All screenplays have three acts (when we get to
“The Board,” I’ll tell you more about this). For
now, just know that Act One is page 1-25, Act Two is page
25–85, and Act Three is page 85–110. (If you’re
writing a short script for a short video or even writing a novel,
the breaks are proportionate — and our software tells you
exactly where those breaks should come.) The acts are three
different “worlds,” with Act Two twice as big as the
others. The next important thing to remember is: The hero must make
a proactive choice to step into Act Two. You’ve introduced
him, shown his deficiencies, “set up” all his problems,
given him a “Catalyst” to act, a period to
“Debate,” and finally comes the now-or-never choice we
know he must, and will, make. Heroes are by definition proactive.
This is your chance to launch the hero into action. It’s
important to keep in mind all the way through your story; your hero
must always be active, moving forward, never sitting
still.
