, and the protagonist's ordinary life. Show us who they are before anything changes.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
SETUP / THEME STATED. Plant the protagonist's flaw, their want, and the thematic question the film will answer.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
INCITING INCIDENT. The event that disrupts the ordinary world and sets the story in motion.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
END OF ACT ONE TURN. The protagonist commits to the journey. No going back.
ACT TWO:
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
FUN AND GAMES / RISING ACTION. The promise of the premise. Escalating obstacles as the protagonist pursues their want.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT
MIDPOINT. A false victory or false defeat that raises the stakes and shifts the goal.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT
BAD GUYS CLOSE IN / THINGS FALL APART. Pressure mounts; the protagonist's plan and relationships strain.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT
ALL IS LOST / CRISIS. The lowest point. The protagonist loses what matters most and must confront their flaw.
ACT THREE:
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
BREAK INTO ACT THREE. Armed with what they learned, the protagonist chooses to act on their true need.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
CLIMAX. The final confrontation. The protagonist faces the central conflict head-on and is tested completely.
INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY
RESOLUTION / CLOSING IMAGE. Show the changed world and the transformed protagonist. Mirror or invert the opening image.
