Having read through most of the screenwriting books I have a hold of, I now felt comfortable to start writing the structure of the film.
Both 'Save The Cat!' and 'Writing Short Films: Structure and Content for Screenwriters' have been very helpful in clearly laying out how your film should be structured to be successful. Although there are exceptions to these rules, in my research I noticed that the films that did follow these rules, I enjoyed the most.
In Save The Cat! the structure is laid out as such:
Opening Image- Sets the tone, mood, type and scope of the film. Gives a before shot of the character.
Theme Stated- Someone makes a statement to the main character, an offhand remark.
Set-Up- The Hero, The Stakes, The goal of the story (Opening Image and Theme Stated come under this)
Catalyst- Moments which knock the world down that you’ve just showed the audience
Break into Two- Hero decides to leave the set-up world and go into a new one.
B story- It gives us a break from the main story, but supports it.
Fun and Games- Provides the promise of the premise. A more light-hearted section of the script.
Midpoint- Something negative or positive happens here that changes the motion of the script.
Bad Guys Close In- The bad guy tightens their grip on the hero, who is about to suffer a fall.
All is Lost- False defeat, opposite to midpoint. Stick a whiff of death in there.
Dark Night of the Soul- A moment of defeat where the character and the audience know it. Short.
Break into Three- The idea to solve the problem emerges. A and B story combine.
Finale- Dispatching the bad guys, leading to a triumph for the hero.
Final Image- opposite to the opening image, showing how change has occurred.
In general I found this to be true of short films as well as feature length films. However, as feature films have the time to explore multiple concepts, things such as a B-story might not be included in a short film.
In Writing Short Films: Structure and Content for Screenwriters I found the structure to be very similar in Save The Cat! However, it is more specified for short films:
Setup (1-3)- Protagonist and Main conflict (Something the character wants and something it needs, and something to conflict with these)- Main Exposition (What the audience needs to know in relation to the character and situation)- Inciting Incident (The catalyst that sets the hero in motion to pursue what he wants and needs)- The Problem and Sub-Problem (A main problem that has consequences for the character.)
The Rising Action (4-14)- The Antagonist (A character that personifies the hero's obstacles)- The Plan (The hero's plan to get what he wants that shows surprises and presents further obstacles)- Obstacles (Something that opposes the protagonist as he attempts to achieve his goal.)- Complications (Something unexpected that can cause a change in action.)- The Reversal (An unexpected event that turns the direction of the film 180 degrees)- Crisis (An attempt to capture the goal by the hero, but is temporarily thwarted)- The Main Crisis (The conflict intensifies and increases)
The Climax & Resolution (15-20)- Climax (The highest, most exciting point in the drama)- Resolution (Tying up loose ends and solving problems/falling action)
I found this equally useful as I could compare with the other structure type and find that they were very similar. They both explain why each point is necessary using relevant examples. When I then went on to create my structure, I decided to mainly use the one from Save The Cat! as I found it a little bit easier to understand, however I always used the other structure for reference to make sure I was putting it into a short film context. This is the structure that came out:
- Jarvis comes into the cafe with a box of office belongings dressed like he’s just come from work and has had a rough day. He orders a black coffee. Sits down and starts looking at a picture from the box.
- A man comes in and sits opposite him. The man, we discover, is his brother and the brother is showing concern over his well-being (job etc.) He sees Jarvis looking at the picture and warns Jarvis to not spend too long chasing something unattainable.
- Jarvis goes to the toilet and pulls a pill from a small bag in his pocket which he takes. As he’s washing his hands a woman comes into the toilet and starts talking to him seductively.
- He returns to the table and the woman is talking over his brother’s shoulder as he has two conversations at once. Jarvis begins to hallucinate even more and gets up and follows the woman as she walks away from him.
- Meanwhile, the brother is trying to suss what Jarvis is up to as he starts wandering aimlessly around the cafe, talking to himself.
- Inside the hallucination, Jarvis is trying to seduce the woman. However everything he does is also reflected in the outside world (e.g. kissing the woman looks like he’s kissing the air or inanimate objects).
- Eventually the woman agrees to be with him
- However, she will only give him what he wants if he chooses her over his brother.
- He hallucinates an image of his brother, chained up and screaming. Outside of the hallucination, Jarvis is now screaming at the top of his lungs and his brother tries to calm him down. He lies him down on the floor as Jarvis starts convulsing, he searches his pockets and finds the drugs.
- Jarvis looks into a mirror and he is suddenly gaunt, his eyes glazed over like a slave or a tortured soul.
- The brother has now called an ambulance, and medical staff are around him trying to hook him up to liquids, attempting to stabilize him. Jarvis feels this in the hallucination, and has a moment of clarity.
- Jarvis sees that Debbie is trying to harm the chained up brother, and jumps in between them. Debbie throws herself at them both, her hand touches his chest. Outside of the hallucination, Jarvis goes limp and the brother is crying, asking if the ambulance staff if he’s going to be ok.
As of right now I still don't have an ending for the film. I know various ways it could end, but I want to start writing it and decide on that later as myself and Laura are still in a debate about it.
