ScripTips 4: Structure of a Screenplay
Why Three Acts are Really Four
As I’ve explained earlier, ScipTips came about when I realized that the method I used for outlining screenplays was just as useful when applied to plotting novels. So as we start to talk about that method, we need to establish what the format for a screenplay is and why.
The rule of thumb for a screenplay is that one page in script format equals one minute of screen time (roughly). Scripts vary in length, but for a two hour movie, we’d be talking about a 120 page script (2 hours = 120 minutes = 120 pages.)
When I was working in Hollywood, 113 pages was actually regarded as “the ideal” page count, but we’re going to use our 120 page script as a baseline for this explanation.