El tema de la novela

Una cosa es la historia (que pasa) y otra el tema (de que va).

Todas y cada una de las escenas de nuestra novela debería haber algo relacionado con ese tema a un nivel
simbólico… al menos para el autor.

Una vez averiguado cuál es el tema de nuestra novela, todas y cada una de las decisiones narrativas que
tomemos deberían estar supeditadas a ese tema.

Y el tema lo metes en la escena, en la trama, en diferentes formas, dimensiones y puntos de vista

El tema es como la ola que va golpeando una y otra vez contra la historia. Hace que el lector se prepare de
forma inconsciente para hechos que le contaremos más adelante y que los viva de un modo mucho más
profundo.

Sólo tenemos que tener el cuidado suficiente para no mostrar este tema de un modo demasiado evidente.

Y es que, si bien el tema es un poderoso potenciador de la experiencia lectora cuando se utiliza con
mesura, produce en la mente de la mayoría de los lectores un fuerte sentimiento de rechazo cuando se
subraya demasiado. Para decirlo de un modo gráfico: mientras que una sutil sugerencia le hace pensar al
lector «de acuerdo, es en esto en lo que me tengo que fijar», un subrayado demasiado evidente le hace
gritar «¡me doy por enterado!, ¡déjalo!, ya sé de que va todo esto, así que no me aburras más con ello».

El conflicto
Y es que el conflicto es precisamente eso: la diferencia entre lo que el protagonista desea y
el lugar en el que éste se encuentra.

El conflicto es lo que hace avanzar la historia.

Los conflictos son un ente abstracto que no va a interesar al lector hasta que no
impliquemos en él a un personaje lo suficientemente atractivo como para que ese lector
pueda identificarse en alguna medida con él.

Eso no quiere decir que nuestro personaje protagonista tenga que ser un personaje bueno,
sino que tenemos que lograr que ese personaje sea lo suficientemente atractivo para que al
lector le importe lo que le está pasando.

Los personajes son los encargados de que al lector le importe la historia que está leyendo.

Escenas
Las escenas intermedias nos servirán en primer lugar para hacer que nuestros personajes vayan de una
escena clave a otra escena clave. Y eso lo conseguiremos a base de hacer que estos personajes sufran un
pequeño cambio en cada escena. Alguna de las cualidades de al menos un personaje deberá cambiar de
signo al final de cada escena.

Es decir: si nuestro protagonista ha entrado en la escena confiado, deberá salir de ella desconfiando de
quiénes le rodean; si ha entrado valiente, deberá salir temiendo por su vida.

Y, del mismo modo, debería salir confiado o valiente de las escenas a las que haya llegado desconfiado o
cobarde, claro.

Pero nuestros personajes siempre deberán salir cambiados de estas escenas aparentemente insípidas.

Repito: siempre.

De otro modo, la escena que estamos escribiendo sobra.

La estructura en tres actos
La estructura en tres actos es un patrón de divide la historia en tres partes bien reconocibles: los clásicos
planteamiento, nudo y desenlace. Sólo que aquí, en un dechado de originalidad, hablaremos de primer
acto, segundo acto y tercer acto.

Todas las historias se basan en este tipo de estructuras. Desde los cuentos infantiles, hasta las novelas
literarias. Así que nuestro cerebro espera de forma inconsciente que las historias que le llegan cumplan con
ese patrón. De no hacerlo echará algo en falta, aunque no sea capaz de decir qué es exactamente eso que
no termina de funcionar.

Primer acto
Establece las reglas de tu mundo en el primer acto. Introduce cuanto antes todos los
aspectos que diferencien al mundo especial de tu novela de nuestro mundo ordinario. A
ser posible, a lo largo del primer acto de la historia.
El Gancho es una escena dentro del Primer Acto que hace que el lector tenga curiosidad por saber
qué es lo que sucederá a continuación y cómo se desarrollará la historia.

El Gancho es algo que tiene interés, algo que hace prever que van a suceder cosas que merece la
pena leer, pero que ocurre dentro del Mundo Ordinario del protagonista.
A lo largo de este primer acto deberás presentar a tu lector el mundo de la novela. Ocupará alrededor del
25% de tu manuscrito, deberás presentar todas las necesidades y debilidades que harán detonar más
adelante el conflicto central de la historia.

Deberás hacer que el lector comprenda por qué actúa tu protagonista del modo en el que lo hace. Que
empatice con él (que es algo muy diferente a identificarse con él). Deberás describir un entorno consistente
que le sirva de apoyo a la posterior evolución dramática de ese personaje, todo eso mientras entretienes al
lector y avivas su curiosidad, por supuesto.

El Primer Acto es una sección de la novela en la que hay que dar mucha información al
usuario. Hay que explicarle cómo es el personaje protagonista, qué hace en su día a día y
hay que construir el Mundo Ordinario que estallará al llegar al deseado Primer Punto de
Giro. En ese instante, en ese Primer Punto de Giro, es cuando empezará realmente
nuestra historia.

Primer punto de giro

El primer punto de giro es el momento en el que todo salta por los aires. Sucede algo que hace que el
mundo del protagonista cambie por completo. Y es importante resaltar que eso sucede contra su voluntad.
El protagonista no decide adentrarse en ese nuevo mundo, sino que es arrojado a él por este primer punto
de giro.

What to include in Act I

The first act should feature the following:

 Hero: The protagonist deserves special attention, so you show them what they are about
to leave in their everyday circumstances.
 Setup: This is the who, where, and when of your story – an introduction of the primary
and secondary characters and their world.
 Theme: An allusion to the transformation your protagonist will undergo, a hint of what the
movie is really about.
 Call To Action: This inciting incident is the catalyst that will send your hero off into the
unknown.
 Resistance: Your main character shows some reluctance to accept the call and go on their
journey.

The structure of your screenplay in Act I sets the stage. It should set up the time and place
and introduce the most important characters, notably the hero.

The action starts with confronting the hero with an external problem, often connected to the
hero's internal situation. Therefore, the first act poses the dramatic question: how can the
hero solve these problems? The premise of your story is that after Act III, the audience will
know the answer.
Call To Action

Once you've introduced your hero with their goal and theme, it's time for the call to action.
This inciting incident is the catalyst that sets everything in motion. It needs to break the
status quo of your main character and prevent them from going back to normal afterward.
This event is an action that happens to the hero; they don't cause it.

Resistance: should I stay or should I go?

Not many characters accept a life-changing event just like that. They assess the incident
and consider their chances, but they are reluctant to go. So either they debate back and forth
if they should go, or the call has to be repeated a second time to make them embark on their
journey. If your hero is not yet ready to leave, they must gather tools or learn skills before
going.

Act I checklist

Do you think your first act has everything it needs to create a compelling beginning for
your story? Check your screenwriting with these points:

Hero

 Show your hero in their everyday surroundings.

 Do you have an opening image and hook?
 Is there a hint at how your main character will change?‍

Setup

 You've introduced the secondary character(s).

 The audience knows the main character's goal.
 You've shown your hero's problem or flaw.

Theme

 The theme relates to what your hero will learn or how they will change at the end.
 A character or thing introduces the theme, not your protagonist.

Call To Action

 The inciting incident happens to the main character in an action scene.

 The call to action makes it impossible for your hero to return to normal.
 The status quo is broken.

Reluctance

 Your hero ponders a (dramatic) question, i.e., should I stay or go?

  If your protagonist needs to prepare, what for and why?
 Your hero is reluctant to follow the call, and you show how that affects their life.

Primera mitad del segundo acto

¿Y qué sucede cuando lo arrojan a uno a un mundo extraño? Que no sabe cómo actuar ni a qué atenerse.
Así que tu protagonista se pasará toda la primera mitad del segundo acto aprendiendo a vivir en ese nuevo
mundo.

Esta sección de la estructura en tres actos ocupará otro 25% de tu manuscrito, y es un lugar ideal para
empezar a lanzar alguna que otra trama secundaria. Recuerda que estas tramas secundarias siempre
deberán estar al servicio de la trama principal. Así que sería una buena idea utilizarlas para mostrar la forma
en la que actúan otros personajes al encontrarse con problemas similares a los de tu protagonista, o, en
definitiva, para ahondar de forma diferente en el Gran Problema Moral que será el eje de tu historia.

Punto medio

Poco a poco llegaremos al punto medio de nuestra estructura en tres actos. Y en este punto medio sucederá
algo bastante curioso. Algo que hará que nuestro protagonista pase de ser un sujeto pasivo, a ser el sujeto
activo que tire de la historia a lo largo de toda su segunda mitad.

Ese algo puede ser el descubrimiento de una nueva información, un aumento en la intensidad de la
amenaza que se cierne sobre el protagonista… Cualquier cosa, siempre y cuando le obligue a tomar las
riendas de su propio destino.

Lo que, en una novela, equivale a enfrentarse a todos sus miedos y debilidades. ¿Ves por qué necesitabas
tenerlos tan claros ya en el primer acto?

Segunda mitad del segundo acto

Habrá llegado la hora de que tu protagonista tire del carro y luche por resolver ese conflicto el que le has
hecho enfrentarse.

Segundo punto de giro

El segundo punto giro llegará sobre el 75% de la estructura en tres actos. Y supondrá la última nueva
información que recibamos.

Después este segundo punto de giro, ni el lector ni el protagonista deberían recibir ninguna información
relevante más. Esto tiene una consecuencia muy clara: habremos puesto ya todas nuestras cartas sobre la
mesa y el final de la historia dependerá sólo del modo en el que nuestro protagonista consiga lidiar con el
tercer acto.
Tercer acto
El tercer acto ocupará en torno al último 25% de la novela y en él narraremos el modo en el que nuestro
protagonista se enfrenta por última vez a su adversario.

Éste no tiene que ser un adversario real, no tiene que ser un «malo» al estilo de Dr. No ni mucho menos.
Puede ser algo mucho menos corpóreo, más etéreo. Pero en todas las novelas habrá un adversario al que
nuestro protagonista se tendrá que enfrentar. Si no, ¿dónde estaría el conflicto?

En este tercer acto nuestro protagonista luchará frente a frente contra sus peores miedos y saldrá
victorioso… o no, claro.

En muchas historias se aprovecha para incluir una escena de «muerte y resurrección» en la que el
protagonista parece perderlo todo, justo un momento antes de renacer transformado en una versión
mejorada de sí mismo.

Act II – The Confrontation

What to include in Act II

The second act of your screenplay structure isn't called confrontation for anything – this is
when you get to throw all sorts of problems and obstacles at your hero. To have enough
rising action and a complete character arc for your protagonist, you'll need to include these
elements:

The second act of your screenplay structure is the confrontation – this is when you throw
obstacles at your hero. The action rises, and your character is tested. You'll need to have
fully fleshed out a character arc for your protagonist.

You'll need to include these elements:

 Crossing The Threshhold: Your hero finally decides to accept the call to action. They
venture outside of their status quo as outlined in Act I and face a complete reversal in Act
II.
 B Story Character: A new character comes into focus. They will accompany the protagonist
for part of the journey. The B Story character can be a friendly helper, a love interest, a
mentor, a foe, or even a thing.
 Fun and Games: In this long stretch, you get to fulfill the audience's expectations
according to the genre. Your hero is making progress or repeatedly fails in many action
scenes – car chases, explosions, and fights; here we go!
 Midpoint: story brings a premature victory or defeat for your hero. Either way, you raise
the stakes and let the audience know the journey is far from over.
 External to Internal: A trajectory opposite to the one leading up to the Midpoint begins
for your main character. They have to face their internal problem(s) before real change is
possible.
  All Is Lost: As the name implies, your protagonist hits rock bottom. Together with their
internal struggles, an external event makes them despair.
 Dark Night of the Soul: In their darkest hour, your hero reflects on everything that's
happened so far. Can they – will they – go on? If you will, it's a mini cliffhanger before Act
III.

Act II includes the rising action of the story.

Crossing the threshold

Your hero pursues what they want and makes a conscious, proactive choice – the hero's
journey has begun, and they have stepped into a new environment. Katniss Everdeen enters
the Capitol (The Hunger Games), Cooper leaves his family to join NASA (Interstellar), and
Forrest starts running (Forrest Gump).

B Story character

In the first act, you introduced secondary characters connected to the external story. Now
it's time for a helper figure, the B Story character. The B Story character will come to play
a significant role later. Still, you must introduce them early so the audience won't have the
feeling they appear out of nowhere as an instant solution to help your main character fix
their flaws or problems.

Fun and games

Now it's time to deliver and fulfill the premise's promise; in other words, give the audience
what they want. In a nutshell, your hero has to try and fail, then do it again and again. But,
of course, there are many ups and downs along the way, but you either put your protagonist
on an upward or downward trajectory, headed for success or failure.

Midpoint

Your story's pivot point comes roughly in the middle of your script. The previous path of
your hero leads to either a false victory or defeat as a culmination of their trials and
tribulations.

The purpose is to raise the stakes and begin shifting from an external to an internal journey.
From now on, the hero will have to address their need. This is when the countdowns start,
love stories become severe, and significant plot twists occur, or a public outing makes it
impossible for the main character ever to go back to how things were before.

External to Internal

Another name for this part of the second act is "Bad Guys Close In" – they've been foiled
and now come back stronger than before after the Midpoint.
But your hero's struggles are not only external at this point; they are also internal. However,
your main character still hasn't entirely changed and is dealing with the same problems or
flaws you've outlined in Act I.

As for the direction of this shift from external to internal, your protagonist will now be on a
downward path towards rock bottom after a false victory at the Midpoint.

All is Lost

Your hero needs another push, this time towards transforming themselves. Something big
happens to the main character that takes everything away from them. It's the point in the
movie where a mentor or helper character dies or a love interest leaves. Your protagonist is
facing their inner demons alone.

Dark Night of the Soul

Remember your hero's resistance to the call to action at the end of Act I? The Dark Night
Of The Soul is the same: your hero assesses the situation and thinks about giving up. But as
your main character ponders their past failures, they realize the common denominator. They
always stood between them and achieved their goal. To fix that, change is necessary.

Common problems screenwriters face in Act II

Second-act problems are the most common ailment that plagues screenwriters. Fear not; we
have some fixes for what you might be struggling with in Act II.

Act II is boring

Yes, the second act sucks: after a great setup in Act I, you want to get to the finale in Act
III as quickly as possible. What's in between is drudgery with neither glory nor romance.
Your hero's struggles have become your own. They have to exercise will and find the
strength to continue. Your job is to show what keeps them from skipping forward.

Even if your hero has superpowers, something keeps them from going straight to the final
fight. They have to face their character first, as we all do. Your second act won't be tedious
if the audience can relate to that.

What goes where

If you don't know how to begin Act II or have written a bunch of scenes that all seem to
come later, you might have a structural weakness. The second act is a chain of events:
cause and effect lead from one activity to another.

If you can't write in chronological order, assess each of your scenes.

For example, how close is the hero to their goal? How far are they from where they've
started? What is happening externally and internally? Place the scenes under one of the
story beats in Act II and see how the result flows like a narrative.

Weak story foundation

It's common to enter Act II and begin to doubt the strength of your story's foundation.
Assuming your hero is a well-rounded character, you can test the foundation by looking at
the Midpoint and working outwards in either direction from there. Remember, the false
defeat or victory in the middle informs the hero's trajectory before and after. From there,
you check the Threshold and the rock bottom at All Is Lost: your hero needs to be primed
for the coming acts in these sections.

Act I goes on forever

If you don't have a clear break between Act I and II or have a run-on first act on your
hands, you might be too busy world-building to kick off your story – or your call to action
is not strong enough, so your hero remains in the status quo of the first act. Remember that
you can continue to add to the world in the second act and that your first act only needs to
include a few essential elements, which we've outlined in the previous installment of this
series.

Not thinking visually

The adage show doesn't tell holds for Act II. But, of course, the dialog is a necessary
interaction between characters that you can use to convey information to the audience. Still,
the film is behavior: your hero and other characters reveal who they are through their
actions. This is especially important in Act II when the hero needs to understand who they
are.

My main character isn't on-screen

Whose story are you telling? If your protagonist doesn't have enough scenes in the second
act, you might have the wrong hero – or you've locked them up in a predicament too early.

Only in the All Is Lost should they reach the end of their wit; a false defeat at the Midpoint
raises the stakes and makes them continue.

Screenwriting a series

A horizontal series sustains an arc for your main character(s) across an entire season.
Naturally, each episode requires its story arc with ups and downs, but when does the second
act begin and end in the grand order?
Act II makes up the bulk of a movie or series at roughly 50 to 60 percent. As a rule of
thumb, Crossing The Threshold occurs at around 20%, and the third act begins more or less
at about 80% of the total runtime.

In a series of ten episodes, your second act would therefore stretch over episodes three to
eight.

Act II checklist

Even if your struggles and problems Act II were not listed above, you could troubleshoot
your script with the following Act II screenwriting checklist:

Crossing The Threshold

 Your hero leaves the status quo of Act I (if they're not physically on the move, they at least
try something new).
 There is a clear break between the first and second act, showing your hero enters an
inverse world in Act II.
 Your hero follows what they want and decides to heed the call to action.

B Story Character

 You introduce a new character (or thing) that represents the theme.
 Because of the new world in Act II, your hero takes note of this character.

Fun and Games

Even though things go up and down, your hero is headed for success or failure.

 It's Fun And Games for the audience: deliver on their (genre) expectations!
 Continue to show the difference between your hero's world before and after the call to
action.

Midpoint

 Your hero experiences a false victory or defeat, which raises the stakes.
 You set up the shift from external to internal (or A Story to B Story).

External to Internal

 Your hero's internal flaws are working against them.

 The path is now opposite to the one before the Midpoint.

All is Lost

 Another significant inciting incident happens to your hero.

  Your main character hits rock bottom.
 You set up your hero's character transformation.

Act III – Resolution

What to include in Act III

Writing Act III is easy; you simply need to resolve your story, tie up all the loose strings of
your subplots, answer the dramatic question raised in Act I and complete the transformation
of your main character, end your story – and there should be a killer climax in there!
Sounds daunting? We'll coach you through the elements of Act III:

 The Fix: After their epiphany at the end of Act II, your hero now realizes how they can fix
everything, their problems, and their character.
 Finale: This is the big moment to which you've been building up all along – the final battle.
In terms of The Hero's Journey, this is the fight where the hero dies and is resurrected
again transformed.
 Closing Image: A shot that mirrors the opening on your hero, only now you show them as
a reborn person after their transformation.

Act III includes the resolution of your story.

The Fix

Remember your hero's epiphany at the end of Act II, where they realized that their inner
struggles were holding them back? In a breakthrough moment, they learn how they can
overcome that. The Fix represents the acceptance of the hero's flawed self and a resulting
decision towards a solution. You can do this in a single scene that sets up the more
extended finale.

Finale

If Act III is roughly 25 percent of your movie, the finale takes up most of that with nearly
20 percent screen-time. So it's essential not to rush to the climax or deliver a
straightforward, predictable win for your hero.

Break the finale down into these steps: the hero gathers their strength or otherwise prepares;
the plan is put in motion; a twist reveals the program as it cannot work; the hero
(figuratively) dies and is resurrected; after which they alter the plan to succeed at the end.

In the approach to the climax, your hero prepares by gathering the necessary tools, which
can mean weapons, maps, supplies, or information depending on your genre. If they don't
face their last battle alone, they need a team. At this point, your main character makes
amends with A Story characters they've alienated before.

Enter the final surprise or twist: the hero has stepped into a trap or detects an oversight in
the plan. This can be a big reveal (Malcolm Crowe in The Sixth Sense was dead the whole
time!), a dramatic plummet of the winning odds (Mark hears from NASA that the ascent
vehicle is too heavy in The Martian), or any other "Your Princess Is In Another Castle"
moment.

What follows must be a reaction by the main character. Once more, they assess their
situation, however briefly: defeat or giving up are real possibilities. The theme of your story
comes into play. What is it that your hero needs to do or realize? They overcome their
internal problems and demonstrate their inner change, completing their transformation.

At the climax of the finale, the hero triumphs. They've altered the plan, put it to use, and
succeeded. The ultimate reward awaits. As a screenwriter, making that reward metaphorical
or literal is up to you.

Closing Image

In the first act of your screenplay structure, you've shown the hero in their status quo before
the journey, their world before they changed. Now, all the tension from the climax has
dissipated. So let the audience see the transformation.

The Closing Image can be a single scene or a series of scenes, but the mirror effect between
Act I and III works best if you dedicate an equal amount of screen-time for opening and
closing images. For example, in K

‍
Act III includes the resolution of your story.

Act III checklist

Not sure if the conclusion of your screenplay is a complete resolution? Check your
screenwriting:

The Fix

 Your hero learns the theme and makes a decision.

 The Fix will change the hero the right way.
 You set up Act III as a synthesis of Act I and Act II.

Finale

 Your finale has ups and downs and isn't a straightforward race to the finish line.
 After the twist, your hero demonstrates how they've changed.
 Your external and internal story cross during the finale.
 You answer the dramatic question(s) posed in Act I.
Closing Image

 You show (don't tell!) the completed transformation of your hero.

 This final image is a mirror of the hero in Act I.
 The closing image offers indeed closure (or leaves with a cliffhanger).

Three-act structure film examples

Moana

Disney movies have a phenomenal grasp on the three-act screenplay structure and function
like meticulously crafted swiss watches delivering theme and plot in perfect harmony. Each
plot point is carefully designed to maximize pay-off while hiding the machinery under a
heap of charm and humor. Here's how Moana works.

Act I: Moana on her island

Opening/Setup: The opening of Moana gives us necessary background information of the

world before introducing us to Moana herself. She's intelligent and adventurous but is
expressly forbidden by her father to go beyond the island's limits.

Inciting Incident: However, a blight hits the island that threatens to starve everyone who
lives off its vegetation. Moana's grandmother tells her that to stop the blight; she needs to
restore the heart of Te Fiti, an ancient God, by finding Maui, a long-lost demigod.

Turn to Act II: Moana breaks from the tradition and takes a defiant step towards adventure
and away from the life she knew to save her island. Like many transitions to Act II, this is a
literal step away from the location of Act One and is the encapsulation of one of the
movie's most famous songs, How Far I'll Go.

Act II: Adventuring out to Sea

Premise/Fun & Games: As Moana is a musical, we hear some of the more comedic songs
and are introduced to the secondary character of Maui. Moana and Maui run afoul of
Kakamora and try to retrieve Maui's hook from a giant crab.

Midpoint: Moana and Maui bond, and as such, Maui teaches her how to sail, which helps
him regain control of his powers. The two seem like unstoppable forces.

Descent to Darkest Moment: However, when they reach their destination, Moana refuses
to heed Maui's call to retreat, resulting in his hook being damaged. Maui abandons Moana
leaving her alone and sad. Here she has her "come to God" moment by communing with
the spirit of the ocean.

Turn to Act III: Inspired by her encounter with the spirit of the ocean, Moana perseveres
and sails back to the island to restore the heart of Te Fiti.
Act III: reuniting with Maui and confronting Te Ka

Finale: In a final conflict with the main antagonist, Moana realizes that Te Ka, the
antagonist, is Te Fiti, the goal of her quest; Moana restores the heart, and the blight is
healed.

Closing Image: Moana returns home to reunite with her tribe, who return to their
adventuring ways.

Casablanca

One of the greatest movies of all time that still holds up to this day and unsurprisingly has a
firm grasp of screenplay structure. Inspiring and profound are perhaps the reasons it's still
beloved today.

Act I: Introducing the main players

Opening/Setup: Through an opening monologue, we are told about the state of Casablanca
as a city for refugees fleeing the Nazi regime. In Casablanca, we meet Rick, the
protagonist, at his cafe, which hosts both liberation figures and envoys of the Vichy French
regime. Rick is sad and now considers himself neutral on all things.

Inciting Incident: One of Rick's many criminal friends, Ugarte, entrusts Rick with two
letters that guarantee safe passage to neutral Portugal, a precious commodity in a town
where everyone wants to get out. However, Ugarte is arrested before he can retrieve them.

Turn to Act II: To make a sticky situation worse, who should walk into Rick's bar but Ilsa,
his former love, alongside her now-husband Victor Laszlo, a famous resistance leader.
They need the letters to escape, and the Nazi Major Stasser is here to ensure they fail, all
while Rick's stuck in the middle. How long can he stay neutral?

Act II: Navigating a sticky situation

Promise of the Premise/Fun & Games: Rick starts to navigate his precarious position by
refusing to sell the letters to Laszlo because of the internal grudge Rick still holds towards
Ilsa for as yet undisclosed reasons.

Midpoint: But Rick can't stay neutral forever. In his bar, a group of German officers starts
singing a patriotic German song to some silent animosity. Laszlo asks the band to play La
Marseillaise, a french anthem, in defiance. The band looks to Rick, which is a crucial act of
defiance; he gives a nod of approval. The bar erupts in song and drowns out the German
officers.

Descent to Darkest Moment: Of course, the German officers don't take kindly to this and
forcibly shut down Rick's bar. In the wake of this stress, Ilsa confronts Rick, where we get
the crucial backstory that details Rick and Ilsa's love affair the previous year in Paris.
Turn to Act III: Rick realizes that he was likely in the wrong the entire time, and we start
to see the old gun-runner he used to be.

Act III: Rick Decides to Act

Finale: Rick helps Ilsa and Lazslo escape Casablanca with the letters he was given, killing
Major Strasser in the process. In a noble sacrifice, Rick lets Ilsa go knowing that he must
sacrifice his love in the name of a greater good. A far cry from the neutral state he began in.

Closing Image: Rick walks away from the airstrip with Renault, suggesting a fully-fledged
return to resistance against the Nazi regime.

The Dark Knight

Of course, superhero films are no exception to the 3 Act structure. They're particularly well
suited to it in some ways, considering their mythic roots. Yet, despite The Dark Knight's
relatively complex plot, it follows the three-act structure brilliantly.

Act I: Joker Arrives in Gotham

Opening/Setup: The opening introduces The Joker, an element of chaos that will send
Gotham into mayhem and challenge the structures of justice it currently operates under.
Shortly afterward, we're introduced to Batman, reckoning with his influence over other do-
gooders in Gotham.

Inciting Incident: Batman allies with Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent with the secret hope
that Dent will be able to protect Gotham so that he can hang up the cowl.

Turn to Act II: The Joker makes his debut in the crime world, forcefully taking over one
of the prominent crime families and promising to kill Batman in exchange for half the
mob's money.

Act II: Batman and Joker Spar

Premise/Fun & Games: Batman chases the mob's corrupt accountant to Hong Kong,
returns him to justice, Joker plays maniacal and sadistic games with Batman by murdering
justice officials and learns that Rachel, his ex-girlfriend and Dent's current partner, is going
to be the Joker's next target.

Midpoint: Just as Bruce is about to reveal his secret identity, Dent lies and says that he is
Batman in a bid to stop The Joker's rampage. This ploy lures The Joker out into the open,
where he is taken into custody after an attack on a convoy carrying Dent.

Descent to Darkest Moment: However, it looks like The Joker planned for all this. In an
interrogation, The Joker reveals that he organized the kidnapping of Dent and Rachel. The
bombs go off, killing Rachel and permanently scarring Dent, disillusioning him with the
entire idea of justice. To make things worse, The Joker escapes, turns Dent to the side of
supervillainy and takes a bus full of hostages.

Turn to Act III: Batman resorts to extreme measures of privacy invasion to bring The
Joker to justice with grave consequences on the horizon.

Act III: Final Confrontation with Joker and Two-Face

Finale: Batman tracks down The Joker, rescues the hostages, and beats him in the fight, but
not before he realizes that the plan was always to turn Dent to the side of chaos. Batman
and Jim confront Dent, who falls to his death. Batman convinces Jim to blame him for
Dent's spree of murders to preserve his image of being Gotham's protector.

Closing Image: Batman runs from the police, his reputation ruined, having made the
ultimate sacrifice to keep Gotham from falling into chaos.

Ready to start writing?

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