Of course Syd Field says three. And his 3-act paradigm is the most widely accepted model for screenplay structure. And let's not forget Campbell's myth structure, which can be classified as having three acts. I often make the case for five, as do others. But still I must admit that the 5-act paradigm fits perfectly inside the 3-act one, it just breaks things down into smaller pieces.
Ultimately, doesn't matter. Especially considering most screenplays suffer from the passive protagonist
ReplyDeleteNick, I agree that many bad screenplays suffer from a passive protagonist. There are a few solution to that problem, though. One is the Hero's Journey, which requires your character to move and achieve. The other is the Schulman 3 Act Structure which is driven solely by the protagonist's pursuit of his or her dramatic need. In fact, we'll do a post explaining the Schulman Structure.
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