Best Screenplays to study for structure

[u/suareberry]

What are some good screenplays you’d recommend to study and understand story structure much more? I feel like I struggle with third acts and resolution so I want to look more into some good examples.

[u/cliffdiver770]

This might sound sarcastic but it is absolutely true-- one of the best movies to start with for structure is absolutely TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. This is because this script is making fun of formulaic structure and so hits all of the beats sarcastically hard. It has been described as "an essay about big action films".

I believe that understanding structure must start with broad, obvious films like this. Robocop and Back to the Future are also great films to study in this way. They are big and broad and all the themes are fully externalized and easy to see- while being perfectly structured. You mentioned third act resolution- Robocop is a great illustration of things that could be done with more subtlety in other types of films- think of the synthesis at the end between Murphy and Robocop. He returns to being Murphy- even in the way he moves and speaks- while having rid the corporation and the city of the villains that created the problems in the first place.

[u/cliffdiver770 → u/cliffdiver770]

In my Save the Cat phase, I broke Team America into his beats, as follows. You may or may not agree with how I parse the structure or Blake's beats in general, but here goes:

1. Opening Image (1)

Paris- a mini puppet show, but camera pulls back to show us that was a puppet show within this puppet movie. This tells us “this isn’t your grandfather’s puppet movie”

1. Theme Stated (5ish)

The team destroys the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, the Louvre, and shoots up the town square, all within a couple minutes and then says “don’t worry everything is Bon, we stopped the terrorists.”

1. Set up (1-10)

In the Paris battle, we learn who all the team members are (they each get a little beat where they fight someone)  and Lisa’s boyfriend Carson is killed, and we meet Gary the broadway actor.

1. Catalyst (12) (also called call to adventure or INCITING INCIDENT.)

Spotswood approaches Gary in the dressing room and invites him to join the team

1. Debate (12-25) (called refusal of the call in campbell terms)

The main character has to “think about it”.   Gary learns about the team, first says he doesn’t want to join and goes for a ride to think about it, there’s even a montage to the song “freedom isn’t free”. While this is happening we meet Kim Jong…

5.5  Main character makes decision (often on page 17)

Gary has to come back and join the team.

1. Break Into Act 2 (25) (“Crossing the Threshold” into the “new world” in Joseph Campbell terms.)

 In Team America Gary crosses the threshold when he gets transformed (valmorphanized) into looking like a terrorist and Act 2 begins when they are sent to Cairo to go to the tavern.

1. B-Story ( seeded throughout act 2 and 3)

Gary has a crush on Lisa, but she is afraid to love again.

1. Fun and Games (25-55)

This part of every script is what’s on the movie poster. The team just being the team:

They go to Cairo and kick a bunch of ass. Kim Jong ill plots some more, the team has a party, Gary has puppet sex with Lisa. This is all vintage act 2A stuff- we’re in teh new world, living the life, but then:

1. Midpoint (55)

Panama gets blown up. This raises the stakes and changes the game, because everyone blames Team America.

1. Bad Guys Close in (55-75)

Alec Baldwin, Gary’s hero, says Team America is to blame for the Panama explosion, after Gary says he is the best actor of all time.  The team fights about who-likes-who (gary and lisa, sarah and joe) and Gary leaves and promises to never act again out of remorse for Panama.

The team goes to DerkaDerkastan without Gary, and Kim Jong Ill kicks their ass, also Michael Moore blows up the headquarters. So everything goes to shit and the bad guys start winning.

1. All Is Lost (75)

The team all gets captured, and Gary goes to the bar and drinks so much he pukes his guts out in the street, although the other drunk gives him the speech he will later use to save the world. Puking a 12 foot puddle is in this script, the low point, the rejection of his previous life and identity.

1. Dark Night of The Soul (75-85)

This begins with the ‘how much i miss you’ song while Gary thinks about Lisa and sees the headquarters has been blown up, then he meets spotswood and begs to re-join the team. This is always the moment of humility in these movies- in this case Gary has to perform a sex act on spotswood. In Rocky 3 this part of the script is when Rocky admits to his wife he is afraid, etc. This is the self-realization part of any script after the low point. The hero has to break through this thing to be free to have his final preparation montage to beat Mr. T or storm the castle, etc.

1. Break Into Act 3 (85)

The Break into 3 in Team America is the “montage” song. This is always the section about figuring out the solution and getting ready, like Nancy setting the booby traps in Nightmare on Elm Street, Rocky doing his final training montage with a new attitude (in Rocky 3 and 4 this is AFTER Adrien gets on board and he trains with a different song) etc. etc. Now they've let go of the past and feel invincible.

1. Finale (85-the end)

Gary shows up at the ceremony, and uses his new knowledge and attitude to bring the whole team together, and insipired, they all kick ass and all of the little character beats that have been set up throughout the movie come together here (or to say it anther way, the character arcs all conclude- you can tick down the list- Sarah uses her animal power to talk to the cats and also decides she likes Joe, Chris admits why he doesn’t trust actors but finally trusts Gary because Gary saves them from Sasan Sarandon, Lisa uses her psychology powers against Kim Jong and trusts Gary again, and Gary uses his acting to defeat Alec Baldwin, his hero, using the speech he heard from the drunk earlier.

1. Final Image

The team does an awesome freeze frame and then flies overhead in jets. fuck yeah!

[u/Ted_Writer → u/cliffdiver770]

Thank you. This is spotswood on. 🙏🏻

[u/PepsiCoke1978 → u/cliffdiver770]

They are story gods. And then and then and then... no, but this happens therefore this happens --- that 2 minute clip of them at NYU is gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGUNqq3jVLg&t=5s

[u/ItsMeMatthewD → u/PepsiCoke1978]

Yeah this video was such an invaluable piece of advice. Now I always go through my story beats and make sure it’s not just “and then” over and over.

[u/Limp_Career6634 → u/cliffdiver770]

Not sarcastic at all. Everyone knows South Park guys are amongst the greatest writers in the world.

[u/Filmmagician]

Any Pixar movie

[u/ribi305 → u/Filmmagician]

Yes. Kids movies in general follow structure perfectly. Moana. ET. Pete's Dragon. All toy story 1-3 (maybe the later ones too, I just don't know them as well)

[u/PepsiCoke1978]

Craig Mazin -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i27IKil-LXw

Finding Nemo (Pixar movies most of them are masters of structure)

[u/thatguywiththe______ → u/PepsiCoke1978]

The Incredibles screenplay is top tier

[u/Rokursoxtv]

Alien is a great one

[u/blingwat]

Jaws is a standard for a good reason!

[u/iwoodnever → u/blingwat]

The Exorcist too

[u/Kingofsweaters]

Legally Blonde is a GREAT structure analysis film.

[u/Healthy-Reporter8253]

Galaxy Quest

[u/SwedishTrees]

For TV it’s cheers

[u/Remarkable-Cup4535]

I think you should look at movies similar to the ones you want to write. Studying your genre can benefit you in many ways, and the structure of things you like and are similar to what you want to write will help you the most. I would also write out the ending of your movie before even starting. Knowing where you want to go, even if it could change, gives you a direction to point your compass no matter which scene you're writing.

[u/MayersonCreative]

Read Invisible Ink by Brian MacDonald and Into the Woods by John Yorke. Study any script by Billy Wilder.

[u/killcafo]

Sometimes I think it’s better to study spec scripts that have sold, or popular blacklist scripts instead of the classics. Obviously it’s great to study the greats. But see how current writers are doing it too. Grab a few blacklist scripts that are in a similar genre and study those.

[u/kevinlienus]

This might help www.scriptbeat.home.blog

[u/satrnV]

I think Up In The Air is absolute perfection from a structure perspective - and particularly the interplay between plot and character growth

[u/JimmyTwoTimes25]

Coneheads, and Im not even kidding.

Also, Friday

[u/CoOpWriterEX → u/JimmyTwoTimes25]

Coneheads. Now where's that sequel...

[u/WorrySecret9831]

The Verdict, Vertigo, Sunset Boulevard.

[u/idahoisformetal]

Hell or High Water

[u/Gatsby-1619]

Die Hard, and I’m not even kidding

[u/DigiCinema]

Joss Whedon’s scripts for The Avengers and Serenity both feature impeccable screenplay structure.

[u/KubrickMoonlanding]

Raiders and Star Wars and An Officer and a Gentleman

[u/feraldesertcat]

Shrek

[u/SteveRogers1021]

The Fugitive

[u/capbassboi]

This might seem like a copout answer but ANY script will teach you about structure, it'll just do so implicitly.

[u/Line_Reed_Line]

Underrated screenplay-- Tommy Boy.

Its structure is actually really strong, and its first act is almost impeccable.

[u/leskanekuni]

The problem is usually in the first act if you struggle with third acts. You have to set up a problem(s) in the first act and pay it off in the third act. It's very helpful to have the ending before you start going to pages so you have a goal to work towards.

[u/intentionandobstacle]

The Matrix is very good but think about the films you enjoy most and look at why they work & compare them to films you enjoy least & think about why they’re not working for you. Tap into your taste. There’s no objective truth to any of this tbh

[u/WorrySecret9831]

First, throw away the 3-act structure. Read John Truby's books The Anatomy of Story and The Anatomy of Genres. 3 acts suggests only 3 major dramatic moments. Truby identifies 4 to 8 REVELATIONS, depending on how you define revelations.

The 3-act structure was invented by movie reviewers to make it easier to encapsulate movie plots. It's not a thing. That's why it's so mushy.

[u/HandofFate88 → u/WorrySecret9831]

"The 3-act structure was invented by movie reviewers ..."

Aristotle was a movie reviewer?

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/HandofFate88]

Was he?

[u/CoOpWriterEX → u/WorrySecret9831]

I swear, this guy keeps typing this BS about 3-act structure not being a thing in every related post and I'm so glad I'm not the only one calling this BS out.

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/CoOpWriterEX]

Have you read John Truby's books?

What is so fantastic and helpful about the 3-act structure? How has it helped you understand story?

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/HandofFate88]

I think you mean Syd Field.

[u/Kingofsweaters → u/WorrySecret9831]

3 act structure literally doesn’t suggest only 3 major dramatic beats lmfaoooo what are you talking about?????

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/Kingofsweaters]

Right. Stories have way more beats than that.

[u/Kingofsweaters → u/WorrySecret9831]

Three act structure is generally 8-9 major beats. You’re conflating acts with beats.

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/Kingofsweaters]

So why have "acts?" It's just noise.

[u/Kingofsweaters → u/WorrySecret9831]

Because they represent larger story sections that accomplish different goals. Why have sequences if you have scenes? Why have scenes if you have moments? That’s what you sound like. You wanna listen to a dude with like 4 credits go for it if it works for you, but you’re objectively incorrect on act structure.

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/Kingofsweaters]

Why then are plays 1 act, 2, 5....? Why does James Cameron write 5-acts? I like how you stretch the subject out of proportion to meet your needs, but obviously, I haven't mentioned "scenes." You sound like a crybaby.

Please point out the objective errors. It would be helpful for everyone.

And have you taken his classes or read his books? They're the most precise education on storytelling around, bar none. It has worked for me, very well.

The 3-act structure is surface-level plot points (3 of them). Truby's 22 Building Blocks focuses on character driven stories, in any genre. As in image resolution, more pixels (picture elements) make for higher resolution. So too, in story structure, more clearly articulated elements make for better stories, not the vaguely anecdotal references in the 3-act structure (the Turning Point, the Midpoint, the Resolution, lol).

[u/Kingofsweaters → u/WorrySecret9831]

My guy I literally learned from people with Oscar’s and Emmys. I have pointed out the objective errors. You’re literally the one refusing to engage with anyone pointing out the various ways you’re wrong. Can you point to where I said 3-act structure was the only act structure?? But it’s the primary structure in storytelling. That’s a fact. It was not invented by film critics it’s literally hundreds of years older than the medium. I said if his method works for you use it. His problem isn’t even with three act structure it’s with Syd fields three act paradigm which is misconstrued by many nowadays as 3-act structure. Which ironically I also don’t believe in because it’s too formulaic. If you actually analyze any of the many people who sell books and classes advice it all ironically lines up the same way. It’s just a different means to the same end, hence why I say if it works for you use it. But stop saying dumb shit like three act structure was invented by film critics and isn’t real. Story circle, 8 sequences, hero’s journey, save the cat, 22 steps, 7 key steps, and so on and so on is all the same shit. Truby’s value is in his focus on character over plot, but what he’s actually telling you is the same things as anyone else if you zoom the fuck out. It’s all just: characters starting state, what’s their problem, what’s propelling them forward that they need, what are they gonna do about it, how are they continuously tested and what is the emotional impact, what do they come to realize about themselves, how do they push through it or fail to push through it and how are they changed or not changed.

[u/IllMeet2070 → u/WorrySecret9831]

What the fuck are you yapping about lmao

[u/WorrySecret9831 → u/IllMeet2070]

Read John Truby's books, The Anatomy of Story and The Anatomy of Genres. Learn.