Welcome to Week 3! Last week, we began shaping your ideas, and I provided feedback on your summaries and loglines. This week, we're diving into how to structure those ideas using the classic three-act structure, a narrative model refined over millennia, originating from Aristotle's principles. Understanding this structure is crucial, as it is foundational to storytelling, with variations ranging from Shakespeare’s five acts to Blake Snyder’s 15 beats in "Save the Cat." However, for the short films you're developing—limited to around 10 pages—we'll focus on a simplified version of this structure to ensure clarity and conciseness in your storytelling.

This week's tasks will help you apply the three-act structure to your screenplays. Act one should establish your characters and setting, featuring an inciting incident that propels your main character into a new trajectory. Act two will introduce significant obstacles and a midpoint twist, escalating to a climax that transitions into the final act. Act three includes the ultimate climax and resolution, providing closure and answering the narrative's central questions. Your assignment includes analyzing this structure in short films from Week 1, identifying inciting incidents, and understanding character progression. You'll also begin outlining your screenplay, ensuring you have a solid framework before writing the script in full. Remember, while the act structure is a planning tool, it should not be explicitly outlined in your screenplay, as per industry standards. Keep working on your journal as well, documenting and reflecting on the feedback you receive, as this will inform your revisions and enhance your script's development.