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October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “The Shawshank Redemption”

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Beat	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Storylines
1	1 Andy’s crime and court case that sentences him to prison.	Andy catches his wife cheating and decides not to confront her.	A man and woman enter a cabin and take each other’s clothes off to have sex.	Andy’s wife Andy’s wife’s lover (Andy )
2			Andy sits in a car outside the cabin listening to his wife have sex with another man. Andy drinks bourbon and loads a revolver with bullets.	Andy Andy’s wife Andy’s wife’s lover
3			Andy walks to the cabin with his gun but breaks down in tears before he can enter.	Andy Andy’s wife Andy’s wife’s lover
4		Andy’s court case leading to him going to jail.	In court, the prosecutor accuses Andy of killing his wife and claims his neighbors heard him say “I’ll see you in hell before I divorce you.”	Prosecutor Andy Jury Judge (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
5			In court, Andy tells the story of how his wife told him she was cheating. Then he went to some bars and got drunk, then drove to the cheater’s house to scare them with a gun.	Prosecutor Andy Jury Judge (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
6			In court, Andy tells the story of how he chickened out, threw his gun in a river and went home.	Prosecutor Andy Jury (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
7			In court, the prosecutor says the river was dragged and the gun was never found.	Prosecutor Andy Jury Judge (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
8			In court, the prosecutor gives his closing statements.	Prosecutor Andy Jury Judge (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
9			The jury finds Andy guilty.	Jury Andy Judge (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
10			The judge sentences Andy to two life sentences at Shawshank prison.	Judge Andy Jury (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
11	2 Andy inprocesses into prison.	Introduce Red	In the Shawshank hearings room, Red is questioned by the parole board. Red says he’s remorseful and reformed, but the board denies his parole.	Red Parole board
12		Introduce Red	In the prison yard, Red sells contraband to prisoners. His voice over explains that he sells contraband to prisoners. A prison bus approaches the gates, and the prisoners in the yard gather near the fence to watch.	Red Prisoners (Andy )
13		Andy arrives at prison.	In the prison bus, Hadley pushes Andy out of the bus and abuses him a little. Voice over of Red restating that Andy was in prison for murdering his wife and her lover, and that he’d been a vice president of a bank.	Hadley Andy Fat man Prisoners (Red ) (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover )
14		Introduce Red’s friends, who bet on which newbie will crack.	In the prison yard, Red takes bets from Heywood, Ernie, Floyd, and Jigger on which new prisoner will crack their first night in prison. Red makes a large bet that Andy will crack.	Red Heywood Floyd Ernie Jigger (Andy ) (Prisoners )
15		Andy arrives at prison.	In the Shawshank admitting area, Norton introduces himself and Hadley to the new prisoners and give them Bibles. Then they begin showering the prisoners with water houses and delousing them.	Norton Hadley Andy Prisoners
16			The new inmates are examined by a disinterested doctor who looks in their butt holes with a pen light.	Doctor Andy Prisoners
17			In the Shawshank chapel, the new inmates are forced to listen to a service naked and cold.	Norton Andy Prisoners
18			The new inmates are led to their cells, naked and carrying Bibles. Voice over of Red explaining how hard the first night is and how many new inmates will lose their mind that first night.	Andy Prisoners (Red )
19		The first night at prison	Andy enters his cell, and the guards call for lights out. Veteran prisoners start taunting the new inmates. Voice over of Red explaining how they’re trying to make the new inmates crack.	Andy Guards Prisoners (Red )
20			Heywood taunts a fat new inmate into cracking.	Heywood Fat man Prisoners
21			Hadley enters and tells the fat inmate to be quiet. When he won’t comply, Hadley beats him and has him taken to the infirmary.	Hadley Guards Fat Man Prisoners
22			In Red’s cell, Red looks at the blood on the main floor below. Voice over of Red saying Andy didn’t make a sound and cost Red two packs of cigarettes.	Red (Fat man ) (Andy ) (Heywood )
23	3 Andy gets raped and plans his escape.	Andy starts work and meets Bogs and Rooster	In Cellblock 5, the prisoners line up in the morning for their head count. Andy is not disconcerted.	Guards Prisoners Andy
24			In the mess hall, Andy is cat called by Bogs and Rooster. Andy sits down and meets Brooks, Red, Floyd, Heywood and Tyrell. Andy learns that Brooks has a pet crow, and the fat inmate is dead.	Andy Bogs Rooster Brooks Red Heywood Crow
25			In the laundry room, Andy does a poor job of working the laundry line.	Andy Prisoners
26			Andy is almost raped by Bogs, Rooster and Pete (Team 3) in the shower.	Andy Bogs Rooster
27		Andy buys a rock hammer from Red.	In Andy’s cell, he lays in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.	Andy
28			In the exercise yard, Andy formally introduces himself to Red and asks to buy a rock hammer. Red says he’ll get it for $10 and warns Andy that Team 3 wants to rape him.	Andy Red (Boggs ) (Rooster ) Prisoners
29			In the mess hall, Andy gives Red $10 while in line for breakfast.	Andy Red Prisoners
30			At the loading dock, a driver drops off a bag of laundry. Leonard stealthily retrieves the rock hammer from the laundry bag.	Prisoners (Red ) (Andy )
31			In the laundry exchange, Red gives Leonard two packs of cigarettes, and Leonard gives Red the rock hammer.	Red Prisoners (Andy )
32			In Red’s cell, Red inspects the rock hammer. Voice over of Red saying it would take 600 years to tunnel out with it.	Red (Andy )
33			In cellblock 5, Brooks is passing out library books to inmates. Red passes Brooks the rock hammer and some cigarettes. Then Brooks passes the rock hammer to Andy in his cell.	Brooks Prisoners (Red ) (Andy )
34		Andy gets raped	Andy gets raped by Team 2.	Andy Boggs Rooster
35		Andy gets raped	Voice over as Red narrates multiple scenes, talking about how Andy was raped repeatedly in his first two years. He fought back as much as he could but and ended up in solitaire or the infirmary often. He might have gone crazy, except something happened that changed everything in the spring of 1949.	(Red ) Boggs; Rooster Andy Guards Doctor
36	4 Andy wins the guard’s favor and vanquishes his rapists.	Andy wins favor with the guards.	Norton announces the roof of the license plate factory needs to be re-tarred. Team 1 volunteers in order to spend more time outside.	Norton Prisoners Guards Red Andy Heywood
37			On the license plate factory roof, Team 2 spreads tar while Hadley complains to Youngblood about how he’s going to be over-taxed on an inheritance he will be receiving.	Hadley (Hadley’s wife ) Guards Andy Red Heywood
38			Andy tells Hadley he won’t have to pay taxes on his inheritance if he gives the money to his wife as a gift, but he’ll need someone to prepare the tax documents, which Andy will do in exchange for beers for Team 1.	Andy Hadley (Hadley’s wife ) Guards Red Heywood
39			Team 1 drinks beers on the roof of the license plate factory.	Andy Hadley Guards Red Heywood
40		Andy and Red get to know each other, and Andy plans/prepares to escape.	In the prison yard, Red and Andy play checkers. Andy says he’d like to make a chess board and carve his own pieces. Red asks Andy why he killed his wife and her lover, and Andy restates his innocence. Red confesses he did kill the person he went to jail for.	Red Andy (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover ) Prisoners
41			In Andy’s cell, he polishes a piece of limestone to make a chess piece out of and scratches a name in the wall with this rock hammer.	Andy
42			In the prison movie theater, Andy asks Red to get him a Rita Heywood poster.	Andy Red Prisoners
43		Andy gets raped, and the guards neutralize Bogs.	While leaving the prison movie theater, Andy meets Team 3, who pushes him in the projection booth and attempts to rape him. Andy doesn’t cooperate. So they beat him within an inch of his life.	Andy Boggs Rooster
44			Voice over of Red explaining that Andy spent a month in traction, and Bogs spent a week in solitary. After Bogs gets out of solitary, he goes back to his cell where he’s beat and crippled by Hadley and Mert. Voice over as Red explains Team 3 never bothered Andy again.	Andy Boggs Rooster Hadley Guards Red
45			In the prison yard, Team 1 watches Bogs get loaded into an ambulance to be transferred. Red suggests Team 1 gets Andy some rocks to make chess pieces out of as a welcome home gift for when he gets out of the hospital.	Red Heywood Boggs Guards Prisoners (Andy )
46		Andy returns from the infirmary while his friends do him a kindness.	While working in a field, Team 1 gathers large rocks for Andy.	Red Heywood (Andy )
47			In the prison laundry room, Red gets a shipment of contraband that includes Andy’s Rita Heywood poster.	Red Prisoners (Andy )
48			Andy returns to his cell limping. He finds the Rita Heywood poster waiting for him.	Andy Guards (Red )
49	5 Andy gets a job in the library and doing guards’ taxes.	Norton recruits Andy to do bank work for the guards.	The next morning, as the inmates exit their cells for breakfast, Red sees the poster on Andy’s wall.	Guards Prisoners Red (Andy )
50			Norton and Hadley enter cellblock 5 and perform a contraband search. They give other prisoners weeks in solitary for contraband found.	Norton Hadley Guards Prisoners Andy Red
51			Norton and Hadley search Andy’s cell. They question his rock collection and poster but let it slide. Norton tells Andy he’s heard he’s good with numbers. Voice over of Red explaining that the search was an excuse for Norton to size up Andy.	Norton Hadley Andy (Red )
52		Andy starts working in the library	While working in the prison laundry room, Hadley tells Andy he’s being taken off laundry duty. Andy is taken to Norton’s office where Norton tells Andy he has a new job befitting his education.	Hadley Andy Prisoners Norton
53			Andy enters the prison library where he tells Brooks he’s been reassigned. Brooks is unhappy but compliant.	Guards Andy Brooks Crow (Norton )
54			As Brooks gives Andy the short tour of the library, Andy questions why Brooks is getting an assistant when he’s never had one. Brooks says he doesn’t know.	Brooks Andy (Norton )
55			While working in the prison library, Hadley introduces Andy to Dekins. Dekins tells Andy he wants to set up a college fund for his children, and Andy helps him.	Hadley Guards Andy Brooks
56			In the mess hall, Brooks tells the rest of Team 1 about Andy’s encounter with Dekins. Andy says he’s being used by the guards. Red points out that at least it got him out of laundry duty. Andy makes a plan to expand the library by asking around for funds. Brooks says nobody gives money to prisoners.	Brooks Andy Guards Red Heywood
57		Andy plans/prepares to improve the library.	In Norton’s office, Andy asks Norton for more money for the library. Norton refuses. Andy asks permission to write letters to the government, and Norton agrees to allow him, reiterating it’s a fool’s errand.	Andy Norton Government
58		Andy plans/prepares to improve the library.	In Andy’s cell, Andy writes a letter. Voice over of Red explaining Andy would write/send one letter a week to the government asking for funds for the library. Even though Andy never got a response, he kept writing.	Andy Government (Red )
59		Andy’s work with the guards escalates	In the prison library, Andy is doing Mert’s taxes, and a line of prison guards are waiting for their turn. Voice over of Red explaining Andy did half the guard’s taxes that year.	Andy Guards Brooks (Red )
60			In the prison library, Andy is doing more guards taxes. Voice over of Red explaining the next year Andy did all the guards’ taxes.	Andy Guards Brooks (Red )
61			At the prison baseball field, guards from another prison play baseball against the Shawshank guards. Voice over of Red explaining the next year Andy did the taxes for other prisons’ guards, and softball season was moved to accommodate it. Each April Red got to get out of the wood working shop to help Andy with filing, which he was happy about.	Andy Guards Brooks (Red )
62		Andy continues trying to improve the library.	Outside Norton’s office, Andy puts a letter in the outgoing mail pile. Voice over of Red explaining Andy kept sending letters to the government asking for more library funds.	Andy (Government ) (Red )
63		Andy continues trying to improve the library.	In Andy’s cell, he polishes a chess piece and looks longingly at his poster.	Andy
64	6 Brooks gets out of prison, fails to acclimate to freedom and kills himself.	Brooks prepares to leave Shawshank	In the prison yard, Floyd tells Red and Andy in a panic that Brooks needs help. They run to the prison library and find Brooks threatening to kill Heywood. Brooks is upset he’s getting paroled and feels killing Heywood is the only way to stay in prison. Andy talks Brooks down.	Floyd Andy Red (Brooks ) (Heywood )
65			In the prison yard, Andy asks Red why Brooks was freaking out about getting paroled, and Red explains that Brooks has been institutionalized.	Andy Red (Brooks ) (Parole board )
66			In Andy’s cell, Andy watches the morning light shine across his poster.	Andy
67			In the prison library, Brooks lets his crow fly free out the window.	Brooks Crow
68		Brooks enters his new life and show his reaction and plan.	Montage of Brooks being let out of prison and making his way to his new apartment. Voice over of Brooks explaining in a letter to Team 1 how much things have changed and how out of place he feels.	Brooks Guards (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
69			A woman leads Brooks up some stairs to his apartment. She is terse and strict. Voice over of Brooks complaining about the world he’s returned to.	Brooks Landlady (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
70			Brooks stands in his room looking lost. Voice over of Brooks explaining the parole board got him an apartment at a boarding house and a job at a grocery store.	Brooks (Parole board ) (Grocery boss ) (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
71		Brooks tries and fails to adjust and then kills himself.	Brooks bags groceries at the grocery store. He is miserable. Voice over of Brooks explaining how miserable he is.	Brooks Grocery boss (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
72			Brooks sits alone feeding pigeons. Voice over of Brooks explaining he misses his crow.	Brooks (Crow ) (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
73			Brooks wakes up in his sleep confused and afraid in his room. Voice over of Brooks explaining he has trouble sleeping at night.	Brooks (Prisoners ) (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
74			Brooks is bagging groceries at the grocery store. Voice over of Brooks explaining he thinks about buying a gun and robbing the grocery store so he can go back to prison.	Brooks (Grocery boss ) (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
75			Brooks is packing his possessions in a carry bag. Voice over of Brooks explaining he’s too old for crime.	Brooks (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
76			Dressed in his best clothes, Brooks hangs himself in his room. Voice over of Brooks explaining he doesn’t like it where he is, and he’s leaving. And nobody will notice he’s gone.	Brooks (Andy ) (Red ) (Heywood )
77		Brooks’s friends react to his death and honors him.	In the prison exercise yard, Andy reads Brooks’ letter. Red says Brooks should have died in prison.	Andy Red Heywood (Brooks )
78			In the library, Andy discovers Brook’s crow had returned to the library and died of starvation or grief on a shelf waiting for Brooks.	Andy Crow (Brooks )
79			In the wood shop, Red is making something. Voice over of Red explaining Andy suggested Team 1 does something, and everyone agreed.	Red Andy (Brooks ) (Heywood )
80			While working on a chain gang in a field, Team 1 buries Brook’s crow in a small casket, and Red gives a eulogy for Brooks and his crow.	Red Andy Heywood (Brooks ) (Crow ) Guards
81	7 Andy builds up the library, gets in trouble for playing music and celebrates his 10 year anniversary.	Andy improves the library but gets sent to solitary for an act of defiance and humanity.	Norton storms into the prison exercise yard and angrily accuses Andy of doing something wrong. Hadley orders Andy to go to Norton’s office.	Norton Andy Prisoners (Government )
82			In Norton’s office, Hadley shows Andy several boxes of library material, $200 and a letter from the government saying they’ve filled Andy’s request and to stop sending letters. Andy says he’s going to write two letters a week now. Hadley tells Andy to get the boxes out of the office. Then Hadley leaves.	Andy Hadley (Government )
83			Andy looks at the records, then puts one on the record player next to the prison intercom microphone. Andy plays classical music throughout the prison.	Andy Guards Prisoners Red
84			All the prisoners stop and listen in awe as Andy barricades the door to prevent the guards from entering. Voice over of Red glorifying the event and saying Andy got two weeks solitary confinement for his misdeed.	Andy Prisoners Guards
85			Andy is sitting in solitary confinement contendedly listening to music in his head.	Andy
86			In the mess hall, Team 1 discusses Andy’s misdeed. Andy says it was worth it because it reminded him he is free, and they need to remember music.	Red Heywood Andy (Guards )
87		Red and Andy celebrate Andy’s 10 year anniversary and their friendship	In the parole room, Red gives the same speech to the parole board as he did earlier and is rejected again.	Red Parole board
88			Red emerges into the exercise yard unsurprised and unbothered by his parole rejection. Andy gives him an anniversary gift of a harmonica. Andy asks Red to play it, but Red says, “Not today.”	Red Andy Prisoners
89			In Andy’s cell block, Andy finds a Marylin Monroe poster with a note from Red that says, “Happy 10 year anniversary.”	Andy (Red )
90			In Red’s cell, Red stares at the ceiling and briefly considers playing the harmonica but puts it back.	Red (Andy )
91		Andy completes his quest to improve the library.	In the library, a work crew expands the library. Voice over of Red explaining the government gave a large donation and recurring payment to the library just to get Andy to stop sending letters.	Government Andy (Red )
92			In the library, Andy oversees a delivery of new books. Andy is very proud of himself.	Andy Red Heywood
93			In the wood shop, Red makes a sign for the library, naming it in memory of Brooks. Voice over of Red explaining it was the best prison library for hundreds of miles.	Red Andy (Brooks )
94	8 Norton begins stealing money, and Andy helps launder his money.	Norton starts a business, and Andy helps him embezzle the profits.	Montage of Norton campaigning in public. Voice over of Red explaining how that year, Norton made a name for himself using his prisoners as slave labor doing contract work for the government.	Norton Government Guards Prisoners
95			On the side of a road, Team 1 works on a chain gang. A reporter asks for a photo, and they are uncooperative. Heywood in particular taunts the reporter.	Reporter Guards Heywood Andy Red
96			Heywood sits in solitary confinement looking bummed. Voice over of Red explaining prisoners weren’t allowed to express their views.	Heywood (Guards ) (Red )
97			At a work site, Ned complains to Norton that his slave labor is underbidding the competition and putting them out of business. Ned bribes Norton to get the contract for the job they’re at. Norton says he’ll take his crew elsewhere. Voice over of Red explaining that Norton found 100 ways to skim money out of the contract chain gang business.	Norton Contractor Prisoners (Government )
98			In Norton’s office, Andy is keeping Norton’s books. Voice over of Red explaining how Andy laundered all of Norton’s illegal money.	Norton Andy; (Red )
99			In the library Andy explains more of the money laundering scheme to Red. Specifically Andy mentions how the money is kept in multiple bank accounts under a legal but fake alias that only Andy and Norton know.	Andy Red (Norton )
100			In the exercise yard, Red asks Andy if he feels guilty about laundering Norton’s dirty money. Andy says he’s not responsible, and it’s the only reason Norton lets Andy keep his library. Their conversation is cut short by the prison sirens blaring to notify a new bus of inmates is coming.	Red Andy (Norton ) Prisoners (Tommy )
101	9 Tommy comes to prison, gets an education from Andy and then gets killed by Hadley.	Tommy arrives at prison.	In the prison bus, Tommy stands up and exits chained to all the other prisoners.	Tommy Guards Prisoners
102			Tommy is put in his cell with his new roommate. Tommy isn’t happy, but he takes his situation lightly.	Tommy Guards Prisoners
103			Tommy struts down the cell block confidently. Voice over of Red explaining Tommy was serving two years for stealing TVs from a department store.	Tommy Guards Prisoners (Red )
104			Tommy works with Red in the wood shop enthusiastically. Voice over of Red saying Team 1 liked him immediately.	Tommy Red (Andy ) (Heywood ) (Floyd )
105			In the mess hall, Tommy tells Team 1 a funny story about how he was arrested. Everyone laughs.	Tommy Andy Red Heywood Floyd
106		Andy helps Tommy get his GED.	Team 1 plays poker in the library and make jokes about how many times Tommy has been arrested and obviously needs a new profession because he’s a bad criminal.	Tommy Andy Red Heywood Floyd
107			In the visitor’s room, Tommy talks to his wife about needing a new profession when he gets out. Voice over of Red saying Tommy has a wife and daughter.	Tommy Tommy’s wife (Tommy’s daughter ) (Red )
108			Tommy enters the library and tells Andy he needs a new profession and wants to get his high school diploma. Andy agrees to help Tommy get his high school diploma.	Tommy Andy (Tommy’s wife ) (Tommy’s daughter )
109			In the library, Andy teaches Tommy literature. Tommy is a bad student.	Tommy Andy
110			In the library, Andy Teaches Tommy reading. Tommy is a bad student.	Tommy Andy
111			In the library, Andy Teaches Tommy the alphabet. Tommy is a bad student.	Tommy Andy
112			In the mess hall, Andy Teaches Tommy something. Tommy is making progress	Tommy Andy Prisoners
113			In the exercise yard, Andy Teaches Tommy reading. Tommy is making progress	Tommy Andy Prisoners
114			In the wood working shop, Tommy is reading a book. Red yells at him to get back to work.	Tommy Red (Andy )
115			In the library, Andy Teaches Tommy something. Tommy is making progress. Voice over of Red saying Andy has an ulterior motive for helping Tommy.	Tommy Andy Prisoners (Red )
116			In Andy’s cell, Andy polishes a chess piece. Voice over of Red explaining people in prison will do anything to keep their mind occupied.	Andy (Tommy ) (Red )
117			In the library, Tommy takes his GED test. When he’s finished he says he failed and throws the test away. Andy says he might not have done bad and takes the test out of the trash.	Tommy Andy
118		Andy learns Tommy has evidence he’s innocent and tries to convince Norton to investigate.	In the wood working shop, Tommy tells Red he disappointed Andy. Red disagrees. Tommy asks what Andy is in for, and Red tells him about Andy’s murder case. Tommy gasps after having an epiphany.	Tommy Red (Andy ) (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover ) (The real killer )
119			In the library, Tommy tells Andy and Red about a cellmate he had at another prison who bragged about killing Andy’s wife and her lover and the crime getting pinned on Andy.	Tommy Red (Andy ) (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover ) (The real killer )
120			In Norton’s office, Norton tells Andy that Tommy’s story is a lie. Andy presses, and Norton gives Andy a month of solitary confinement.	Andy Norton (Tommy ) (Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover ) (The real killer )
121			In the prison yard, Tommy blames himself for getting Andy a month in solitary confinement. Mail call comes, and Tommy gets a letter saying he passed his GED test.	Tommy Andy Red
122		Tommy gets his GED.	In the visitor’s room, Tommy tells his wife he got his GED.	Tommy Tommy’s wife Tommy’s daughter
123		Tommy gets his GED.	In solitary confinement, a guard tells Andy that Tommy passed his GED test.	Guards Andy (Tommy )
124		Norton has Tommy killed.	In a prison corridor, Tommy is mopping. Mert tells Tommy that Norton wants to talk to him.	Tommy Guards (Norton )
125		Norton has Tommy killed.	At the loading dock, Mert tells Tommy that Norton will talk to him out there. Norton asks Tommy if his story about Andy’s innocence is true and if Tommy would testify. Tommy says yes, and then Norton signals for Hadley to shoot Tommy, which Hadley does.	Guards Tommy Norton (Andy )(Andy’s wife ) (Andy’s wife’s lover ) (The real killer ) Hadley
126	10 Andy prepares to escape prison.	Andy returns from solitary confinement.	Andy is released from solitary confinement and taken to Norton’s office. Norton tells Andy that Tommy was shot trying to escape. Andy tells Norton he won’t do Norton’s book keeping. Norton tells Andy that if he doesn’t he’ll put Andy in a cell with a rapist and close the library. Andy wordlessly agrees to continue keeping Norton’s books.	Andy Norton (Tommy )
127		Andy returns from solitary confinement.	In the prison yard, Andy and Red discuss life. Andy says he wants to go to a specific place in Mexico and start a hotel. Andy says he’d need a person like Red to help him. Andy tells Red if he ever gets out to go to the field where Andy asked his wife to marry him and look for a box. Red tells Andy to stop dreaming and accept reality. Andy says you either have to get busy living or get busy dying.	Andy Red
128		Andy’s friends worry about him.	In the mess hall, Red tells Team 1 he’s worried about Andy. Heywood says Andy asked him for six feet of rope earlier that day. Red worries Andy is going to hang himself.	Red Heywood (Andy )
129		Andy’s friends worry about him.	In the prison yard, Team 1 looks for Andy but can’t find him. The prison intercom system says it’s time to go in. Team 1 makes a plan to have an intervention with Andy the next day, if he’s still alive.	Red Heywood (Andy )
130		Andy prepares to escape while his friends worry about him.	In Norton’s office, Andy finishes up the day’s book keeping as Norton leaves. Norton says it’s good to have Andy back.	Andy Norton
131			In cellblock 5, Andy returns to his cell and passes Red’s cell. They exchange meaningful glances.	Andy Guards Red
132			In Andy’s cell, Andy polishes a chess piece when the lights go out. Andy sets the chess piece down. His set is now complete. Then he looks at his poster and pulls a six foot length of rope from under his pillow.	Andy Guards
133			In Red’s cell, Red stares out the window listening to thunder. Voice over of Red explaining how it was the longest night of his life worrying Andy would kill himself.	Andy (Red )
134	11 Guards search for Andy between flashbacks of Andy escaping.	Norton and the guards react to Andy’s escape.	The next morning, in cellblock 5, the guards discover Andy isn’t in his cell.	Guards (Andy )
135			In Norton’s office, Norton discovers his shoes have been replaced with Andy’s. The alarm starts blaring. Norton looks up.	Norton (Andy )
136			In the prison yard, Norton tells Hadley to question everyone in cellblock 5 starting with Red.	Norton Guards Red (Andy )
137			In Andy’s cell, Norton asks Red what he knows. Red says he doesn’t know anything. Norton throws a fit and throws a rock through Andy’s poster. Then he discovers the hole behind it Andy dug with his rock hammer.	Norton Guards Red (Andy )
138			In Andy’s cell, Rory is sent through the hole behind the poster and investigates Andy’s escape route. He discovers it leads to the sewage system.	Guards Red (Andy )
139			In Andy’s cell, Red listens to Rory vomiting. Red laughs, and Norton sends him to solitary confinement.	Guards Red (Andy )
140			In solitary confinement, Red continues laughing.	Red (Andy )
141			Montage of police setting up road blocks and searching outside the prison. They find Andy’s rock hammer, uniform and a bar of soap. Voice over of Red saying he thought it would take a man 600 years to tunnel out of prison, but Andy did it in less than 20.	Guards (Andy ) (Red )
142		Flashback of Andy deciding to escape and enacting his plan.	Flashback montage of Andy discovering the wall to his cell is brittle and then digging through it and hiding the hole with his poster, then stealthily dumping the rubble in the prison exercise yard. Andy sticks his head through the hole and looks down to see the sewage pipes.	Andy (Red )
143			Flashback montage of Tommy dying at Norton’s feet. Voice over of Red saying after Tommy died, Andy decided it was time to leave. On the night of Andy’s escape, he steals one of Norton’s suits and his shoes.	(Red ) (Tommy ) (Andy )
144			Flashback montage of Andy squeezing his body through the hole in his cell wall, breaking through the sewage pipe and crawling out with a plastic bag full of clothes dragging behind him. Voice over of Red explaining Andy crawled through 500 yards of shit. Andy escapes the pipe and emerges outside the prison in the rain, where he removes his prison clothes.	Andy (Red )
145	12 Norton, Hadley and Andy get their prizes.	Andy, Norton and Hadley get their comeuppance.	And enters a bank dressed in Norton’s clothes and closes the accounts he’s been laundering Norton’s money into. The cashier reluctantly gives Andy the money, and Andy asks the cashier to put a package in their outgoing mail.	Andy (Red )
146			In a newspaper office, a clerk opens Andy’s package and gets excited.	Reporter (Andy )
147			In Norton’s office, Norton looks at the front page of the morning paper and reads about his money laundering operation.	Norton (Andy ) (Reporter )
148			As police cars speed toward the prison, Norton open his safe and looks for his ledger. He finds Andy’s Bible with a hollowed out space for his rock hammer.	Guards Norton (Andy )
149			In the prison yard, police arrest Hadley.	Guards Hadley
150			As police try to break into Norton’s office, Norton shoots himself in the mouth with a revolver.	Guards Norton
151		Red explains Andy’s post-escape plan.	In Red’s cell, Red gets a postcard from Andy, sent from a Texas border town, implying Andy went to the place in Mexico he mentioned earlier.	Red (Andy )
152		Red explains Andy’s post-escape plan.	In a red convertible, Andy drives south with the wind in his hair.	Andy (Red )
153		Red reacts to losing Andy.	In the mess hall, Red tells Team 1 a story about Andy. Voice over of Red saying they talked about Andy often but that Red misses Andy.	Red Heywood (Andy )
154			In Red’s cell, Red looks at one of Andy’s posters and dreams of being free. He curses Andy for giving him unattainable dreams.	Red (Andy )
155			In the parole room, Red breaks down and tells the parole board the truth, instead of his usual canned answers. The parole board approves Red’s parole.	Red Parole board
156	13 Red is released, tries to acclimate to freedom, then goes to join Andy.	Red is released from Shawshank.	Outside the prison, Red is released. Then he walks up the stairs of Brooks’ boarding house and is led into Brooks’ room.	Red (Brooks )
157		Red shows his reaction to the new world and tries but fails adjust to the outside world.	In the grocery store, Red bags groceries and asks his boss if he can use the restroom. The boss says he doesn’t have to ask. Voice over of Red saying he’s been institutionalized and can’t get used to the outside world.	Red Grocery boss
158			On the street, Red watches women walk past dressed slutty. Voice over of Red enjoying this but saying out foreign it is to him.	Red
159			In a park, Red looks at hippies. Voice over as he says he doesn’t understand hippies.	Red
160			In the parole office, Red’s parole officer asks Red how he’s doing. Red says he’s good but things are different. The parole officer agrees. Red says the world moved on without them.	Red Parole officer
161			In the grocery store, Red is bagging groceries and has a panic attack.	Red
162		Dark knight of the soul for Red.	On the street, Red walks and looks at guns in a pawnshop window. Voice over of Red saying he can’t make it in the new world.	Red
163		Dark knight of the soul for Red.	In Red’s room, Red looks at Brooks’ signature he carved in the rafter beam. Voice over of Red saying the only thing keeping him from killing himself is a promise he made to Andy to go to find the box in the field where Andy asked his wife to marry him.	Red (Brooks ) (Andy )
164		Return to the path/ressurection for Red.	Red hitchhikes to the field Andy mentioned and finds the box. It contains a bunch of money and a note telling Red to come find him in Mexico. The letter tells Red not to lose hope.	Red (Andy )
165		Return to the path/ressurection for Red.	In Red’s room, Red dresses in a nice suite and leaves with his things packed. Voice over of Red repeating Andy’s words, “Get busy living or get busy dying.”	Red (Andy )
166	14 Denouement	Red goes to Andy.	In a bus station, Red buys a bus ticket to the town in Texas where Andy sent the postcard from. Voice over of Red saying he committed the second crime of his life, parole violation. He also says nobody will come looking for him because he’s not important enough.	Red (Andy )
167			In a bus, Red watches the New England country side go by. Voice over of Red saying how happy he is to feel free and how hopeful he is to complete his journey.	Red
168			On a beach, Red approaches Andy, who is fixing up a boat.	Red Andy

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Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
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Leave a comment | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, film script plot structure, formula plot template, how to write fiction, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline, the shawshank redemption | posted in Movie Plot Break Downs

October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “Blade Runner”

By wise sloth

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MASTER SPREADSHEET WITH ALL MY MOVIE PLOT BREAK DOWNS

Beat	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Locations	Storylines	Beat
1	1 Team 2 shoots Holden. Then Bryant recruits Deckard to hunt/kill Team 2. Deckard meets Tyrell and Rachel, and Tyrell tells Deckard that Rachel is an android.	Prologue	View of a fake dictionary definition of the word, “Android,” ostensibly printed in 2012, which says androids are computers with human features that work at jobs too boring or dangerous for humans and to work in/explore space.		(Team 2 )	1
2		Inciting indident	Holden gives Leon the Voight Kampff test to determine if Leon is an android. When Leon realizes he can’t pass the test, he shoots Holden with a laser pistol and leaves.	EXT. HADES – DUSK INT. TYRELL CORPORATION INTERROGATION ROOM – DUSK	Holden Leon	2
3		Deckard recieves the quest to hunt Team 2.	A blimp flies around a city advertising job opportunities to emigrate off Earth.	EXT. OVERHEAD VIEW CITY – NIGHT EXT. THE BLIMP – FROM BELOW – NIGHT	(Tyrell ) (Deckard ) (Team 2 ) (Sebastian )	3
4			As Deckard eats at a street vendor, Gaff arrives in a police car and tells Deckard that Captain Bryant has ordered Gaff to bring Deckard to see Bryant. Gaff says Deckard is a renowned Blade Runner. Deckard reluctantly goes with Gaff in the police car to see Bryant.	EXT. CITY STREET – NIGHT EXT. CITY – BIRD’S EYE VIEW – NIGHT	Deckard Gaff (Bryant )	4
5			Bryant offers Deckard a contract to hunt and kill 4 androids who went rouge, killed a bunch of humans and flew a hijacked spaceship to Earth. Then Leon shot Holden, critically wounding him. Deckard reluctantly accepts the mission.	INT. SPINNER – NIGHT EXT. PRECINCT SPINNER PAD – NIGHT INT. POLICE HQ CONCOURSE – NIGHT	Bryant Deckard (Team 2 )	5
6		Holden gets info he needs to find Team 2.	Deckard gets more info on the androids from Bryant and Holden.	INT. BRYANT’S OFFICE (DAY) INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT	Deckard Bryant Holden	6
7		Holden meets and gets to know Rachel.	The next morning, Gaff apprehends Deckard to take him to The Pyramid.	EXT. CITYSCAPE – MORNING EXT. SPINNER – MORNING INT. SPINNER – MORNING EXT. OVER CITY – MORNING INT. SPINNER – MORNING EXT. SPINNER – MORNING	Gaff Deckard (Tyrell )	7
8			At The Pyramid, Deckard meets Rachel. At Rachel’s beckoning, Deckard explains the risk of hunting androids, his motivations and justifications.	EXT. THE PYRAMID – MORNING INT. SPINNER – MORNING INT. THE PYRAMID – MORNING	Deckard Rachel (Tyrell )	8
9			Tyrell joins Deckard and Rachel. Tyrell asks Deckard to give Rachel the Voight Kampff test.	INT. THE PYRAMID – MORNING	Deckard Tyrell Rachel	9
10			Deckard gives Rachel the Voight Kampff test.	INT. TYRELL’S OFFICE – A LITTLE LATER	Deckard Rachel (Tyrell )	10
11			Tyrell and Deckard leave Rachel. Tyrell tells Deckard Rachel doesn’t know she’s an android, and her memories are transplanted from his niece.	INT. TYRELL’S OFFICE – A LITTLE LATER	Deckard Tyrell (Rachel )	11
12	2 Deckard flirts with Rachel as he follows clues that lead him to Salome, who he fights and kills. Pris convinces Sebastian to let her live with him. Batty and Leon follow clues to find their maker (Tyrell).	Holden investigates clue #1 and finds clue #2.	Deckard and Gaff investigate an apartment the rouge androids stayed in. Deckard finds a photo and a glittery snake scale.	EXT. OVERHEAD VIEW OF HOTEL – NIGHT EXT. ANGLE ON DECKARD – NIGHT INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR – NIGHT INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT (A LITTLE LATER) INT. HOTEL BATHROOM – NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER) INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER) INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT (A LITTLE LATER) EXT. HOTEL – NIGHT INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT EXT. HOTEL – NIGHT	Deckard Gaff (Leon )	12
13		Batty and Leon begin/continue their quest to find their maker by investigating clue #1 and find clue #2.	Batty meets Leon on a street corner. Leon confesses his photo was taken by the police. Batty is displeased.	EXT. STREET – NIGHT	Batty Leon Deckard	13
14			Batty and Leon cross the street and enter Chew’s, a business that makes and sells android eyes. Batty and Leon tell Chew he made their eyes, and then force Chew to tell them who made them. Chew tells them Sebastian made them at the Tyrell Corporation.	INT. CHEW’S SHOP – NIGHT	Batty Leon Chew	14
15		Deckard and Rachel get closer.	Deckard meets Rachel as he enters his apartment. She asks if he thinks she’s a android, because she doesn’t believe she is. Deckard explains/proves she is. Then she leaves him her phone number.	EXT. DECKARD’S APARTMENT BUILDING – NIGHT INT. ELEVATOR NIGHT INT. CORRIDOR NIGHT INT. DECKARD’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT	Deckard Rachel	15
16		Pris befriends Sebastian as her first step in Team 2’s plan to find their creator.	Pris ostensibly runs into Sebastian in front of his apartment on accident. Pris flirts with him and tells him she’s homeless. Sebastian invites her into his apartment.	EXT. AN ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT EXT. SEBASTIAN’S BUILDING – NIGHT	Pris Sebastian	16
17			Sebastian takes Pris into his apartment and explains what living in the city is like. Pris flirts with him and reiterates that she’s lost and alone. Sebastian offers to let Pris spend the night, and she accepts.	INT. SEBASTIAN’S LOBBY – NIGHT (SHOT) INT. CAGE ELEVATOR (SHOT) INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT (SHOT) INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT (SHOT) INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT -NIGHT	Sebastian Pris	17
18		Deckard investigates clue #2 and finds clue #3. He investigates clue #3 and finds clue #4. He investigates clue #4 and finds Salome and kills her.	Deckard uses computers and cameras to analyze the photo and snake scale he found earlier. He sees a dancer’s dress in the corner of the photo.	INT. DECKARD’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. SHOWER – NIGHT	Deckard	18
19			While eating fish at a the street vendor, Deckard realizes the glittery object he found resembles a fish scale, which makes him believe it is a synthetic fish scale.	EXT. NOODLE BAR – NIGHT	Deckard	19
20			Deckard visits a synthetic fish store and asks Cambodian Lady to analyze the snake scale. She tells him it’s not a fish scale, but a snake scale.	EXT. ANIMAL ROW – NIGHT	Deckard Cambodian lady	20
21			Deckard visits a synthetic snake store and asks The Egyptian to analyze the snake scale. He identifies the snake, and Deckard convinces him to identify the most likely owner.	EXT. EGYPTIANS JOINT – NIGHT	Deckard The Egyptian	21
22			Deckard goes to a strip club he believes the owner of the snake also owns. He questions the bartender, who shows that the bar owns a synthetic snake, but it’s not the one Deckard is looking for.	INT. TAFFEY’S SNAKE PIT BAR – NIGHT	Deckard	22
23			At the strip club, Deckard calls Rachel and invites her on a date. He tells her to meet him at the strip club. She agrees as Deckard is distracted by seeing Salome stripping on stage with the snake he’s looking for.	INT. TAFFEY’S BAR MOMENTS LATER	Deckard Rachel Salome	23
24			Later, backstage, Deckard tells Salome he works for the “American Federation of Variety Artists” and is investigating for the “Committee on Moral Abuses. He tells her needs to inspect her dressing room for signs her bosses are committing voyeurism. After questioning her further, she attacks him and runs away.	INT. BACKSTAGE A LITTLE LATER INT. DRESSING ROOM – NIGHT	Deckard Salome	24
25			Deckard chases Salome through the streets, then fights and kills her.	EXT. STREET – OPERA HOUSE – NIGHT	Deckard Salome	25
26	3 Leon attacks Deckard, but Rachel kills him. Graff learns Deckard is harboring Rachel when he picks up Deckard to see Bryant. Sebastian introduces Sebastian to Batty. Then Deckard and Rachel talk about themselves and have sex.	Leon, Batty and Rachel react to the death of Salome. Leon tries to kill Deckard, but Rachel kills Leon.	Leon and Batty watch from a safe distance as they see Deckard showing his credentials to police who responded to the public execution of Salome. Leon and Batty walk away angry.	EXT. THE CROWD – NIGHT	Batty Leon Deckard (Salome )	26
27			Moments later, Deckard sees Rachel in the growing crowd. He chases after her, but she runs away, upset that Deckard killed an android.	EXT. STREETS – NIGHT	Deckard Rachel	27
28			Deckard chases Rachel but loses her. He ends up in an alley, where Leon attacks him. Deckard fights back and loses. Leon is about to kill him, but Rachel sneaks up and kills Leon.	EXT. ALLEY NIGHT	Deckard Rachel Leon	28
29			Deckard takes Rachel to get drunk to cope with killing, but while at the bar, Gaff apprehends Deckard to send him to talk to Bryant. Before Gaff sees Rachel, Deckard signals/warns her to hide. Gaff doesn’t see Rachel but is suspicious she is with Deckard.	EXT. 42ND STREET – 20 MINUTES LATER EXT. KIOSK – MOMENTS LATER	Deckard Rachel Gaff (Bryant )	29
30		Deckard recieves a prize for his success, but it’s a false victory. Rachel went rouge. So Bryant orders him to find and kill her.	Bryant congratulates Deckard for killing two androids in one night and tells him Rachel went rouge, and he must now kill her.	EXT. KIOSK	Bryant Deckard (Rachel )	30
31		Deckard and Rachel get to know each other better.	Later, at Deckard’s apartment, Deckard justifies killing androids to Rachel.	INT. DECKARD’S KITCHEN – NIGHT	Deckard Rachel	31
32			As Rachel pervs out on Deckard bandaging himself half-naked, Rachel asks if he will hunt her. He says no, but someone will. She asks if Deckard knows how long she’ll live, and he says he doesn’t know.	INT. DECKARD’S BATHROOM – NIGHT INT. DECKARD’S BATHROOM A FEW MINUTES LATER	Rachel Deckard	32
33			While Deckard sleeps, Rachel looks at a photo of Deckard’s family jealously and then plays a beautiful melody on a piano.	INT. LIVING ROOM NIGHT INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT INT. LIVING ROOM – NIGHT	Rachel Deckard	33
34		Pris gets to know Sebastian better, and introduces him to Batty.	In Sebastian’s apartment, Sebastian and Pris flirt. Batty sneaks in while Pris asks Sebastian why he’s still on Earth. Sebastian says he has a disease. Batty walks up on them and acts all creepy.	INT. CITYSCAPE DAWN EXT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – DAWN INT. SEBASTIAN’S BUILDING – DAWN INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – DAWN INT. WEDDING DRESS ROOM – DAWN INT. SEBASTIAN LABORATORY – DAWN	Sebastian Pris Batty	34
35		Rachel and Deckard get to know each other better, and they have sex.	The next morning, Rachel asks Deckard how he feels about all his family members and her. Then they have sex.	INT DECKARD’S BEDROOM – MORNING INT. DECKARD’S LIVING ROOM MORNING	Rachel Deckard	35
36	4 Team 2 convinces Sebastian to take them to see Tyrell. Holden tells Deckard that Team 2 is trying to find their maker and eternal life.	Sebastian gets to know Pris and Batty better. Sebastian agrees to take them to their creator.	In Sebastian’s house, Sebastian figures out Pris and Batty are androids. They ask him to help them meet Tyrell, and Sebastian reluctantly agrees.	INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT	Sebastian Pris Batty	36
37		Holden and Deckard get to know each other better. Holden explains Team 2’s plan to Deckard and gives Deckard clue #5. While spying on Deckard and Holden, Gaff and Bryant plan to follow Deckard to find Rachel.	In Holden’s hospital room, Deckard tells Holden he killed two androids, including the one who shot Holden. Deckard says the androids had feelings, and Holden jokingly accuses Deckard of having sex with Salome.	INT. HOSPITAL (DAY)	Holden Deckard (Team 2 ) (Rachel )	37
38			Bryant and Gaff spy on Holden and Deckard. Bryant wonders if Deckard knows where Rachel is. Gaff says he’ll find out if Bryant gives him a promotion.	INT. BRYANT’S OFFICE – DAY	Bryant Gaff (Deckard )	38
39			Holden explains to Deckard that the rouge androids are trying to infiltrate Tyrell Corp. to meet Tyrell.	INT. HOSPITAL (DAY)	Holden Deckard (Team 2 )	39
40			Bryant and Gaff are surprised by Holden’s explanation that the rouge androids are trying to meet Tyrell.	INT. BRYANT’S OFFICE – DAY	Bryant Gaff (Team 2 )	40
41	5 Tyrell tells Batty he’ll die of old age very soon and there’s no cure. Batty kills Sebastian and Tyrell. Deckard follows clues to Sebastian’s house, where he meets, fights and kills Pris. Then he fights Batty who spares Deckard’s life and then dies of old age.	Deckard investigates clue #5 and finds Pris.	Sitting in his car, Deckard calls Schlecht and orders her to give him personnel files on the four people in Tyrell Corp. with the most authorization clearance, including Sebastian. Schlecht reluctantly complies.	INT. DECKARD’S CAR	Deckard (Team 2 ) (Sebastian )	41
42		Deckard investigates clue #5 and finds Pris.	Deckard calls Sebastian’s house. Pris answers and abruptly hangs up. Deckard studies her picture in his video phone.	INT. DECKARD’S CAR INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT INT. DECKARD’S CAR	Deckard Sebastian Pris	42
43		Batty meets and gets to know his creator. Batty asks for more life, but his creator says he can’t give it to him. So Batty kills his creator and Sebastian.	Sebastian takes Batty to Tyrell’s apartment at the top of The Pyramid. Tyrell reluctantly lets them in.	EXT. TYRELL CORP. – SUNSET EXT. PYRAMID – NIGHT INT. ELEVATOR – NIGHT INT. TYRELL’S BEDROOM -NIGHT INT. ELEVATOR – NIGHT	Sebastian Batty Tyrell	43
44			Batty asks Tyrell how to extend his life. Tyrell says it’s impossible, and Batty kills Tyrell and Sebastian.	INT. TYRELL’S BEDROOM – NIGHT	Batty Tyrell Sebastian	44
45		Deckard investigates Pris’s location, where he fights and kills Pris and Batty (with a twist).	Deckard goes to Sebastian’s apartment and finds, then fights, then kills Pris.	EXT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. LOBBY/SEBASTIAN’S – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. STAIRWELL/SEBASTIAN’S BUILDING – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT	Deckard (Sebastian ) Pris	45
46			Batty returns to Sebastian’s apartment and fights Deckard, resulting in Deckard hanging over the edge of the roof.	INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT – NIGHT INT. BILLIARD ROOM – NIGHT INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT NIGHT INT. LOBBY – NIGHT INT. BILLIARD ROOM – NIGHT INT. DARK ROOM – NIGHT INT. FLOOR B – TOILET – NIGHT	Deckard Batty	46
47			Batty saves Deckard’s life and then sits down to die of old age.	EXT. ROOF – WINDOW LEDGE – NIGHT EXT ROOF – NIGHT EXT. THE ROOF – LOW ANGLE – NIGHT EXT. THE SECOND ROOF – NIGHT EXT. THE FIRST ROOF – NIGHT EXT. ROOF – LOW ANGLE – NIGHT EXT. SECOND ROOF – NIGHT	Deckard Batty	47
48	6 Denouement	Gaff congratules Deckard for completing his external quest. He gives Deckard a chance to continue his love story quest, but also promises to hunt and kill them.	Gaff finds Deckard on the roof next to Batty’s lifeless body. Gaff deduces Deckard will run away with Rachel. After threatening Deckard, Gaff decides to let Deckard run away with Rachel.	EXT. THE SECOND ROOF (DAWN)	Gaff Deckard (Rachel )	48
49			Deckard returns to his apartment and gets Rachel.	INT. DECKARD’S CORRIDOR – DAY INT. DECKARD’S LIVING ROOM – DAY INT. KITCHEN – DECKARD’S POV – DAY INT. BEDROOM – DAY	Deckard Rachel	49
50			Deckard and Rachel drive into the sunset.	INT. CORRIDOR – DAY EXT. MOVING TREES – DAY INT. DECKARD’S CAR – DAY EXT. WOODS – DAY	Deckard Rachel	50

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American Beauty
Avatar (Spreadsheet)
Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Back to the Future
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
Snatch
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

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Why using proper grammar is important in life

Blogging

Art

Leave a comment | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, blade runner, film script plot structure, formula plot template, how to write fiction, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline | posted in Movie Plot Break Downs

October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “Jurassic Park”

By wise sloth

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MASTER SPREADSHEET WITH ALL MY MOVIE PLOT BREAK DOWNS

Beat	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Storylines
1	1 Hammond recruits Team 1 to tour Jurassic Park and endorse it.	Prologue foreshadowing teaser	Muldoon oversees transportation of a raptor in a crate at Jurassic Park. Things go bad, and the raptor eats a worker.	Muldoon Raptors
2		Hammond offers Grand and Ellie the quest to visit Jurassic Park. After refusing the call, they agree.	At an amber mine in the Dominican Republic, Donald and Rostagno have a conversation about how Hammond should be dealing with the lawsuit involving the worker who was killed in Beat 1. Their conversation is interrupted when a worker says they found another mosquito trapped in amber.	Donald Rostagno (Hammond )
3			At the dig site, Rostagno and Donald inspect a piece of Amber with a mosquito. Rostagno and Donald discuss how Hammond needs experts to vouch for Jurassic Park. Donald says they need Grant, and Donald says Grant won’t come because he’s too wrapped up in digging.	Donald Rostagno (Grant ) (Ellie )
4			At a dig site in Montana, Grant and Ellie analyze the fossilized remains of a group of raptors and discuss the danger and behavior of raptors.	Grant Ellie (Kid)
5			Grant and Ellie use a sonar-type machine to analyze more raptor fossils underground. They discuss the danger and behavior of raptors more, and Grant mentions he hates children.	Grant Ellie Kid
6			Hammond (Grant and Ellie’s benefactor) lands at the dig site in a helicopter and tells them he needs them to vouch for his new park. They refuse, but he bribes them by offering to fund their digs for three more years.	Hammond Grant Ellie
7	2 Dodgson hires Nedry to steal DNA from Hammond. Team 1 enters Jurassic park and learns how it works.	Inciting incident to the central conflict Dodgson gives Nedry the quest to steal DNA.	At a café in Costa Rica, Nedry meets with Dodgson to discuss stealing dinosaur DNA from Jurassic Park.	Nedry Dodgson
8		Ellie, Grant, Hammond, Malcolm and Donald arrive at Jurassic Park and we see their first reactions.	Grant, Hammond, Malcolm, Ellie and Donald ride a helicopter to Jurassic Park and introduce themselves to each other.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
9			The helicopter lands, and the occupants get out and then get in a caravan of jeeps. Donald tells Hammond that if he’s not convinced the park is safe in 48 hours, he’ll tell the other investors and shut it down.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
10			In a jeep, Ellie is amazed by the existence of an extinct plant while Grant spots a brontosaurus and Hammond enjoys watching them.	Ellie Grant Hammond Brontosaurus
11			Ellie, Grant and Hammond discuss the brontosaurus, and Hammond mentions they have a T-rex. Donald says to himself that the park is going to make a fortune.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald (T-rex )
12		Ellie, Grant, Hammond, Malcolm and Donald receive an introduction to the features and rules of Jurassic Park.	Ellie, Grant, Hammond, Donald and Malcolm arrive at the visitor’s center and continue marveling at the park’s existence.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
13			Ellie, Grant, Hammond, Donald and Malcolm sit in an auditorium and watch a video explaining how dinosaurs were brought back to life using DNA from mosquitos trapped in amber, spliced with frog DNA.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
14			The auditorium seats move past the genetics lab where Nedry will later steal his DNA samples from. Grant, Ellie, Donald and Malcolm jump out of their seats and demand to see the hatchery. Hammond acquiesces to their request.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
15			Dr. Wu shows Grant, Ellie, Hammond, Donald and Malcolm a hatching dinosaur. Hammond reveals that all the dinosaurs in the park are engineered to be female. Malcolm says “you can’t control anything” and nature will find a way to adapt. Hammond also reveals the hatchling is a raptor.	Dr. Wu Grant Ellie Hammond Donald Malcolm Raptor
16			Against Hammond’s protests, Grant leads Ellie, Hammond, Donald and Malcolm to the adult raptor pen to see them. Muldoon shows up and says the raptors are too dangerous (fast, smart and high jumpers) and should be destroyed. Muldoon also mentions the fences in Jurassic Park are electrified.	Grant Hammond Ellie Malcolm Donald Muldoon Raptor
17		State the theme and foreshadow the central conflict	Hammond, Grant, Ellie, Donald and Malcolm eat lunch at the visitor’s center. Hammond tells the group they’re about to take a basic tour of the park. Donald is giddily greedy about how much money the park is going to make. Malcolm reiterates that mother nature can’t be controlled. He says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with what they could do, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Ellie sides with Malcolm, and Grant sides with Donald.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald
18	3 Team 2 is sent on a tour while Team 1 stays in the control room. Team 2 evacuates the staff due to a bad storm approaching while Nedry prepares to steal DNA.	Begin the tour quest and introduce Tim and Lex.	Hammond, Grant, Ellie, Donald and Malcolm walk through the visitor’s center enroute to the jeeps, and Hammond introduces them to his grandchildren, Tim and Lex. Hammond informs them Tim and Lex will be joining them on the tour.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald Tim Lex
19		Begin the tour quest and introduce Tim and Lex.	Grant, Ellie, Donald, Malcolm, Tim and Lex get in a caravan of jeeps. Hammond informs the group that the jeeps are automated and can’t be manually controlled. Then he excuses himself from the group, and Tim latches onto Grant, much to Grant’s dismay.	Hammond Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald Tim Lex
20		Introduce complication to tour quest Bad weather	In the Control room Muldoon tells Hammond a major tropical storm is approaching the island but may veer away. Hammond presses a button to begin the caravan of jeep’s automated tour.	Muldoon Hammond
21		Tour stop #1 Lull before the storm Hammond fails test #1 due to his flaw Foreshadow conflict with Dilophosaurs	The jeep caravan passes by the dilophosaur enclosure, but there are no dinosaurs to be seen. Hammond’s prerecorded voice narrates the tour through the jeep’s speakers saying the species of dinosaur they’re passing (but can’t see) is dilophosaurus, carnivore that spits blinding venom at its victims, which Nedry will be killed by later.	Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald Tim Lex (Dilophosaurs )
22		Hammond experiences the repercussions of his failure while Nedry and Hammond get to know each other.	In the Control room, Arnold notices there’s a glitch with the jeeps’ headlights and says the park is full of glitches. Nedry says he did an exemplary job designing the park’s computer systems for the paltry sum he was paid, and Hammond tells Nedry to stop complaining about his financial problems, which is nobody’s business but his own.	Arnold Nedry Hammond
23		Tour stop #2 Lull before the storm Hammond fails test #2 due to his flaw Foreshadow conflict with T-rex	The jeeps approach the T-rex viewing area. Malcom continues to express his skepticism towards creating dinosaurs. A goat is lowered into the T-rex pen but fails to lure out the T-rex. Grant says T-rexes are hunters, and this isn’t their natural environment. The disappointed group doesn’t get to see the T-rex.	Malcolm (T-rex ) Grant Ellie Donald Tim Lex
24		Malcolm and Ellie get to know each other. Malcolm restates the theme As a repercussion of Hammond’s failure, Grant strays from the path, leading the team with him.	Malcom hits on Ellie and explains why nature can’t be controlled or predicted because of chaos theory. Grant sees something interesting that makes him jump out of the jeep, and everyone follows him.	Malcolm Ellie
25		Hammond experiences the repercussion of his failure and lament that the team has strayed from the path.	In the Control room, Hammond, Muldoon and Arnold lament the visitors are jumping out of the jeeps. Meanwhile, Nedry prepares to steal dinosaur DNA.	Hammond Muldoon Arnold Nedry
26		The bad weather complication to the tour quest increases Team continues off the path and finds an opportunity for adventure.	Dark clouds approach on the horizon as Grant leads Ellie, Malcolm, Donald, Tim and Lex through a field to where Harding is tending to a sick triceratops. Tim annoys Grant while Donald acts scared. Ellie diagnoses that the triceratops is sick from eating poisonous plants that Harding didn’t think triceratopses ate.	Grant Ellie Malcolm Donald Tim Lex Harding Triceratops
27		Hammond decides to quit the tour mission and call the team back due to the bad weather complication.	In the Control room, Arnold, Muldoon and Hammond decide to end the tour and evacuate non-essential staff due to the impending tropical storm.	Arnold Muldoon Hammond
28		The team continues enjoying their opportunity off the path. They succeed at their side quest but it’s a false victory, because they won’t be able to escape Jurassic Park by Jeep as a result.	In the field, with Grant, Donald, Malcolm, Tim and Lex looking on, Ellie meets Harding and digs through a pile of triceratops dung and discovers the sick triceratops hasn’t been eating the poisonous plant.	Ellie Harding Triceratops Grant Donald Malcolm Tim Lex
29		Nedry uses his strength to enact step #1 of his quest to steal DNA. Inciting incident to the major conflict	In the control room, Nedry executes a mysteriously sinister computer program.	Nedry
30	4 Nedry disables Jurassic Park’s computer system, steals DNA and flees into the storm in a jeep. Team 2 scrambles to figure out why the park’s machines are shutting down. Team 1 gets stuck in the tour when their machines shut down.	As the weather complication increases, Ellie leaves the team to continue the side-quest. The team returns to the path.	In the field, Ellie and Grant theorize the Triceratops is sick because it eats poison berries when it regurgitates and eats rocks to help it digest. As the sky grows more foreboding, Donald insists they leave, but Ellie insists on staying to assist the triceratops with Harding. Grant, Malcolm, Donald, Tim and Lex walk back to the jeeps, leaving Ellie behind.	Ellie Grant Harding Triceratops Donald Malcolm Tim Lex
31			Grant, Malcolm, Donald, Tim and Lex arrive at the jeeps as the wind kicks up and large drops of rain begin to fall.	Grant Malcolm Donald Time Lex
32		Arnold and Hammond create an evacuation plan for the escape quest while Nedry uses his strength to completes step 2 of his quest to steal DNA.	In the control room, Arnold reroutes the jeeps to turn around at the next rest area. Meanwhile, Nedry redundantly executes his mysteriously sinister computer program again and excuses himself from the room under false pretenses to go steal dinosaur DNA. Nedry warns them he’s running a routine diagnostic program that may cause some systems to reboot.	Arnold Nedry Hammond
33		Grant and Malcom get to know each other.	In the back jeep, Grant and Malcolm chit chat. Malcolm says he has kids and is always looking for “the future ex-Mrs. Malcolm.”	Grant Malcolm
34		Nedry uses his strength to complete step #3 of his quest to steal DNA.	Nedry enters the fertilization lab and steals a bunch of dinosaur DNA.	Nedry
35			In the control room, Arnold notices systems are shutting down. Hammond dismisses it as Nedry’s diagnostic program going through its motions.	Arnold Hammond
36		Grant and Malcom get to know each other. Repercussion of Nedry’s success creates a setback in th team’s quest to escape.	In the back jeep, Malcolm asks Grant if Ellie is available. They notice the systems in the jeep are shutting down.	Malcolm Ellie
37		Nedry uses his strength to complete step #4 of his quest to steal DNA and then begins step #5 while Hammond and Muldoon experience the consequence of Nedry’s success, which is an escalation of the tech complication in the escape quest.	Outside, Nedry drives a jeep to the gates of Jurassic Park, gets out, opens the gates and drives through.	Nedry
38			In the control room, Arnold, Hammond and Muldoon notice more systems across the park shutting down and try to stop it.	Arnold Hammond Muldoon
39			Nedry drives his jeep through the jungle roads precariously towards the docks.	Nedry
40			In the control room, Arnold is unable to regain control of the systems. Hammond asks where the tour jeeps stopped.	Arnold Hammond
41	5 Team 1 is attacked by a T-rex and escape.	Hammond’s team experiences the repercussion of Nedry’s success and the tech failure complication.	In the back jeep, Grant tells Malcolm that the radios aren’t working. It’s revealed they’re stopped next to the T-rex pen.	Grant Malcolm (T-rex )
42			In the front jeep, Lex and Tim amuse themselves while Donald laments bringing Malcolm to the park because he’ll give it bad publicity.	Tim Lex Donald Malcolm (T-rex )
43		The T-rex attacks the team. T-rex kills Donald and disables Malcolm. Grant’s team escapes into the woods, straying from the fastest escape route.	In the front jeep, Tim, Lex and Donald hear ominous, booming footsteps. Then a goat leg falls on their jeep’s window.	Tim Lex Donald T-rex
44			The T-rex approaches the jeeps. Donald gets out of the front jeep and runs away and hides in a porta potty.	T-rex Tim Lex Donald
45			In the back jeep, Malcolm and Grant see the T-rex outside its pen.	Malcolm Grant T-rex
46			The T-rex investigates the jeeps and bumps the one Grant and Malcolm are in.	T-rex Grant Malcolm
47			In the front jeep, Lex turns on a flashlight, which attracts the T-rex, which attacks the front jeep. In the back jeep, Grant and Malcolm grab road flares and jump out of the vehicle.	Lex Tim T-rex Grant Malcolm
48			The T-rex continues attacking the front jeep. Grant and Malcolm get the T-rex’s attention with road flares. The T-rex chases Malcom and hits him with his head, sending Malcolm flying. Then the T-rex eats Donald.	T-rex Tim Lex Grant Malcolm Donald
49			Grant frees Lex from the front jeep, but Tim is stuck. The T-rex knocks the jeep over a cliff while Grant and Lex climb down the cliff to safety using a cable. The T-rex roars and wanders off.	Grant Lex Tim T-rex
50	6 Dinosaurs kill Nedry. Team 2 makes a plan to save Team 1 and unsuccessfully tries to turn the park’s computer system back on. Ellie and Muldoon look for Team 1 and are chased by the T-rex. Hammond, Lex and Tim walk halfway back to the control room and then stop for the night.	Hammond’s team discovers the source of the tech complication and create a plan for the reboot quest and a new plan for the escape quest.	In the control room, Arnold discovers Nedry has intentionally turned off the security system, and it will take forever to figure out how to override Nedry’s program. Hammond tells Muldoon to retrieve his grandchildren, and Ellie volunteers to go with him. Arnold reiterates that can’t turn the security systems back on without Nedry.	Arnold (Nedry ) Hammond Muldoon Ellie (Grant ) (Tim ) (Lex )
51		Nedry uses his flaw and fails step #5 of his quest to steal DNA, resulting in his death.	Nedry continues driving his jeep precariously to the docks. He wrecks his car and is killed by a pack of dilophosaurs.	Nedry Dilophosaur
52		Grant’s team recovers from their escape and creates a new escape plan.	At the bottom of the cliff, Grant tries to calm Lex, who is in shock. They retrieve Tim from the jeep, which is hanging in a tree. The jeep falls, but everyone is safe.	Grant Lex Tim
53			At the bottom of the cliff, Grant makes a plan to walk back to the visitor’s center. Lex is still in shock, and Grant has to coax her into continuing.	Grant Tim Lex
54		Ellie’s team investigates stop #2. Malcolm joins Ellie’s team. They’re attacked by the T-rex but manage to escape.	Ellie and Muldoon arrive at the rest stop in a jeep. They find the wreckage of the T-rex attack and a semi-conscious Malcolm. Ellie and Muldoon put Grant in the jeep and go to look for Grant, Tim and Lex. Muldoon says they’re most likely dead, but they find their tracks.	Ellie Muldoon (T-rex ) Malcolm (Grant ) (Tim ) (Lex )
55			Ellie and Muldoon’s search is cut short as the T-rex approaches and chases them off in their jeep, which leads to a chase scene.	Ellie Muldoon T-rex Malcolm (Grant ) (Tim ) (Lex )
56		Grant’s team gets to know each other while completing step 1 of their escape quest, then stop for the night.	Grant, Lex and Tim find a tree to hide in until morning and bond with each other a little before going to sleep.	Grant Tim Lex
57		Ellie’s team meets Hammond’s team,. Malcolm leaves Ellie’s team and joins Hammond’s team. Ellie and Hammond get to know each other.	At the visitor’s center, Malcolm is sent to the command room. Ellie tells Hammond that Lex and Tim are alive with Grant. Hammond expresses his motive for creating Jurassic Park. His first business was a fake flea circus, and he wanted to give people something real. Ellie rebuts that Jurassic Park is an illusion, and Hammond will never be able to control it.	Ellie Hammond Malcolm (Grant ) (Tim ) (Lex )
58		Grant’s team complete step 2 of their escape quest.	Grant, Lex and Tim wake up in the tree and are greeted by a bronotosaurus. They begin their walk back to the visitor’s center and find hatched eggs, proving nature has adapted and the supposedly all-female dinosaurs are giving birth.	Grant Tim Lex Brontosaurus
59	7 Team 2 makes and enacts a plan to reboot the computer system. Ellie discovers the raptors are loose. Team 1 climbs over an electric fence.	Hammond’s teammakes a plan for the tech quest. After debating enacting the plan, Hammond decides to enact it, which Arnold does, but this causes a setback and a new condition. Muldoon volunteers for the tech setback quest.	In the control room, Arnold tells Hammond the only way to get all systems back online is to reboot the entire park’s system. After some debate and considering other options, Hammond orders Arnold to reboot the whole system. He does, but it flipped breakers in a shed across the compound that need to be flipped to return full control. Arnold volunteers to go flip the breaker, and Hammond orders everyone else into the emergency bunker.	Arnold Hammond Muldoon Ellie Malcolm
60		Grant’s teamcompletes step 3 of their escape plan. They encounter the T-rex but escape.	Grant, Lex and Tim walk through a field. A herd of dinosaurs run past them, forcing them to hide behind a large rock. The T-rex bursts from the jungle and eats one of the fleeing dinosaurs. Grant, Tim and Lex flee while the T-rex is distracted.	Grant Lex Tim T-rex
61		Ellie’s team makes a plan to flip the breakers, against Hammond’s warning not to.	In the emergency bunker, Ellie gets impatient. She says something went wrong and volunteers to go flip the breakers herself. Muldoon volunteers to go with her. Hammond argues against the plan, but Ellie and Muldoon insist. Hammond plans to walk her through the technical process via walkie-talkie when they reach the electric shed.	Ellie Muldoon Hammond Arnold
62		Grant’s team encounters a complication. Step 4 of their escape quest is to climb a large fence.	Grant, Lex and Tim reach an electrified fence. After ascertaining it’s off and hearing the T-rex roar, they begin climbing over the fence.	Grant Lex Tim T-rex
63		Ellie’s team completes step 1 of their quest to flip the breaker and encounter a complication. The raptors have escaped.	En route to the electric shed, Ellie and Muldoon discover the raptors have escaped and are hunting them. Ellie runs to the shed while Muldoon prepares to shoot at raptors.	Ellie Muldoon (Raptors )
64		Grant’s team continues working on step 4 of their escape quest (climbing the fence).	Grant, Lex and Tim continue climbing the unpowered electric fence.	Grant Lex Tim
65		Hammond’s team walks Ellie through step 2 of her quest to flip the breaker (find the breaker in the electrical shed).	Inside the electric shed, Hammond directs Ellie where to go via walkie-talkie. Unable to follow Hammond’s directions, Malcom suggests she just follow the biggest cable, which leads her to the breaker box.	Hammond Ellie Malcolm
66		Grant’s team reaches the halway point of step 4 of their escape quest (climbing down the fence).	Grant, Lex and Tim begin climbing down the other side of the unpowered electric fence.	Grant Lex Tim
67		Ellie completes step 3 of her quest to flip the breakers. She flips a bunch of breakers.	Ellie flips some switches and lights start lighting up. She asks if it worked.	Ellie Hammond
68		Grant’s team completes step 4 of their quest to escape. They finsih climbing down the fence, but Tim gets shocked for cheap thrills.	Grant and Lex dismount the fence. Tim is afraid to jump down. So they try encouraging him. When Ellie hits a final button, the electric fence turns on and blows him off. For a moment it appears Tim is dead, but he regains consciousness.	Grant Tim Lex Ellie
69	8 Team 1 arrives at the visitor’s center. Grant leaves to find Ellie. Raptors chase Lex and Tim. Then the team reunites and lock themselves in the control room, where they turn the park’s computer system back on.	Elliie’s team begins their plan to get back to the safe room but are attacked by raptors. Muldoon dies.	Ellie is attacked by a raptor and barely makes it out of the electric shed.	Ellie Raptor
70			Muldoon tracks a raptor and realizes he’s being led into a trap. Then he gets eaten.	Muldoon Raptor
71		Grant’s team completes their quest to reach the visitor’s center. Grant leaves Tim and Lex to find Ellie, while Tim and Lex eat to celebrate their victory.	Grant, Lex and Tim arrive at the visitor’s center. Grant bonds with them a little and then makes a plan to find the others while Lex and Tim wait in the restaurant. Lex and Tim begin eating greedily until they notice there’s a raptor in the room with them.	Grant Lex Tim
72			Lex and Tim hide in the kitchen and shut the door behind them. The raptor comes to the door and can’t push it open.	Lex Tim Raptor
73		Grant finds Ellie. They prepare and plan a new escape plan.	Grant runs into Ellie en route to the control room.	Grant Ellie
74		Grant finds Ellie. They prepare and plan a new escape plan.	In the control room, Grant loads a shot gun. Ellie says there are three loose raptors.	Grant Ellie (Raptor )
75		Raptors attack Tim and Lex.	At the visitor’s center, the raptor opens the kitchen door and is joined by another raptor.	Raptor (Tim ) (Lex )
76		Raptors attack Tim and Lex.	Lex and Tim are chased by the two raptors. Lex locks one in a freezer while the other runs into his own reflection. While the raptor is dazed, Lex and Tim escape.	Lex Tim Raptor
77		Tim, Lex, Ellie and Grant reunite in the control room. Lex completes Ellie’s quest to reboot the system.	Lex and Tim run into Grant and Ellie while fleeing the restaurant. They make a quick plan to go to the control room.	Lex Tim Grant Ellie (Raptor )
78			Grant, Ellie, Lex and Tim enter the control room. Lex reboots the system while Grant and Ellie succeed at trying to prevent a raptor from getting through the door. All the park’s computer systems are restored.	Grant Ellie Lex Tim Raptor
79	9 Hammond calls for help. Then Team 1 is chased out of the park by raptors and the T-rex.	The prize for rebooting the system is Hammond calls for help. They make a plan to get to the helipad, but their victory is a false one since raptors attack Grant’s team.	Grant calls Hammond in the emergency bunker using a telephone. Grant tells Hammond to call the mainland to send help. The call is cut short by the sound of gunfire on Grant’s end.	Grant Hammond Ellie Tim Lex Malcolm
80		Grant’s team gets out the visitor’s center in three steps as they’re chased by raptors and the T-rex.	Grant saw a raptor through a window and shot it, which just damaged the glass enough to allow the raptor to crash through. Grant, Ellie, Lex and Tim climb to safety in the ceiling.	Grant Raptor Ellie Lex Tim
81			As Grant, Ellie, Lex and Tim crawl the air ducts, the raptor keeps jumping up, crashing its head through the ceiling. After nearly losing Lex, they crawl to a hatch that opens in the visitor’s center lobby.	Grant Ellie Tim Lex Raptor
82			While climbing down a T-rex skeleton, Grant, Elli, Lex and Tim are attacked by a raptor. Then the T-rex shows up and distracts the raptor while the humans flee.	Grant Ellie Lex Tim Raptor T-rex
83	10 Denouement	Everyone reaches the helipad and escapes.	Outside the visitor’s center, Hammond pulls up in a jeep. Malcolm is laying in the back. Grant, Ellie, Lex and Tim jump in and they peel off.	Hammond Malcolm Grant Ellie Lex Tim
84			Grant, Ellie, Lex, Tim and Malcolm arrive at a helicopter pad and get in the helicopter, which takes off promptly.	Grant Ellie Lex Tim Malcolm Hammond
85			The helicopter flies away as everyone smiles at each other.	Grant Ellie Lex Tim Malcolm Hammond

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Leave a comment | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, film script plot structure, formula plot template, how to write fiction, Jurassic park, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline | posted in Movie Plot Break Downs

October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “Good Will Hunting”

By wise sloth

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Beat	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Location	Storylines
1	1 Introduce all the main characters and give them each a strength, flaw and goal.	Introduce Will, his friends, his strength, flaw and goal. Will’s life before the inciting incident	Will and his friends sit at a bar telling jokes and laughing.	EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE – DAY INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON	Will Chuckie Morgan
2			Will is reading books at home while waiting to get picked up for work by Chuckie.	INT. WILL’S APARTMENT	Will Chuckie
3		Introduce Lambeau Begin Lambeau’s quest to find a genius. Lambeau creates test #1 for Will. Inciting incident to Will’s external quest	Lambeau challenges his students to solve an advanced math problem.	INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM	Lambeau (will )
4		Will and Chuckie get to know each other Inciting incident to Will’s love story.	Will and Chuckie goof around at their favorite hangout spot and make plans to go to a Harvard bar.	INT. FUNLAND	Will Chuckie (Skylar )
5		Introduce Sean and show his flaw	Sean sits on his roof looking morose, avoiding going to his college reunion.	EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ROOFTOP	Sean
6		Lambeau is given clue #1 Will has passed test #1. Lambeau goes to investigate clue #1.	At his class reunion, Lambeau’s students tell him someone has solved his math challenge.	EXT. M.I.T. CAMPUS	Lambeau (Will )
7		Inciting incident to Will’s Act 1 major conflict, which demonstrates his flaw and is a metaphor for his life. Introduce Act 1 major conflict antagonist (one-off conflict character)	Will and his team goof off and see Bobby Champa, a person who beat up Will in the past. (metaphor for Will’s father)	EXT. TOM FOLEY PARK, S. BOSTON	Will Chuckie Morgan
8		Lambeau investigates clue #1 but hits a dead end. He issues a new, escalated test to Will.	Lambeau tries and fails to find out who solved his math challenge by searching among his students in the hallway of MIT. Then he issues a new challenge.	INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY	Lambeau (Will )
9		Major Act 1 conflict in Will’s external quest. By using his flaw and chasing his cursed goal, he fights Bobby Champa and wins a phyrric victory, which sets his life back and creates clue # for Lambeau.	Will, Chuckie, Morgan and Billy ride in Chuckie’s Cadillac talking about first world poor people’s problems.	INT. CHUCKIE’S CAR	Will Chuckie Morgan
10			Chuckie convinces Morgan to backup Will in a fight.	INT. CHUCKIE’S CAR	Chuckie Morgan (Will )
11			Will, Chuckie, Billy and Morgan fight Bobby Champa and his crew, ending with Will being arrested	EXT. SIDEWALK	Will Chuckie Morgan
12	2 The antagonist hunts for the hero while the hero meets his love interest.	Sean experiences the consequences of using his flaw and failing his quest.	Sean sits morose on his roof having skipped his class reunion.	EXT. SEAN’S ROOF — NIGHT	Sean
13		Chuckie rescues Will after Will receives judgment from the authorities, who give him a mandatory mission to return to court for further judgment.	Chuckie picks up Will from the courthouse after being arrested.	EXT. COURTHOUSE	Chuckie Will
14		Lambeau is given clue #2 Will has passed test #2. Then Lambeau creates test #3 for Will. Later, he accidentally finds Will passing test #3. Lambau tries to catch Will, but Will flees and escapes, but leaves behind clue #4, which Lambeau finds.	Lambeau and his students gather in class to learn who solved the second math challenge. They fail to achieve their goal. Lambeau creates a new goal for Will.	INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM	Lambeau (Will )
15			Lambeau catches Will solving the third math challenge, but Will runs away.	INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY — NIGHT	Lambeau Will
16		Will meets his lover, Skylar. He wins the opportunity for a first date with her by defeating a one-off conflict character in a test of strength.	Will, Chuckie, Billy and Morgan go to Casey’s bar as discussed in Beat 4. Will says he lost his job and Chuckie says he can get him a new job.	EXT. BOW AND ARROW PUB, CAMBRIDGE	Will Chuckie Morgan (Skylar )
17			Chuckie hits on Skylar and Lydia at a Harvard bar.	INT. BOW AND ARROW — CONTINUOUS	Chuckie Skylar (Will )
18			Chuckie gets humiliated intellectually by Clark.	INT. BOW AND ARROW — CONTINUOUS	Chuckie Clark Skylar Will
19			Will saves Chuckie by humiliating Clark intellectually.	INT. BOW AND ARROW — CONTINUOUS	Will Clark Chuckie Skylar
20			Skylar gives Will his prize for beating Act 2 threshold beat-antagonist (Clark)	INT. BOW AND ARROW — CONTINUOUS	Skylar Will
21			Will taunts Clark with Skylar’s phone number.	EXT. BOW AND ARROW	Will Clark (Skylar )
22			Chuckie takes Will home from the bar.	EXT. STREET EXT. WILL’S APARTMENT	Will Chuckie
23	3 The antagonist traps the hero, and the hero fights back.	Lambeau investigates clue #4 and finds clue #5.	Lambeau looks for Will by talking to Will’s previous employer.	INT. M.I.T. BUILDING AND GROUNDS GARAGE	Lambeau (Will )
24		Will attempts to complete his setback mission to return to court. He uses his strength but fails. In a false failure, he’s rescued by Lambeau, but this is a false victory, because Lambeau gives Will two new missions attend mentoring and therapy sessions. Then Chuckie rescues Will from court, but this is a false victory, because Will can’t tell Chuckie the truth about his release.	Will fails to argue his court case before the judge. Lambeau intercedes to save and indebt him.	INT. COURTROOM	Will Lambeau
25			Will calls Skylar from jail asking for a date and legal representation.	INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, HOLDING	Will Skylar Lambeau
26			Lambeau explains to Will the conditions of his release from jail. (Will wants to meet with Lambeau for math mentoring and see a therapist)	INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, INTERROGATION ROOM	Lambeau Will
27			Will tells Chuckie the results of his trial.	INT. FUNLAND	Will Chuckie (Lambeau )
28		Will prepares for pre-Sean therapy test #1, uses his strength and wins, but it’s a false victory, because he broke the condition of his release.	Will reads Henry Limpkin’s book.	INT. WILL’S APARTMENT	Will (Lipkin ) (Lambeau )
29			Will meets with Henry Lipkin, who states the stakes and conditions of Quest chain 1, and Will rejects both Henry Lipkin and the message.	INT. PSYCHOLOGIST’S OFFICE	Will (Lipkin ) (Lambeau )
30			Lipkin storms out of his session with Will, embarrassing Lambeau.	INT. PSYCHOLOGIST’S OFFICE	Will Lipkin (Lambeau )
31	4 The antagonist recruits a mentor for the hero, whom the hero rejects while getting closer to his love interest.	Lambeau gives Will mentoring test #1, which Will uses his strength and passes. Lambaue states Will’s flaw and warns of the consequence of using it.	Will and Lambeau work on a theorem. Lambeau states Will’s flaw and gives him advice on how to fix it. Lambeau sets up Will’s next conflict.	INT. HALLWAY	Will Lambeau
32		Lambeau gives Will pre-Sean therapy test #2, which Will uses his strength and passes (to him), but it’s a false failure, because he broke the condition of his parole.	Will insults and drives off a hypnotist in Lambeau’s office/presence.	INT. LAMBEAU’S OFFICE	Will Hypnotist Lambeau
33		We see a metaphor for Sean’s life, followed by Lambeau arriving, which is the inciting incident to Sean’s quest to help Will.	Sean lectures a bored class about the importance of therapists gaining their client’s trust, and Lambeau interrupts his class to talk about Will.	INT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS — DAY	Sean Lambeau
34		Will and Skylar go on date #1 and get to know each other.	Will and Skylar go on their first date.	EXT. HARVARD SQUARE — NIGHT	Will Skylar
35		Sean and Lambeau get to know each other	Sean and Lambeau make small talk and reminisce at a diner.	INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT — NIGHT	Sean Lambeau (Will )
36		While still on date #2, Will and Skylar continue getting to know each other.	Will and Skylar make small talk at a diner and kiss.	INT. HARVARD SQ. DINER: “THE TASTY” — NIGHT	Will Skylar
37		Lambeau offers Sean the quest to help Will. After refusing the call, Sean accepts the quest.	Lambeau convinces Sean to be Will’s therapist.	INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT — SAME	Lambeau Sean (Will )
38		Meeting Sean is Will’s therapy test #3. Will uses his strength and wins, but it’s a false victory, because Sean decides to continue his quest. Will and Sean get to know each other.	Will meets with Sean for their first session. Will attempts to insult Sean repeatedly until he finds one that gets under Sean’s skin. He insult’s Sean’s wife, and Sean chokes/threatens Will.	EXT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS — MORNING INT. SEAN’S OFFICE — DAY	Will Sean (Lambeau )
39			Sean tells Lambeau he wants to continue seeing Will.	INT. SEAN’S OFFICE — DAY	Sean Lambeau (Will )
40	5 The hero pulls away from the quest he should be on, but he’s no longer satisfied with his old life.	Will and Skylar go on date #2 and get to know each other. Will uses his flaw.	Will and Skylar go on their second date, and Will lies that he has a big, happy family.	EXT. WONDERLAND RACETRACK — DAY	Will Skylar
41		Sean experiences the consequence of failing his therapy test #1. He debates continuing his quest to help Will. Will and Sean get to know each other.	Sean sits at his small, dirty apartment alone drinking and thinking.	INT. SEAN’S APARTMENT — NIGHT	Sean
42			Sean lectures Will about being an inexperienced boy and needing to talk about his past.	EXT. BOSTON COMMON — MINUTES LATER	Sean Will (Skylar )
43		Will refuses the call to setup date #3 with Sklar and continue getting to know her.	Will tries to call Skylar but hangs up.		Will Skylar
44		Will attempts Sean’s therapy test #2 and passes (to him) by using his strength and his flaw, which results in a false victory because Lambeau decides to continue his quest to help Will.	Will meets with Sean and doesn’t say anything during their session. Afterwards, Sean debriefs with Lambeau.	INT. SEAN’S OFFICE — DAY	Will Sean Lambeau
45		Will experiences the consequences of his false victory. His life is going nowhere, which he is starting to not want.	Chuckie drops Will off from work at night, picks Will up in the morning for work and mentors Will at work doing demolition. It’s a dreary life.	INT. CONSTRUCTION SITE — DAY	Chuckie Will
46			Will, Chuckie and their friends joke at a South Boston bar about women. Will sees his future with his friends and decides to go home early despite protests from his friends to keep living this way.	EXT. SOUTH BOSTON STREET — NIGHT INT. SKYLAR’S ROOM — NIGHT	Will Chuckie
47		Will takes mentoring test #2, which he passes by using his strength.	Will and Lambeau enjoy solving a math problem together.	INT. SEAN’S OFFICE — DAY	Will Lambeau
48		Will takes Sean therapy test #3, which he passes by facing his fear. Will and Sean get to know each other.	Will opens up in his session with Sean.		Will Sean (Lambeau )
49	6 The hero applies himself to his quest but pulls away again when he starts to make progress.	Empowered by passing his test and facing his fears, he applies the same strategy to his love quest with Skylar. He asks her to go on date #3, but Skylar refuses the call, but Will uses his strength to convince her. Skylar agrees to go on date #3.	Will sneaks into Skylar’s dorm and asks for another date. Skylar reluctantly refuses, saying she has homework to do.		Will Skylar
50			Will does Skylar’s homework for her.		Will (Skylar )
51			Will gives Skylar her completed homework, and she agrees to go on a date with him.		Will Skylar
52		Will teakes Sean’s therapy test #4 and wins by facing his fears. Will and Sean get to know each other.	Will and Sean open up to each other in session, and Sean gives Will advice about relationships, missed opportunities, regret and the cost of living.		Will Sean (Lambeau )
53		Will takes Lambeau’s mentoring test #3 and passes by using his strength.	Will improves on a famous mathematician’s theory in his session with Lambeau.		Will Lambeau
54		Will and Skylar go on date #3, have sex and get to know each other. Skylar gives Will a new condition to continue getting to know her He must introduce her to his friends.	Will and Skylar are in a post-coital embrace. Skylar demands to meet Will’s friends and/or family.		Will Skylar
55			Skylar goes out drinking with Will and his friends		Skylar Will Chuckie Morgan
56			After leaving the bar, Will takes Chuckie’s car to drive Skylar home and lies about having 12 brothers again.		Will Skylar (Chuckie )
57	7	Against Sean’s warning, Lambeau gives Will, interview test #1. Chuckie takes Will’s test in his place and passes (to them), but it’s a false victory, because it violates the conditions of Will’s parole.	Lambeau makes arrangements at a party to pimp out Will to his colleagues		Lambeau Interviewer #1 (Will )
58			Lambeau tells Sean he’s arranged job interviews for Will, and they argue whether he’s ready or not.		Lambeau Sean (Will )
59			Chuckie impersonates Will at a job interview and hustles the interviewers for cash.		Chuckie Interviewer #2 (Will ) (Lambeau )
60		Will and Skylar go on date #4 and get to know each other. Skylar gives him an ultimatum to get closer to her. Will uses his flaw and refuses the call. Skylar can’t get through to Will. So she asks Chuckie for help. He confirms Will loves her.	On a study date on the Harvard lawn, Skylar states Will’s flaw and implies he should move to California with her in two months.		Skylar Will
61			Skylar visits Chuckie at his house and asks why Will is so distant. Chuckie says Will have never liked a girl the way he likes Skylar.		Skylar Chuckie (Will )
62		Lambeau gives Will, mentoring test #4. Will passes using his strength, but he uses his flaw and forces Lambeau to face his fear.	Will humiliates Lambeau by out-mathing him, and Lambeau gets mad at will for embarrassing him at the interview. They both demonstrate and state how their flaws conflict and affect each other		Will Lambeau (Interviewer #2)
63	8 With pressure mounting, the hero rides the fence and is even less satisfied with his old life. His allies finally help him overcome his signature flaw.	Will and Skylar go on date #5 and have sex. Skylar gives him the ultimatum again. Will uses his flaw and tells Skylar he doesn’t love her.	While sleeping at Skylar’s dorm, Skylar asks Will to move to California with her, and Will blows up on her, admitting his past and telling her he doesn’t lover her.		Skylar Will
64		Will goes on interview test #2 and passes (to him) by using his strength, but it’s a false victory, because he refused the call to leave his old life.	Will goes to a job interview with the NSA and insults the interviewers. .		Will Interviewer #3 (Lambeau )
65		Will experiences the consequences of his false victory and wants his old life even less.	Will hangs out with Chuckie and Morgan at Chuckie/his mom’s house and takes little joy in his normal routine.		Will Chuckie Morgan
66		Will’s experience emboldens him to ask Skylar on date #6, but he uses his flaw and fails to aggree to her ultimatum or say he loves her. As Will works with Lambeau, Skylar moves farther away from Will. Will fails to attempt to catch her, and he loses her.	Will calls Skylar and says he’s looking for a real job to impress Skylar, but he won’t tell her he loves her or move to California with her.		Will Skylar
67			Over several scenes spliced between cuts to and from Beat 68, Will works with Lambeau in Sean’s office..		Will Lambeau
68			Over several scenes spliced between cuts to and from Beat 67, Skylar slowly boards an airplane to California..		Skylar Will
69		Will takes Sean’s therapy test #5 while experiencing the consequence of losing Skylar. Will uses his flaw and fails the test. Sean and Will get to know each other.	During their therapy session, Sean gets under Will’s skin by throwing his flaws in his face. Will lashes back, throwing Sean’s flaws in his face. Sean is the victor in the power play.		Will Sean (Skylar )
70	9 Will refuses the call to heal and then accepts, neutralizing his flaw.	Will experiences the consequences of his failure and wants his old life even less.	While working demolition with Chuckie, Will takes his anger out on a wall with a hammer.		Will Chuckie
71		Will fails to take mentoring test #5, but it’s a false failure. Even though it violates the conditions of his parole, Lambeau decides to give Will another chance.	Will doesn’t show up for his mentoring session with Lambeau. Lambeau threatens Sean that he’ll revoke Will’s parole, but secretly he lies on his probation report and says Will attended the session. .		Lambeau Sean (Will )
72		Will and Skylar go on date #7 and get to know each other. Skylar gives will another opportunity ultimatum to stay with her, which Will fails to accept.	On a study date on the Harvard lawn, Skylar states Will’s flaw and implies he should move to California with her in two months.		Skylar Will
73		Will takes therapy test #6 and succeeds by facing his fears.	Lambeau shows up at Will’s meeting with Sean before Will arrives and argues with Sean about pushing Will too hard.		Lambeau Sean (Will )
74			Will shows up to his last meeting with Sean. Lambeau leaves. Will opens up completely to Sean, and Sean neutralizes Will’s flaw with a hug and telling him his child abuse wasn’t his fault.		Will Sean Lambeau
75	10 Will prepares to enter his new life and says his goodbyes as Lambeau and Sean reunite over Will’s success.	Will experiences the repercussions of his success. Chuckie gies him a prize that will allow Will to chase Skylar. Sean and Lambeau give him an opportunity to refuse the call, but Will decides to accept the call.	Will walks around town with new eyes. He goes into a business and applies for a job seriously.		Will (Skylar )
76			Chuckie gives Will a POS car for his birthday.		Chuckie Will (Skylar )
77			Will says goodbye to Sean, who tells him to only take the job if he really wants it.		Will Sean (Lambeau )
78			Will runs into Lambeau leaving Sean’s office. Lambeau tells Will he’s free and to only take the job if he really wants it.		Will Lambeau
79		Lambeau and Sean reconcile.	Lambeau and Sean resolve their differences and become friends.		Lambeau Sean
80		Will debates chasing Skylar and decides to continue the quest.	Will sits alone thinking next to a river, then gets up and walks away.		Will (Skylar )
81	11 Denoument	Will leaves, and his friends show their emotional reaction.	With his car packed up to move to California, Will leaves a letter in Sean’s mailbox as Sean packs his things to go to India.		Will (Skylar )
82			Chuckie goes to pick up Will for work in the morning and finds he isn’t there, which pleases Chuckie.		Chuckie Morgan
83			Will drives off into the sunset.		Will

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Leave a comment | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, film script plot structure, formula plot template, good will hunting, how to write fiction, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline | posted in Movie Plot Break Downs

October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “Back To The Future”

By wise sloth

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MASTER SPREADSHEET WITH ALL MY MOVIE PLOT BREAK DOWNS

Beat	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Storylines
1	1 Marty goes through a day in his life, showing the goals and traits of the main characters. Doc is killed by terrorists while showing Marty his time machine, and Marty uses the time machine to go back in time to 1959	Introduce Marty Inciting incident/call to action	Marty plays his guitar and blows his speaker being wreckless. Doc calls and tells Marty to meet him at the mall later.	Marty Doc
2		Marty fails to get to school on time because of his flaw. Principle and Marty get to know each other	Marty races to school on his skateboard.	Marty
3			Marty meets Jennfier at the front of the school, and they try to sneak into school but gets caught by the principle and lectured on his flaws.	Marty
4		Marty fails his band audition because of his flaw.	Marty auditions for the battle of the bands and loses.	Marty Judges
5		Marty and Jennifer get to know each other while walking home.	Marty walks home with Jennifer. He states his dreams and is given a piece of paper stating the day and time the clock tower is struck by lightening.	Marty Jennifer
6		Marty watches his family fail because of their flaws.	Marty enters his home to find Biff bullying George.	Marty George Biff
7		Marty watches his family fail because of their flaws.	At dinner, Marty’s family dismisses him and his dreams. Lorraine tells the story of how she met George and then fell in love with him at their high school prom.	Marty George Lorraine
8		Marty watched Doc fail because of his flaw, causing Marty to have to go back in time.	Marty meets Doc at the mall, and Doc shows Marty how the time machine works.	Marty Doc
9			Terrorists attack and kill Doc. Marty escapes in the time machine.	Marty Doc
10	2 Marty tracks down Doc and recruits him to fix the time machine. Then they come up with a plan to fix the time machine. But on the way to Doc’s house, Marty takes George’s place in the story of how his mom and dad fell in love, disrupting the space time continuum.	Marty experiences the reercussions of Doc’s failure and his own successful escape. Marty has mixed success looking for Doc.	Marty arrives in 1955 and is attacked by a farmer who mistakes him for an alien.	Marty
11			Marty hides the time machine and walks to town.	Marty
12			Marty finds a pay phone and unsucessfully tries to call Doc. Marty gets Doc’s address from the book though.	Marty
13		Marty meets his father and strays from the path because of his flaw, resulting in the inciting incident for Marty’s quest to get his parents to fall in love.	Marty sees Biff bully George, and Marty tries to talk to George, but George runs away.	Marty George
14			Marty chases George and gets hit by Lorraine’s dad’s car causing Lorraine to meet Marty instead of George.	Marty George
15			After Marty regains consciosness in Lorraine’s room, Lorraine hits on Marty. Marty flees the house.	Marty Lorraine
16		Marty finds Doc, and after a brief refusal of the call, convinces him to begin the quest to go back in time. Marty and Doc make a plan to send Marty back in time.	Marty arrives at Doc’s house and convinces Doc to help him fix the time machine.	Marty Doc
17			Doc and Marty retrieve the time machine and relocate it to Doc’s garage.	Marty Doc
18			Doc and Marty create a plan to power the time machine using the lightening bolt that hits the clock tower. They also discover Marty is disappearing because he altered history and needs to get his parents back together.	Marty Doc
19	3 Doc and Marty make a plan to make George fall in love with Lorraine. After three different approaches, Marty convinces George to ask Lorraine to the prom. George fails. Marty saves George from Biff only to make Lorraine more interested in Marty and makes more of an enemy out of Biff.	Doc and Marty make a plan to get George and Lorraine to fall in love. Marty fails three times to convince George to ask Lorraine to the prom before succeeding.	In the high school hallway, Marty introduces George to Lorraine, but Lorraine only has eyes for Marty.	Marty Doc
20			Marty and Doc make a plan to get George to ask Lorraine to go to the prom with him.	Marty Lorraine
21			Marty and Doc make a plan to get George to ask Lorraine to go to the prom with him.	Marty Doc
22			Marty unsucessfully tries to convince George to ask Lorraine to the prom while George writes a sci fi story.	Marty George
23			Marty saves Lorraine from Biff, making Biff mad at him and Lorrain more infatuated with him.	Marty George Lorraine
24			Marty begs George to ask Lorraine to the dance, but George says he’s going to stay home and watch a scifi show on the night of the prom.	Marty George
25			Marty pretends to be an alien and scares George into wanting to ask Lorraine to the prom.	Marty George
26		Marty trains George in seduction and gives George a quest to ask Lorraine to the prom, which he fails because of his flaw, resulting in Biff trying to fight Marty. Marty wins, but it’s a false victory since it makes Lorraine more in love with him.	George asks Marty to coach him on talking to Loarraine, which Marty does unsucessfully.	George Marty
27			George unsucessfully tries to ask Lorraine to the prom.	George Lorraine (Marty )
28			Marty saves George from Biff, angering Biff more and making Lorraine more infatuated with him.	Biff George Marty Lorraine
29			Biff and Marty have a major fight, and Marty wins. This angers Biff more and makes Lorraine more infatuated with him.	Biff Marty Lorraine
30	4 Doc explains his plan to power the time machine to Marty. Lorraine asks Marty to the prom. Marty prepares to stage a fake rape so George can impress Lorraine by saving her. Marty fails to fake-rape Lorraine and gets kidnapped by Team 2. George confronts Biff and knocks him out, winning Lorraine’s heart.	Doc states his plans and preparations to send Marty back in time. Marty tries to warn Doc of his death. As a repercussion to Marty’s successful fight against Biff, Lorraine asks Marty to the prom.	Marty returns to Doc’s garage, and Doc states the plan to power the time machine and the consequences of failure.	Marty Doc
31			Marty tries to warn Doc of his death in 1985, but Doc refuses to listen.	Marty Doc
32			Lorraine arrives at Doc’s house and asks Marty to the prom. Marty accepts.	Lorraine Marty Doc
33		Marty and George plan and prepare for George to impress Lorraine by saving her from Marty.	Marty tells George his plan to pretend to rape Lorraine at the prom so she’ll hate Marty and George can save her.	Marty George
34		Doc and Marty prepare to enact their quest to send Marty back in time.	Doc and Marty set up the “weather experiment” that will power the time machine.	Marty Doc
35		Marty and George enact their plan for George to save Lorraine from Marty, but Biff intervenes, but George overcomes his flaw and knocks out Biff, winning Lorraine’s affection.	Marty unsucessfully attempts to sexually assault Lorraine. Biff catches them and takes Marty’s place while Marty is locked in the trunk of a car by Biff’s goons.	Marty Lorraine Biff (George )
36			The prom band rescues Marty from the trunk and runs off Biff’s goons, but Marty can’t get back to George in time to warn him about Biff.	Marty (Biff ) (George )
37			George confronts Biff and knocks him out, winning Lorraine’s affection	George Biff Lorraine Marty
38		Marty celebrates George’s victory and seals their fate by playing guitar.	Marty joins the prom band to help serenade George and Lorraine to kiss.	Marty George Lorraine
39	5 Marty and Doc prepare and successfully enact their plan to power the time machine. Marty goes back to the future.	Marty tries to warn Doc of his death, but Doc refuses the call.	Marty returns to Doc and tries to warn him of his death in 1985 again. Doc won’t listen. So Marty writes him a note.	Marty Doc
40		Marty and Doc enact their plan, and despite slapstick complications and dramatic time limit, Marty goes back to the future.	Marty and Doc enact their plan, and despite slapstick complications and dramatic time limit, Marty goes back to the future.	Marty Doc
41		Marty fails to save Doc, but it’s a false failure, because the note he gave Doc earlier already saved his life.	Marty attempts to reach Doc to warn him about the terrorists, but the time machine breaks down.	Marty (Doc )
42			Marty arrives at the mall after Doc has been shot and learns Doc was wearing a bullet proof vest because he read Marty’s note.	Marty Doc
43	6 Denouement	Marty returns home to find all his dreams have come true and all his family’s flaws have been fixed.	Marty returns home to a wonderful life where he got everything he wanted in Act 1.	Marty George Lorraine Biff Jennifer
44	6 Denouement		As Marty looks forward to the future with his girlfriend, Doc arrives in the time machine and tells them they have to go back to the future to help their future children.	Marty Doc Jennifer

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American Beauty
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Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Bladerunner
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

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October 3, 2017

Plot Outline of “Inception”

By wise sloth

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MASTER SPREADSHEET WITH ALL MY MOVIE PLOT BREAK DOWNS

Beats	Acts	Action Sequences	Beat Description	Storylines
1	1 Teaser of Act 12. Cobb searches for Saito in limbo and wants to set him free.	Teaser of Act 12. Cobb searches for Saito in limbo and wants to set him free.	A security guard finds Cobb washed up on a beach below a Japanese castle. The security guard searches him and finds a gun and a spindle top, then the security guard calls for a jeep.	Cobb A Saito
2			The security guard meets Saito in the dining room of the castle and tells Saito that Cobb wanted to speak to Saito, and he was carrying a gun and a spindle top.
3			Saito says he remembers the spindle top from a half forgotten dream. Saito starts to remember his past. VO of Cobb asking, “What’s the most resilient parasite?”
4	2 The Team wants to extract info from Saito’s mind. They fail, and Saito offers Cobb a job.	In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb states his quest to steal info from Saito’s dream.	Years earlier, Saito and Cobb sit at the same table. Cobb and Arthur unsuccessfully tries to convince Saito to hire him to train him to resist extraction, someone coming into your dream and stealing your most valuable secrets. Cobb mentions a safe, and Saito briefly looks towards a hidden safe. Saito leaves the room, and the room starts shaking like there’s a small earthquake. The time on Cobb’s watch is practically frozen still.	Cobb A Saito Arthur
5		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb’s team manages the extraction.	Nash watches Cobb, Arthur and Saito sleeping in a dirty hotel room. Cobb is sitting unconscious in a chair above a bath tub full of ice water. All the sleepers are connected to dream machines. Outside a violent riot is happening on the street. The time on a clock moves abnormally slow.	Nash Cobb A Arthur Saito
6		In the real world, Todashi manages Cobb’s team.	In a bullet train, Todashi watches Nash, Cobb, Arthur, and Saito sleeping connected to dream machines. The time on Todashi’s watch moves at regular speed.	Todashi Nash Cobb Arthur Saito
7		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb is double crossed by Mal. Leading to a failure in Cobb’s plan.	On a terrace of the castle, Cobb and Arthur suspect Saito knows he’s dreaming. Cobb says Saito’s secrets are in the safe. Mal shows up and taunts Cobb. Arthur says they have a job to do and leaves. Cobb tells Mal he can’t trust her anymore.	Cobb A, B Arthur Mal
8			In a bedroom in the castle, Cobb ties a bedsheet rope to a chair Mal is sitting in so he can climb down the outside wall of the castle to another room. Mal asks Cobb if their children miss her, and Cobb says yes.	Cobb A, B Mal
9			While repelling down the wall, Cobb falters when Mal gets off the chair. Cobb recovers and enters the dining room he was in previously in. He shoots a guard in the head and opens the safe and removes an envelope. Then he is caught by Mal, Saito and more guards.	Cobb A. B Mal Saito
10			Mal and Saito demand Cobb give them the envelope, his gun and the name of his employer (Cobol Inc.). Cobb gives them a fake envelope and puts his gun on the table. A guard brings in Arthur, and Mal shoots him in the leg to motivate Cobb to talk. Cobb grabs his gun back and shoots Arthur in the head. There is a massive earthquake.	Mal Saito Cobb A, B Arthur
11		In level 1 of the dream world, Arthur wakes up and tries to recover from the failure.	Arthur wakes up in the filthy bedroom. Nash says he’s awake too soon, and Arthur grabs another dream machine to “reconnect the loop” before the others wake up.	Arthur Nash Saito
12		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb experiences the repercussion of failure.	Cobb runs out of the castle dining room as the building falls apart. Cobb reads the contents of the envelope as he runs. In the dining room, Mal opens the other envelope and discovers it’s a fake.	Cobb A, B Mal
13		In level 1 of the dream world, Saito begins experiencing the repercussion of Cobb’s failure.	In the filthy bedroom Saito begins to wake as Arthur frantically hooks himself up to another dream machine. Arthur says he’s not going to be able to reconnect the loop and orders Nash to wake Cobb. Nash slaps Cobb.	Saito Arthur Nash Cobb
14		In level 2 of the dream world, Saito experiences more repercussions of Cobb’s failure, which brings him to level 1.	In the castle, Cobb is thrown across the room from Nash’s slap. A piece of ceiling falls on Saito, crushing him.	Cobb A Saito
15		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb enacts his backup plan to get Saito’s info.	In the filthy hotel room, Saito wakes up and puts a gun to Arthur’s head as Arthur fumbles with the dream machine.	Saito Arthur
16			In the filthy hotel room, Nash dunks Cobb into the icy bath water. In the castle, Cobb frantically tries to read the contents of the envelope while guards shoot at him and water explodes through the doors and windows of the castle. When the water hits him, Cobb wakes up in the filthy hotel room’s bath tub.	Nash Cobb A
17			Saito runs in the bathroom and knocks down Nash. Cobb jumps out of the bathtub and punches Saito, knocking the gun out of his hand.	Saito Nash Cobb A
18			Gun in hand, Cobb demands Saito tell him “the key piece of information” that wasn’t in the contents of the envelope in the castle. Saito mentions this hotel room is where he goes to have an affair with a married woman.	Cobb A Saito
19		In the real world, Todashi enacts step #1 of the plan to wake up Cobb’s team.	In the bullet train, Todashi checks his watch and puts a pair of headphones on Nash’s ears and pulls out an MP3 player.	Todashi Nash
20		In level 1 of the dream world, Saito states his goal for letting Cobb’s team in his dream.	In the filthy hotel room, Cobb asks Saito why he let them in his dream only to withhold the key piece of information. Saito says this was an audition, which Cobb failed because his deception was obvious.	Cobb Saito
21		In the dream world, Todashi enacts step #2 of the plan to wake up Cobb’s team.	In the bullet train, Todashi opens a dream machine with syringes, controllers and timers. When the first timer hits 30, Todashi hits play on the MP3 player and raises the volume as he watches Nash face.	Todashi Nash
22		Cobb states the stakes of failing his plan to steal Saito’s info and enacts a new plan.	In the filthy hotel room, music fills the air. Saito tells Cobb to give up, and Cobb says Cobol Inc. will kill them if they fail. Cobb throws Saito to the ground and puts the gun to Saito’s head and threatens him, but when Saito notices the carpet is the wrong texture.	Saito Cobb
23		In the real world, Todashi enacts step #3 of the plan to wake up Cobb’s team.	In the bullet train, Todashi sees a counter on the dream machine reach zero, and Arthur starts to awaken.	Todashi Arthur
24		In the dream world, level 1, Saito realizes he’s dreaming, which means Cobb failed, but this is a false failure, since it impresses Saito, which is the condition Cobb needs to fulfill to pass Saito’s test.	In the filthy hotel room, Saito realizes and tells Cobb he’s still dreaming, which impresses him. He says Cobb has lived up to his reputation. Cobb looks to Arthur and realizes he’s vanished.	Saito Cobb Arthur
25		In the real world, Todashi enacts step #4 of the plan to wake up Cobb’s team.	In the bullet train, Arthur wakes up and checks the other counters.	Arthur Cobb A Saito Nash
26		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb experiences the repercussion of his failure.	Saito stands and muses that he’s in a dream within a dream. Cobb lowers his gun, knowing he has no more leverage. As the music plays in the air, rioters bang on the door.	Saito Cobb A
27		In the real world, Todashi enacts step #4 of the plan to wake up Cobb’s team.	In the bullet train, Arthur watches another counter reach zero.	Arthur Cobb A
28		In level 1 of the dream world, Saito and Nash explain/show how dream walks end.	Saito says if this is his dream, they should be playing by his rules. Cobb vanishes, and Nash says they’re in his dream as rioters break down the door and overwhelm Nash. The music dies, and the light starts to fade.	Saito Cobb Nash
29		In the real world, Cobb’s team flees as Saito wakes up.	In the bullet train, Nash wakes up and is shamed by Arthur for failing his duty as an architect and getting the carpet wrong. Cobb gives Saito more sedative and then packs up their stuff and pays Todashi. Cobb, Arthur and Nash exit the car with plans to run away.	Nash Arthur Cobb Saito Todashi
30		In the real world, Cobb’s team flees as Saito wakes up.	Saito wakes up and sees Todashi nonchalantly reading a comic. Then Saito notices the prick in his arm from the dream machine needle and smiles mischievously.	Saito Todashi
31		Cobb states his external quest goal (return to his children) and the internal conflict preventing his from accomplishing it (his feelings for Mal are undermining his efforts).	As a helicopter approaches a tall building in Tokyo, Cobb sits in one of the building’s apartments. He checks his gun and then spins a spindle top on the table, which falls over when its inertia runs out. Then the phone rings.	Cobb A, B
32			Cobb answers the phone and talks to his children. His kids ask when he’s coming home, and Cobb says when he’s done working. The children say their grandma told them Cobb is never coming home, and they ask if Mal (their mother) is with him. Cobb says Mal is gone. Their grandma says it’s time to go and hangs up the phone.	Cobb B, A Cobb’s kids
33			A knock on the door startles Cobb. He grabs his gun and checks the door. It’s Arthur. As they pack their things, Arthur asks Cobb where Nash is, why Mal showed up in the dream and if Mal’s influence on Cobb’s subconscious is getting worse. Cobb dismisses the question about Mal and says Nash never showed up and they need to leave immediately because their Cobol Inc. is probably already looking for them to punish them for their failure.	Cobb A, B Arthur (Nash)
34		Saito offers Cobb an opportunity to accomplish his goal to see his children (incept Fischer and convince him to break up his empire). Saito also gives Cobb a quest to find a replacement for Nash.	Walking through the hallway, Cobb says he’s going to South America, and Arthur says he’s going to America. Cobb is bashful about asking a question with an obvious answer. Cobb wishes he could go to America.	Cobb A Arthur
35			Cobb and Arthur approach the helicopter on the roof. The door opens revealing Saito and a bloody Nash. Saito says Nash sold them out for protection that Saito did not end up giving him. Saito offers Cobb the chance to kill Nash, which Cobb declines but adds he’ll never work with Nash again even if he isn’t caught/killed by their Cobol Inc.	Cobb A Saito (Nash) Arthur
36			Saito asks Cobb about inception, which Cobb explains. Saito offers Cobb a job to put an idea into the heir of his competitor’s subconscious to break up his inherited business empire in exchange for erasing Cobb’s criminal record that prevents him from returning to America and being with his kids. Cobb reluctantly accepts the job. Saito tells Cobb to assemble his team and choose his people more wisely.	Saito Cobb A, B Arthur (Fischer)
37	3 Cobb recruits Ariadne to be his new architect.	Cobb makes a plan to find a new architect (get one from Miles), then enacts the plan, succeeds and gets the new architect (Ariadne).	On Saito’s private jet, Arthur says the job is impossible. Cobb says he knows it is because he’s done it before but won’t say to who. Arthur asks where they’re going. Cobb says they’re going to Paris to get a new dream architect.	Arthur Cobb A, B
38			Cobb enters an architecture class room and meets Miles. Miles tries to convince Cobb to go home and face the justice system. Miles also criticizes Cobb for being an idea thief. Cobb says he can’t go back and needs money, and his children need their father.	Cobb A, B Miles (Cobb’s kids)
39			Cobb asks Miles to give him an architect for his team, and Cobb will give the architect money and the chance to build great things. Miles tells Cobb to be his own architect, and Cobb says Mal won’t let him. Cobb says this is his last job, and Miles reluctantly agrees to give him a gifted architect.	Cobb A, B Miles (Mal)
40			Later, Miles introduces Cobb to Ariadne. Cobb offers Ariadne a job.	Miles Ariadne A Cobb
41		Cobb trains Ariadne is how to be a dream architect and explains the rules and risks of the dream world, but Ariadne strays from the path and refuses the call to continue her quest as Cobb’s architect because of Mal.	On a rooftop, Cobb makes Ariadne draw a series a mazes that Cobb must find the path through in under a minute. After several unsuccessful attempts, Ariadne makes an unconventional maze Cobb can’t figure out in time.	Cobb A Ariadne A
42			In an empty warehouse, Arthur sets up a dream machine.	Cobb A
43			At a café, Cobb explains the duties of a dream architect to Ariadne. Then Ariadne realizes she’s in a dream, and the buildings explode.	Cobb A Ariadne A
44			In the empty warehouse, Cobb explains to Ariadne that dream-sharing was invented by the military to train soldiers for battle and that pain in the dreams feel real, but death just wakes you up. Cobb also says time moves slower in dreams than in real life.	Cobb A Ariadne A
45			Back in the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne walk down a street. Cobb explains you can steal info from a dream by building a bank, safe, etc. and trick the subject into filling it with info they’re trying to protect. Cobbb explains the NPCs in a dream will attack the architect like white blood cells if they change too much. Cobb says not to build dreams with your memories so it’s harder to forget you’re in a dream and get stuck there. Ariande changes the world and attracts Mal, who kills her.	Cobb A, B Ariadne Mal A, B
46			In the empty warehouse, Cobb says the only way to leave a dream is to die. Arthur explains the need for a totem, a small object nobody else knows about that tells you if you’re in a dream. Ariadne says she won’t work for Cobb because she doesn’t want to share a dream with Mal. Then she leaves.	Cobb A, B Ariadne A, B (Mal)
47			Cobb spins his spindle top in the bathroom of the empty warehouse. The spindle top falls, proving he’s not still dreaming.	Cobb B, A
48	4 Cobb recruits Eames and Yusuf while Arthur trains Ariadne.	Cobb makes a plan to find a new forger, enacts the plan and succeeds in recruiting Eames.	Cobb returns from the bathroom and says Ariadne will be back because she can’t pass up the opportunity to create architecture in dreams. Then Cobb says he’s going to talk to Eames in Mombai. Arthur says Eames is on Cobol Inc.’s turf, and Cobb says the risk is necessary because Eames is a skilled forger.	Cobb A Ariadne (Eames)
49			Cobb meets Eames in a casino in Mombasa and convinces him to hear his job offer.	Cobb A Eames
50			Cobb offers Eames a job committing inception. Eames tells Cobb you need to plant the simplest version of an idea deep in the victim’s subconscious. Eames tells Cobb to exploit Fischer’s relationship with his father and that they’ll need a chemist to pull off the job.	Cobb A Eames (Yusuf)
51			Cobb and Eames flee from a Cobol henchman who is following Cobb. Cobb and Eames make plans to meet back at their original location in an hour.	Cobb A Eames
52			Cobb continues fleeing from the Cobol henchman and is saved by Saito.	Cobb Saito
53			Later, Saito and Cobb pick up Eames.	Saito Cobb Eames
54		Ariadne returns to the path and accepts her quest as Cobb’s dream Architect, and Arthur continues her training.	Ariadne returns to Arthur and accepts the job. Arthur offers to train her in dream architecture. Ariadne accepts.	Ariadne A Arthur
55			In the dream world, Arthur teaches Ariadne to make Penrose steps and closed maps. He says the better the maze, the longer it takes dream projections to catch the dream architect. Arthur tells Ariadne Mal is messing with Cobb’s mind and that she’s dead in real life.	Arthur Ariadne A, B (Cobb B, A) (Mal)
56		Cobb’s team makes a plan for investigate Browning for clues how to accomplish their goal of convincing Fischer to break up his father’s business empire.	In Mombasa, Saito says Fischer needs to break up his business empire to prevent a corrupt energy monopoly. Cobb says he needs more info on Fischer’s relationship with his father. Saito says he can get them access to Browning (Fischer’s right hand man and godfather) with the right references. Eames says he can forge references.	Saito (Fischer) Cobb A (Browning) Eames
57		Eames helps Cobb recruit Yusuf as their chemisit. Yusuf makes a plan to use super strength Somnacin on Fischer.	Eames takes Saito and Cobb to meet Yusuf, who shows them Somnacin (a sedative that makes you sleep deeply). Cobb tells Yusuf he needs to go into the dream world with them to make more Somnacin there so they can go three levels deep. Saito says he must go into the dream as well to make sure the job is completed.	Eames Cobb A Saito Yusuf
58			Yusuf leads Cobb, Saito and Eames into a room full of sleeping men and says they come to dream and to be woken up each morning. They’re all addicted to the dream machine. They can’t dream without it, and the dream world has become their primary reality, where one hour of sleep equals ten hours of dream time.	Yusuf Cobb A Saito Eames
59			Cobb tests Yusuf’s Somnacin and wakes up unsure if he’s in the real world or dream world. He tries spinning his spindle top, and Saito sees him freaking out.	Cobb A, B (Yusuf) Saito
60	5 Team 1 plans and prepares to implant an idea in Fischer’s subcsoncious.	Ariadne and Cobb get to know each other. Cobb explains how/why Mal complicates their plan and why Cobb needs Ariadne.	As Ariadne builds her totem in the warehouse, she hears a noise in the other room. She investigates and finds Cobb, who is setting up a dream machine. Neither knew the other was there. Cobb says he’s testing something in the dream world. Then he tells her Mal invented the concept of a totem, and Mal is dead.	Ariadne A, B Cobb B, A (Mal)
61			Ariadne says she’s designing the three dream worlds to relate to the part of the subconscious they’re accessing. Cobb says not to tell him so that Mal won’t know. Ariadne deduces this is why she is the architect and not Cobb. He doesn’t want the rest of the team to know Mal is a liability. He also says he can’t go home to his kids because the police think he killed Mal. Ariadne doesn’t ask if he did.	Ariadne A, B (Fischer) Cobb B, A (Mal)
62		Cobb tells his team the plan to convince Fischer to break up his father’s business empire.	The next day, Cobb tells the team the master plan Implant the idea, “I will split up my father’s empire,” three levels deep into Fishcher’s subconscious. They do this by translating the idea into a positive emotional concept that they’ll partially have to figure out on the fly when they see what’s in Fischer’s subconscious.	Cobb A Saito Arthur Ariadne A Eames Yusuf
63			In the dream world, Ariadne tells the team that the three levels will be 1 Fischer’s relationship with his father, Maurice. 2 Ambition and self-esteem 3 “My father doesn’t want me to be him.” Eames says the emotional triggers will come from Fischer interacting with Browning. Saito says Eames will be flown to Sydney to meet Browning so that he can forge his likeness in the dream world.	Ariadne A (Fischer) (Maurice) (Browning) Cobb A Eames Saito Yusuf
64		Eames investigates Browning and finds clue #1 (Fischer’s unfulfilled need for Maurice’s approval). Then Eames tells Arthur how he can use this clue to manipulate Fischer.	At Maurice Fischer’s office, Eames talks to Browning about litigating a court case instead of settling. They ask Maurice, who is bedridden and dying. Browning mentions the picture of Fischer with a pinwheel by Maurice’s bed must have been important to Fischer, not Maurice, since Maurice never looks at it.	Eames Browning Maurice (Fischer)
65			In the warehouse, Eames practices impersonating Browning and tells Arthur that he can suggest ideas to Fischer in the dream world, and Fischer will think about them when they go deeper into his subconscious, feeding the idea to himself so that it becomes self-generated.	Eames as Browning (Browning) Arthur (Fischer)
66		The team debates plans for how to fulfill the quest condition that Cobb’s team must have total access to a heavily sedated for a long time. Saito finds clue #2 Fischer will be on an airplane for a long time. Saito makes an enacts a plan to buy the airline.	In a hotel lobby, Cobb and Eames try to figure out a good excuse to sedate Fischer for ten hours, such as surgeries. Saito suggests they sedate Fischer on his biweekly airplane trip from Sydney to Los Angeles.	Cobb A Eames (Fischer) Saito
67			At an airfield, Fischer is about to board his private jet, but a distraught pilot tells him something. Then back in the hotel lobby, Cobb says they’ll need to buy every seat in the first class section of the public plane Fischer will take. Saito says he bought the whole airline.	Fischer Cobb A Saito
68		Yusuf tells Cobb’s team his plan to sedate everyone and get them out of the dream world safely.	In the warehouse, Yusuf explains his sedative will increase brain function, making an hour in real time last much longer in dream time. Yusuf has modified the sedative to allow inner ear function, so they can get out of the dream by creating a “kick,” like falling backwards in a chair. If the kick happens at all three layers at the same time, it will make a major kick that will wake them up from all the dreams. They’ll use music to synchronize the kicks.	Yusuf (Fischer) Cobb A Saito Arthur Ariadne Eames
69		Cobb and Ariadne get to know each other. Cobb tells Ariadne more of his bacstory with Mal, the stakes of reuniting with his children and his doomed plan to control Mal.	That night, Ariadne finds Cobb attached to a dream machine in the warehouse. She attaches herself to the dream machine and enters Cobb’s dream.	Ariadne A, B Cobb B
70			Ariadne sees Mal trying to convince Cobb to kill himself to be with her. Mal sees Ariadne and leaves. Cobb chides Ariadne for being there. Ariadne says she wanted to see what tests he was running.	Ariadne B, A Cobb B Mal
71			Cobb and Ariadne walk on a beach where Cobb’s children play. Cobb says he never sees their faces in the dream, and he wants to see their faces in real life.	Cobb B Ariadne B Cobb’s kids
72			In an elevator, Cobb and Ariadne go to the basement floor of a building. In the basement Mal tells Cobb they’re supposed to be together forever. Then Cobb shuts the elevator door, locking her in the basement. Ariadne deduces Cobb is trying to lock Mal away in a maze of dreams in his subconscious. She is skeptical that Cobb’s plan will work.	Cobb B Ariadne B Mal
73			Cobb and Ariadne wake up in the warehouse. Saito enters and said Maurice just died in Sydney, and the funeral will be in Los Angeles. So they have to get ready. Ariadne says she needs to come into the dream as well to help control Mal since she knows Mal is a liability. Cobb reluctantly agrees.	Cobb A, B Ariadne A, B Saito (Maurice) (Mal)
74		Cobb’s team enacts step #1, #2 and #3 of phase #1 of their plan to convince Fischer to break up his father’s business empire. They board the plane with him, sedate him and hook everybody up to the dream machine.	At the airport, Cobb tells Saito he’ll be arrested when they land in Los Angeles if Saito doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain. Saito says he will erase Cobb’s criminal record with a phone call after Cobb finishes the job.	Cobb A, B Saito
75			Eames, Cobb, Ariadne and Arthur get seated on the plane next to Fischer. Eames steals Fischer’s passport and gives it to Cobb. Then the plane takes off.	Cobb A Ariadne A Team 1 Fischer
76			Cobb hands Fischer’s passport back to him and says he must have dropped it. The flight attendant brings them both water, and Cobb puts a sedative in Fischer’s.	Cobb A Fischer
77			Once Fischer is asleep, the team sets up their dream machines.	Fischer Cobb A Ariadne A Team 1
78	6 Level 1 of the dream world.	In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb’s team enacts steps #1, #2, and #3 of phase #2 of their plan to convince Fischer to break up his father’s business empire. They kidnap Fischer, take him to a safe place and then pretend to be kidnappers looking for the combination to Maurice’s safe, which contains something valuable. The team encounters two complications that raise the stakes of failure. Saito gets shot, and Cobb reveals that if they die in the dream world, they’ll fall into a limbo coma. They debate continuing the quest and decide to continue.	On a New York street in level 1 of the dream world, the team gets in a sedan, then rear-ends a taxi and then steals the taxi. They make plans to get Fischer into the taxi, and the sedan follows the taxi.	Cobb A Ariadne A Team 1 (Fischer)
79			The team picks up Fischer in the taxi and then point guns at him, revealing this is a kidnapping. Then bullets fly through the windows and the sedan his hit by a train. The taxi is surrounded by black SUVs, and there’s a gun fight in which Saito is shot in the belly. The taxi narrowly escapes.	Cobb A Ariadne A Tream 1 Fischer
80			The team transfers Fischer to a warehouse. Cobb deduces Fischer has been trained to protect his subconscious from extraction, and that’s why they were attacked by SUVs and a train. Cobb admits their mind will get stuck in subconscious limbo if they die in this heavily sedated of a dream.	Cobb A Ariadne A Tream 1 Fischer
81			The team chides Cobb for not revealing the risks to them. Cobb says it was the only way he could see his children. Eames refuses to go deeper into Fischer’s subconscious, but Cobb says he’ll be killed by security if he stays. Deeper is the only way forward. The team agrees to continue the plan.	Team 1 Cobb A, B Ariadne A (Fischer) (Cobb’s kids)
82			Cobb and Arthur pretend to be kidnappers. They tell Fischer they want the combination to Maurice’s safe. Fischer says he doesn’t know the combination. Cobb says they have it on good authority that he does.	Cobb A Arthur Fischer (Maurice) (Browning)
83		Yusuf finds clue #3 a photo of Fischer’s pinwheel that he gave to Maurice. Eames enacts step #4 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer by turning into Browning.	In an adjacent office in the warehouse, Yusuf finds the picture of Fischer with a pinwheel that was in Maurice’s real office. Then Eames turns himself into Browning. Cobb says Eames has one hour to manipulate Fischer instead of ten hours since Saito is dying.	Yusuf (Maurice) Eames as Browning Cobb A (Fischer) (Saito)
84		In level 1 of the dream world, Eames enacts step #5 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He pretends to be Browning and getting tortured by the kidnappers for info. Eames enacts step #6 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He gets to know Fischer, who gives him clue #4 The last word Maurice said to Fischer was “disappointed.”	Fischer hears Browning screaming like he’s being tortured. Fischer tells them to stop and that he’ll talk to Browning and figure out the combination.	Fischer Eames as Browning Cobb A Arthur
85			Browning is brought in to talk to Fischer. Browning tells Fischer that Maurice loved him in his own way. Fischer says that Maurice’s last word to him was “disappointed.”	Eames as Browning Fischer (Maurice)
86		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb restates the stakes of failure to foreshadow Saito dying and getting stuck in limbo.	Cobb talks to Saito. He restates the risk of Saito dying and getting trapped in limbo for a lifetime and waking up a vegetable.	Cobb A Saito
87		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne get to know each other. Cobb states Mal’s goal and motive to prevent Cobb from completing his mission to reunite with his children.	Ariadne asks Cobb what happened when Cobb and Mal were stuck in limbo. Cobb says he and Mal were experimenting with multi-level dreams and didn’t realize how fast time past and how you could forget what’s real. Cobb wanted to leave, but Mal wanted to forget that she was dreaming. When they woke, Mal still believed they were in a dream and wanted to commit suicide to wake up. She set up Cobb to force him to kill himself. She did. He didn’t, and he had to flee the police.	Ariadne B Cobb B (Mal)
88		In level 1 of the dream world, Eames enacts step #7 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He tells Fischer that Maurice’s safe contains a will that breaks up his business empire. Cobb enacts step #8 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He threatens Fischer at gunpoint to give him six numbers. Fischer gives Cobb clue #5 Fischer’s six numbers.	Browning tells Fischer that Maurice’s safe contains a second will that breaks up his business empire. Cobb enters and puts a gun to Browning’s head and asks Fischer for the combination. Fischer says the first six numbers he can think of. Cobb repeats the numbers over a phone and says it didn’t work. Then he puts bags over Fischer and Browning’s heads.	Eames as Browning Fischer (Maurice)
89		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb’s team enacts step #9 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. They put him in a van and sedate him more. Cobb states the condition that they need to find a way to use Fischer and Maurice’s estrangement to their advantage. Cobb states the plan to fulfill the condition They will reconcile Fischer and Maurice by destroying Fischer’s relationship with Browning by pretending to be projections protecting him from Browning’s extraction. Cobb’s team enacts step #10 and #11 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. Yusuf drives the van towards the kick-bridge while the rest of the team uses the dream machine to go one level deeper in the dream world.	Fischer is put in a van and given more sedative. Eames tells Cobb that Fischer’s emotions about his estrangement between his father are intense, which will help plant the idea. The team just needs to find a way to reconcile their estrangement. Cobb says they need to move before Fischer’s projections block them in.	Fischer Cobb A Ariadne A Team 1
90			Driving away in the van, Cobb says they need to repair Fischer’s relationship with Maurice by destroying Fischer’s relationship with Browning. Cobb says he’ll pretend to be one of Fischer’s projections in the next level. Arthur says it won’t work, but Cobb says it will if they distract Fischer with a pretty woman to throw off his concentration. They the team uses their dream machines to enter the next level of the dream world.	Cobb A (Fischer) (Maurice) Ariadne A Team 1
91	7 Level 2 of the dream world.	In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb and Eames enact step #1 and #2 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. Eames (as Pretty woman) flirts with Fischer, and Cobb introduces himself to Fischer as the head of his security team, and says the Pretty woman stole Fischer’s wallet. Meanwhile, Arthur states the risk of the plan to Ariadne.	In the second level of the dream world, in a hotel lobby, Fischer sits at a bar talking to a pretty woman. Cobb enters. Across the room, Arthur tells Ariadne that Cobb is going to pretend to be a projection to turn Fischer against his real projections.	Fischer Eames as Pretty woman Cobb A Arthur Ariadne
92			Cobb introduces himself to Fischer. The woman walks away, leaving a napkin with the combination numbers Fischer said earlier written on it like a phone number.	Cobb Fischer Eames as Pretty woman
93			Arthur tells Ariadne that Cobb’s gambit is dangerous because it draws attention to the team.	Arthur Ariadne
94			Cobb tells Fischer that he’s the head of Fischer’s subconscious security team and that the woman stole Fischer’s wallet.	Cobb Fischer (Eames as Pretty woman)
95		In level 2 of the dream world, Eames takes the prize (Fischer’s wallet) for his success to Saito in an elevator, where they feel repercussions from events in level 1 of the dream world.	The woman meets Saito on an elevator, and the woman reveals herself to be Eames. The elevator shakes, and Eames says it was caused by the van Yusuf is driving in level 1 of the dream world.	Eames as Pretty woman Saito (Yusuf)
96		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf drives the van crazily evading black SUVs.	Yusuf Guards
97		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb enacts step #3 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He tells Fischer he’s there to protect him from extraction.	Cobb tells Fischer he’s there to protect Fischer from extraction.	Cobb Fischer
98		In level 2 of the dream world, Eames makes a plan to reduce the complication of guards searching from. He plans to dispose of Fischer’s wallet to throw his guards off their track, buying them time.	In the elevator, Eames tells Saito to ditch Fischer’s wallet so Fischer’s projections will waste time looking for it.	Eames Saito (Guards)
99		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb enacts step #4 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He tells Fischer he’s not safe and they have to leave.	Cobb tells Fischer he’s not safe and that they have to leave.	Cobb Fischer (Guards)
100		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf continues experiencing complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, black SUVs continue attacking the van Yusuf is driving.	Yusuf Guards
101		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb enacts step #5 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He attempts to convince Ficher he’s dreaming so he can recruit Fischer to his team to throw off the guards. Meanwhile Arthur explains Cobb’s plan to Ariadne.	Cobb draws Fischer’s attention to the strangely torrential rain outside the hotel and to the shaking of the building.	Cobb Fischer (Yusuf)
102			Arthur tells Ariadne that Cobb is drawing Fischer’s attention to the dream world, which is making his subconscious look for intruders harder.	Arthur Ariadne (Cobb) (Fischer)
103		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, black SUVs continue attacking the van Yusuf is driving.	Ysuf Guards
104		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb completes step #5 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He he convinces Ficher he’s dreaming so he can recruit Fischer.	Cobb succeeds at making Fischer aware that he’s in a dream. His projections are all looking at Cobb intently.	Cobb Fischer Guards
105		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, black SUVs continue attacking the van Yusuf is driving.	Ysuf Guards
106		In level 2 of the dream world, Fischer creates a complication. He asks Cobb if he’s real, drawing the guards’ attention to him. Cobb says, “no,” and neutralizes the complication, allowing him to complete step #6 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He gets Fischer to follow him out of the bar. A complication arises when guards attack Cobb and Fischer, but Cobb kills them, neutralizing the problem. Fischer creates a complication when he says he should kill himself. Cobb advises against it, neutralizing the complication.	Fischer asks Cobb if he’s real, and Cobb says no. The projections lose interest in him. Security guards come in, and Cobb ushers Fischer away.	Fischer Cobb Guards
107			In a hallway, Cobb kills the two security guards and tells Fischer they were intruders coming to extract information from him. Fischer says he should kill himself to wake up, but Cobb convinces him not to by saying he’s too heavily sedated and might not wake up in real life.	Cobb Fischer Guards
108		In level 2 of the dream world, Saito completes Eame’s plan to throw away Fischer’s wallet to distract the guards.	While being followed down a hall by security guards, Saito drops Fischer’s wallet in a laundry chute. The security guard stops following Saito and stares at the laundry chute.	Saito Guards
109		In level 2 of the dream world, Ariadne and Arthur complete step #7 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. They prepare explosives that will give them the kick to escape.	Ariadne and Arthur set up explosives in a hotel room. Arthur says they’re below room 528.	Ariadne Arthur
110		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb completes step #8 of phase #3 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He gets Fischer to remember he’s been kidnapped. This makes Fischer remember clue #5 (the string of 6 numbers that starts with a “5.”) Cobb then completes step #9 of phase #3 of the plan. He says they’ll follow the clue #5 to the fifth floor.	Cobb tells Fischer to try to remember how he got there. Fischer recalls that he and Browning were kidnapped and are sleeping in a van, and the kidnappers want the combination to a safe. Fischer says the number starts with a 5, and Cobb says they’ll go to the fifth floor to find what the extractors are looking for.	Cobb Fischer
111		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur states the plan for steps #1 and #2 of the phase #3 escape plan. He’ll put the team to sleep, and when he hear’s Yusuf’s music, he’ll blow the explosives in the room below them to make the kick. He also states the stakes of missing Yusuf’s signal: The kick won’t work because there will be no gravity.	Arthur tells Ariadne that they’ll put the team to sleep in the room above them. When Arthur hears music playing, he’ll be ready for Yusuf to drive his van over a bridge. Then Arthur will blow the floor so that everyone experiences the kick of falling and wakes up from the second level of the dream world and return to the first level. If Arthur doesn’t blow the floor before the van falls off the bridge, the kick won’t work because everyone will be in free fall.	Arthur Ariadne (Yusuf)
112		In level 2 of the dream world, Saito and Eames make a plan to do something they never do and has no impact on the story. This beat should have been cut from the movie.	Saito and Eames run into Browning in a hallway. Eames tells Saito they’ll watch Browning to see how he behaves to get an indication of how Fischer is feeling about Browning.	Saito Eames Browning
113		In level 2 of the dream world, Cobb completes step #10 and #11 of phase #3. The team enters room 528 with Fischer. Cobb tells Fischer that Browning is trying to extract him, and they should extract Browning. Then Arthur completes step #13 by putting everyone to sleep and connecting them to the dream machine.	Cobb and Fischer meet Arthur and Ariadne in front of room 528. They enter the room and find a dream machine. Cobb tells Fischer the extractors were going to put him in a dream within a dream.	Cobb Fischer Arthur Ariadne Ease as Browning
114			Eames enters room 528 disguised as Browning. “Browning” confesses that he is trying to extract the code to the safe to save the company he worked his entire life for and the purpose of the second will was to insult Fischer, implying he isn’t worthy of his father’s empire. Cobb accuses Browning of hiding something. So he says they should go into Browning’s subconscious to find his secret. Fischer agrees.	Eames as Browning Fischer Arthur Cobb (Maurice) Ariadne Saito
115			Cobb puts Eames (as Browning) to sleep. Then he tells Ariadne that he lied to Fischer. They’re not going into Browning’s subconscious but Fischer’s. This way, Fischer will help them fight his own subconscious to learn the truth about his father. Arthur stays in the second level of the dream world and puts everyone else to sleep.	Cobb Browning Arthur Ariadne Fischer (Maurice) Saito
116	8 Level 3 of the dream world (Pre-kick approach)	Cobb’s team arrives in level 3 of the dream world. Cobb states steps #1, #2 and #3 of the phase #4 plan. Eames will distract the guards, and Cobb and Ariadne will provide covering fire while Saito will take Fischer to the center of the maze,	In the third level of the dream world, the team stands on a snowy hill a mile from a military complex. Cobb tells Eames that security will chase him since he’s the dreamer. Cobb says Saito will lead Fischer to Browning’s safe to learn the truth about his father while Cobb provides covering fire. Cobb can’t go in because Mal will compromise the mission.	Cobb Eames Ariadne Fischer Saito (Mal) Guards
117		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur begins enacting step #1 of the phase #3 escape plan. He goes to set explosives in room 428.	In the second level of the dream world, Arthur steps into the hallway, leaving the dreamers.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
118		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, black SUVs continue attacking the van Yusuf is driving.	Yusuf Guards
119		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur encounters a complication to completing step #1 of the phase #3 escape plan. He sees a guard but succeeds at evading him.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur evades a security guard while walking down the hallway of the hotel.	Arthur Guards
120		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, black SUVs continue attacking the van Yusuf is driving. One smashes Yusuf’s van, forcing him to drive up an embankment.	Yusuf Guards
121		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur encounters a complication to completing step #1 of the phase #3 escape plan. He sees another guard and fights him while Yusuf’s action in level 1 of the dream world make Arthur’s environment harder to fight in.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur fights security guards as the hotel tilts on its side.	Arthur Guards (Yusuf)
122		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf experiences complications completing step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van he’s driving to the kick-bridge is attacked by guards.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf drives back down the embankment and levels out the van.	Yusuf Guards
123		In level 2 of the dream world, Yusuf’s action in level 1 of the dream world give Arthur a chance to run away from the guard he’s fighting, which puts him back on the path to completing step #1 of the phase #3 escape plan. He continues going to room 428.	In level 2 of the dream world, the hotel straightens out, dropping Arthur and the security guard to the ground. Arthur runs away into a stairwell.	Arthur Guards (Yusuf)
124		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf completes step #10 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He reaches the kick-bridge and is rewarded for his success by the bridge raising, preventing the attacking guards from following him.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf crosses a bridge that is raising its road to allow boats to cross underneath, cutting off the SUV’s ability to reach the van.	Yusuf Guards
125		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur encounters a complication to completing step #1 of the phase #3 escape plan. He is spotted by more guards and has to stray from his quest again to run away for his safety.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur tries to enter room 428 (the room with the explosives) but is chased back into the stairwell by more security guards.	Arthur Guards
126		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames completes step #1 of phase #4 plan to manipulate Fischer. He draws the guard’s attention away from Saito and Fischer.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames skis down a hill and shoots a flare into the air, attracting the attention of security guards.	Eames Guards
127		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf completes step #11 and #12 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He prepares to back the van over the edge of the kick-bridge and puts headphones on Arthur’s ears.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf prepares to back the van off over the side of the bridge. He puts a pair of headphones on Arthur’s ears and presses play. He also notices Saito is bleeding heavily.	Yusuf Guards Arthur
128		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur hears Yusuf’s signal, which means there is a high risk of him failing to meet his time limit to complete steps #1 and #2 of the phase #3 escape plan.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur hears the music and curses Yusuf’s name for starting his kick too early.	Arthur (Yusuf)
129		In level #3 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne begin step #2 of phase #4 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. They go to a position where they can provide covering fire. Yusuf’s signal gives them a one hour time limit to succeed at their quest. Cobb makes a new plan for Saito and Fischer to take a shortcut to the center of the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne make their way to the complex, and they hear music playing in the air. Cobb says they only have an hour for Fischer to make it to the center of the maze. Ariadne confesses that Eames built a secret passage, and Cobb tells Ariadne to tell Saito where the secret route is.	Cobb Ariadne (Arthur) (Fischer) (Saito)
130		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf completes step #13 and #14 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He reverses the van towards the edge of the kick-bridge.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf drives the van in reverse towards the edge of the bridge.	Ysuf Guards
131		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur neutralizes a complication preventing him from completing step #2 of the phase #3 escape plan. He kills a guard. This is a false victory though, because he’s wasted too much time fighting the guards to complete his quest.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur kills a security guard by rearranging a set of stairs and then pushing the security guard over the edge.	Arthur Guards
132		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf completes step #15 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. He drives the van over the edge of the kick-bridge.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf drives the van over the edge of the bridge.	Yusuf Guards
133	9 Level 3 of the dream world (Post-kick scramble)	In level 2 of the dream world, Yusuf’s actions in level 1 of the dream world cause Arthur to fail step #2 of the phase #3 escape plan. This causes a complication in Arthur’s quest by making level 2 of the dream world gravity-free preventing a gravity-based kick.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur is running down the hall when the building jolts, sending Arthur flying into the air.	Arthur (Yusuf)
134		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer begin enacting step #3 of the phase #4 plan by moving towards the maze. Yusuf’s actions in level 1 of the dream world cause an avalance, which puts Saito and Fischer in a momentary risk that passes.	In level 3 of the dream world a massive rumble causes an avalanche, which Saito and Fischer narrowly avoid.	(Yusuf) Saito Fischer
135		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf enacts step #15 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van falls to the river in slow motion.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf’s van falls from the bridge in slow motion.	Yusuf
136		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur experiences the consequences of failing to complete step #2 of phase #3 escape plan. His quest is complicated by not having gravity to peform his kick with.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur scrambles in the air as he floats in zero gravity.	Arthur (Yusuf)
137		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb starts a countdown timer of 20 to complete their quest.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb says Yusuf made the first kick, which means they only have about 20 minutes to finish the job. Cobb and Ariadne move closer to the complex.	Cobb (Yusuf) Ariadne
138		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer encounter and overcome a complication completing step #3 of	In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer blast off a grill covering a large air vent leading into the complex.	Saito Fischer
139		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf continues enacting step #15 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van falls to the river in slow motion.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf’s van continues falling in slow motion.	Ysuf
140		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur states the complication preventing him from completing step #2 of the phase #3 escape plan. There’s no gravity. So he begins enacting a new unspoken escape plan. Arthur completes Step #1 of the new phase #3 escape plan by collecting the explosives.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur enters room 428 and says to himself he can’t make the kick because there’s no gravity. He collects the explosives.	Arthur (Yusuf)
141		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer continue enacting step #3 of the phase #4 plan by moving towards the center of the maze, but their quest is complicated by Saito coughing blood.	In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer make their way through the duct system as Saito coughs blood.	Saito Fischer
142		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne continue enacting step #2 of the phase #4 plan by finding a position and sniping guards.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne infiltrate the complex and snipe security guards from a tower.	Cobb Ariadne Guards
143		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames fails step #1 of phase #4 when the guards he was distracting lose interest and return to the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames tells Cobb over the radio that the security guards who were chasing him are returning to the complex like they know something. Cobb tells Eames to buy them some time.	Eames (Cobb) (Guards)
144		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #2 and begins enacting step #3 of his new phase #3 escape plan by reaching room 592 and gathering his team’s sleeping bodies together.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur enters room 592 and starts hastily gathering the dreamers’ floating bodies together.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
145		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito and Fischer are almost complete step #3 of phase #4 by almost reaching the center of the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer and Saito reach the end of the air duct. Fischer asks over the radio if they’re clear to proceed while Saito slumps over near death.	Fischer Saito (Cobb)
146		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb sees the complication Eames warned him about. The guards are returning to the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb watches the army of security guards returning to the complex. Cobb tells Fischer over the radio they’re clear but an army is approaching.	Cobb Guards (Fischer)
147		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames begins enacting step #1 of the phase #4 escape plan by planting explosives around the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames sets explosives around the base of the complex.	Eames Guards
148		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb discovers another complication. A guard is closing in on Saito and Fischer. He doesn’t know, but this is step #1 of Mal’s plan to stay with Cobb forever: Find Fischer.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb spots someone in a far window of the complex and says Fischer and Saito are walking into a trap. Ariadne tries to warn them over the radio.	Cobb Mal (Fischer) (Saito) (Guards)
149		In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer prepares to complete step #3 of the phase #4 quest by opening the “door” to the center of the maze. He gives Saito a new quest: Stay put and hold off the guards.	In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer removes the grate from the duct and doesn’t notice his radio flashing. He tells Saito to stay put.	Fischer (Cobb) Saito
150		In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb discovers the guard he saw closing in on Fischer and Saito is Mal. Ariadne tells him to shoot Mal, but Cobb uses his flaw and strays from the path. He doesn’t shoot her.	In level 3 of the dream world, Cobb realizes the intruder he sees is Mal and refuses to shoot her.	Cobb Mal Ariadne
151		In level 3 of the dream world, Mal completes step #1 and #2 of her plan to stay with Cobb forever. She finds Fischer and shoots him.	In level 3 of the dream world, Mal sneaks up behind Fischer.	Mal Fischer
152			In level 3 of the dream world, Mal shoots Fischer, and then Cobb shoots Mal. Ariadne tells Eames over the radio to get to the center of the maze. Then Cobb and Ariadne run for the door.	Mal Fischer Cobb Ariadne (Eames)
153		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito enacts a new plan to investigate the gun shot he heard.	In level 3 of the dream world, in the duct system, Saito begins crawling forward when he hears Mall shooting Fischer.	Saito (Mal) (Fischer)
154		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #2 of his new phase #3 escape plan by tying his team together with a bed sheet.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur ties the floating dreamers together using a bed sheet.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
155		In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf continues enacting step #15 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van falls to the river in slow motion.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf’s van continues falling in slow motion.	Yusuf
156		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur enacts step #3, #4 and #5 of his new phase #3 escape plan by grabbing the explosives, moving his team into the elevator and then climbing through the ceiling hatch of the elevator.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur pushes the bundle of floating sleepers into the elevator. Then he grabs the explosives and climbs through the ceiling hatch of the elevator.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
157		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames, Ariadne, Cobb and Saito reunite. Ariadne makes a new plan to bring Fischer back to life in level 3 of the dream world by going into level #4 of the dream world and giving Fischer a kick. Cobb gives Eames a new escape plan: Step #1: plant explosives in the maze. Step #2: use a defibrillator on Fischer after Cobb and Ariadne complete their quest to give Fischer a kick in level 4 of the dream world. Step #3: Let Fischer talk to Maurice and incept himself. Step #4, blow up the explosives to create a kick in level 3 of the dream world. Cobb completes step #1 of the plan to bring Fischer back to life by attaching himself and Ariadne to Fischer via a dream machine.	In level 3 of the dream world, in the duct system, Eames looks at Saito dying and then walks through the open grate to find Cobb and Ariadne standing over the bodies of Fischer and Mal. Ariadne says they can save Fischer by going into Fischer’s limbo. Cobb tells Eames to use the defibrillator on Fischer after they’ve kicked his mind back up to level 3 of the dream world and to set explosives in the complex and perform the kick when he hears Arthur’s music.	Eames Saito Cobb Ariadne Fischer Mal
158			In level 3 of the dream world, Ariadne and Cobb attach/use a dream machine on Fischer. Cobb tells Ariadne that Mal will have Fischer and that she killed Fischer to lure Cobb into limbo where he’ll be trapped with her.	Ariadne Cobb Fischer (Mal) Eames
159	10 Level 4 of the dream world	Cobb and Ariadne arrive in level 4 of the dream world and show their first reactions.	In level 4 of the dream world, Ariadne and Cobb wake up on a beach next to a decaying city. Cobb says this is Mal’s world.	Ariadne Cobb (Mal)
160		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #6, #7 and #8 of his new phase #3 escape plan. He sets some explosives on the elevator break, pushes away with the rest of the explosives and then detonates the first set.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur sets explosives on the emergency breaks of the elevator cable. Then he grabs the other explosives, pushes away from the elevator and hits the detonator, exploding the first set of explosives.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
161		In level #3 of the dream world, Eames gives Saito a new quest to hold off the guards. Then Eames prepares to complete steps #1 and #2 of his new phase #4 escape plan by prepping the defibrillator and leaving to go plant explosives.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames sets a defibrillator by Fischer. Then he gives Saito a gun and tells him to hold off the security guards. Then Eames runs through the complex dodging bullet fire.	Eames Fischer Saito Guards
162		Cobb and Ariadne get to know each other as they complete step #2 of the plant to bring Fischer back to life by finding Mal. Cobb states step #3 of the plan is to give Fischer an improvisational kick.	In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne walk through the streets, and Cobb says he and Mal built all these buildings when they were stuck in the dream world together.	Cobb Ariadne (Mal)
163			In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne enter an elevator of a skyscraper. Cobb tells Ariadne they’ll save Fischer by giving him a kick, but they’ll have to improvise how.	Cobb Ariadne (Fischer) (Mal)
164			In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb and Ariadne exit the elevator at the top floor and enter a kitchen, where they meet Mal. Cobb gives Ariadne his gun and approaches Mal.	Cobb Ariadne Mal
165		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #9 of his new phase #3 escape plan. He sets more explosives on the bottom of the elevator.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur flies back to the elevator and squeezes past to the bottom and sets the other explosives on the bottom of the elevator.	Arthur
166		In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb is tempted to stray from his quest to reunite with his kids by Mal, but he declines the invitation and chooses to continue his quest to reunite with his children.	In level 4 of the dream world, Mal tries to convince Cobb that her reality in limbo is just as valid as the real world and Cobb should stay with her there forever. Cobb says he can’t stay because he needs to get back to his children in real life.	Mal Cobb Ariadne
167		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #10 and #11 of his new phase #3 escape plan. He sets more explosives on the bottom of the elevator. He puts his sleeping team in the elevator and then puts headphones on Eames.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur places the bundle of floating dreamers on the floor of the elevator. He sees Saito bleeding and then puts headphones on Eames.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
168		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames completes step #1 of the new phase #4 escape plan by setting explosives around the maze.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames sets explosives around the complex while dodging gun fire.	Eames Guards
169		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito prepares to enact his quest to hold off the incoming guards.	In level 3 of the dream world, in the duct system, Saito hears security guards approaching. He holds up his gun weakly.	Saito Guards
170		In level 4 of the dream world, Mal uses her flaw and tries to tempt Cobb again to stay with her forever and stray from the path of his quest to reunite with his children. Cobb takes responsibility for Mal’s flaw and shines a light on it.	In level 4 of the dream world, Mal tries to convince Cobb his reality isn’t real. Cobb confesses he implanted the idea in Mal that reality isn’t real when she became convinced the dream was real. This made her accept that they needed to die to escape the dream world, but the idea stuck, causing her to commit suicide in the real world as well.	Mal Cobb Ariadne
171		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #12 of his new phase #3 escape plan. He presses “play” on Eames’s headphones.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur presses “play” on the music player.	Arthur
172		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames prepares to complete step #2 of the new phase #4 escape plan by returning to Fischer.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames enters the room with Fischer and hears music.	Eames (Arthur) Fischer
173		In level 3 of the dream world, Saito completes his quest to hold off the guards by shooting one, but this is a false victory because Saito dies anyway.	In level 3 of the dream world, Saito shoots a security guard with his last ounce of strength and then dies himself.	Saito Guards
174		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames enacts step #2 of the new phase #4 escape plan by using the defibrillator on Fischer. His actions fail though because Cobb and Ariadne haven’t completed their quest to give Fischer a kick in level 4 of the dream world.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames uses the defibrillator on Fischer.	Eames Fischer
175		In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb bargains/lies to Mal. He says he’ll give her what she wants (he’ll stay with her for a lifetime) if she gives him what he wants (to release Fischer). Mal agrees.	In level 4 of the dream world, lightning flashes across the sky. Cobb makes a deal with Mal. He will stay with Mal in limbo if she lets Ariadne take Fischer back up to level 3. Mal tells Ariadne that Fischer is on the balcony.	(Eames) Cobb Mal Ariadne (Fischer)
176		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur prepares to enact step #13 of the new phase #3 escape plan. He counts down and braces himself to detonate the explosives.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur counts to the music while holding the detonator and bracing himself.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
177		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames continues enacting step #2 of the new phase #4 escape plan by using the defibrillator on Fischer. His actions fail though because Cobb and Ariadne haven’t completed their quest to give Fischer a kick in level 4 of the dream world.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames shocks Fischer again with the defibrillator.	Eames Fischer
178		In level 4 of the dream world, Ariadne completes step #3 of the quest to bring Fischer back to life by pushing him over a ledge. Cobb confesses he tricked Mal and won’t honor their deal. So Mal stabs him in the chest.	In level 4 of the dream world, more lightning flashes across the sky. On the balcony Cobb tells Ariadne he has to stay in limbo to find Saito since he’s died by now. Cobb tells Mal he’s not staying for her because she’s not real. Mal stabs Cobb in the chest. Ariadne pushes Fischer off the roof and points her gun at Mal.	(Eames) Cobb Mal Ariadne (Fischer) (Saito)
179	11 Final showdown/escape	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames completes step #2 of the new phase #4 escape plan by using the defibrillator on Fischer and waking him up.	In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer wakes up. Eames tells him to go into the next room, which is a giant vault, where he sees Maurice lying in a hospital bed.	Fischer Eames Maurice
180		In level 4 of the dream world, Ariadne prepares to kill Mal, but Cobb stops her.	In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb tells Ariadne not to shoot Mal. Then Ariadne lowers her gun.	Cobb Ariadne Mal
181		In level 3 of the dream world, Eames prepares to complete step #4 of the new phase #3 escape plan by watching Fischer and being ready to detonate the explosives once Fischer has incepted himself.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames grabs the detonator and moves to the door of the vault room.	Eames Fischer Maurice (Guards)
182		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #13 of his new phase #3 escape plan. He detonates the explosives on the bottom of the elevator.	In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur hits the detonator, setting off the explosives attached to the bottom of the elevator.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
183		In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer enacts step #3 of the new phase #4 escape plan. He talks to Maurice and hears the message he needs to incept himself, which relates to clue #1.	In level 3 of the dream world, rumbling noise fills the air. Maurice tells Fischer he wasn’t disappointed that Fischer could be more like him. He was disappointed that Fischer tried.	(Arthur) Maurice Fischer
184		In level 2 of the dream world, Arthur completes step #14 and final step of his new phase #3 escape plan. The elevator hits the ground and gives the them the kick needed to bring them back to level #1 of the dream world.	In level 2 of the dream world, the elevator car is rocketed through the elevator shaft. Arthur and the other dreamers are smashed against the floor.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
185		In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer completes step #3 of the new phase #4 escape plan. He talks to Maurice and hears the message he needs to incept himself, which relates to clue #3.	In level 3 of the dream world, Eames watches as Maurice points to a safe by the bed. Fischer opens the safe and finds the pinwheel from the picture he put next to his dad’s death bed in real life. Fischer marvels at this Maurice dies. Then Eames hits the detonator, and a row of explosions rips through the outer walls of the complex.	Eames Maurice Fischer
186		In level 4 of the dream world, Ariadne falls off a building to give herself the kick to go back up to level 3. Cobb decides to stay in level 4 of the dream world to say goodbye to Mal and to find Saito.	In level 4 of the dream world, fierce, howling wind kicks up. Ariadne says that’s the kick and they have to go. Cobb says he staying to find Saito and to say goodbye to Mal. Ariadne tells him not to get lost and to come back. Then she falls backward off the roof.	(Eames) Ariadne Cobb (Saito) Mal
187			In level 4 of the dream world, Mal says Cobb promised to grow old with her, and Cobb says they did. Then he says he loves her and goodbye.	Mal Cobb
188		In level 3 of the dream world, the team falls from Eames’ explosions, kicking them back up to level 2 of the dream world.	In level 3 of the dream world, Fischer and Eames fall as the floor beneath them collapses.	Fischer Eames
189		In level 2 of the dream world, the team falls when the inertia of the elevator stops, kicking them up to level 1 of the dream world.	In level 2 of the dream world, the floating dreamers drop as the elevator car smashes into the top of the shaft.	Arthur Cobb Saito Eames Ariadne Fischer
190	12 Denouement 1	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf completes step #15 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. The van crashes into the river. Fischer unwittingly enacts step #16 of phase #2 to manipulate Fischer. He pulls Browning out of the sinking van and swims to the river bank.	In level 1 of the dream world, Yusuf’s van smashes into the water below the bridge. Fischer wakes up and grabs Browning. Then he pulls Browning out of the sinking van and onto the river bank.	Yusuf Fischer Browning
191		In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb’s team completes step #17 of phase #2 of the plan to manipulate Fischer. They escape the sinking van.	In level 1 of the dream world, Cobb, Ariadne, Arthur and Yusuf sit in the van underwater breathing from air tanks. Arthur looks at Saito’s dead, bleeding body. Ariadne motions for Arthur to leave the van.	Cobb Ariadne Arthur Yusuf Saito
192		In level 1 of the dream world, Fischer unwittingly enacts step #18 of phase #2 to manipulate Fischer. He decides to live for himself by breaking up his father’s business empire.	In level 1 of the dream world, on the river bank, Browning apologizes for trying to hide Maurice’s second will from Fischer. Fischer says he’s going to live for himself from now on and not live in Maurice’s shadow/shoes.	Browning Fischer (Maurice)
193		In level 1 of the dream world, Ariadne tells Arthur Cobb is experiencing the repercussion of failing to complete their quest before Saito died.	In level 1 of the dream world, Arthur and Ariadne sit on the river bank. Ariadne tells Arthur that Cobb stayed in level 4/limbo to find Saito.	Arthur Ariadne (Cobb) (Saito)
194		In level 4 of the dream world, Cobb enacts step #1 and #2 of his quest to save Saito by finding him and convincing him to kill himself.	In level 4 of the dream world, a security guard finds an old, bearded Cobb washed up on a beach next to a Japanese castle.	Guard Cobb
195			In level 4 of the dream world, in the dining room of the Japanese castle, Cobb tells Saito he came to remind Saito that they’re in the dream world. Saito remembers the past dimly and looks at Cobb’s perpetually spinning spindle top and his gun on the table meaningfully.	Cobb Saito
196	13 Denouement 2	Everyone recieves their rewards for completing their quests.	In the real world, on the airplane, Ariadne watches Cobb sleeping. Cobb’s eyes open, and a flight attendant gives him a customs form and says they’ll be landing shortly. Saito picks up a phone and dials a number.	Ariadne Cobb Stewardess Saito
197			At the customs counter in the Los Angeles airport, Cobb hands a customs agent his passport. The customs agent stamps it and motions for the next person in line. Cobb nods and says goodbye to each of his team members as he walks away and sees Miles waving at him.	Cobb Customs agent Ariadne Saito Eames Arthur Fischer Yusuf
198			Miles and Cobb enter a house. Cobb spins his spindle top on a table as he sees his kids. He runs to join them as the spindle top continues to spin.	Miles Cobb Cobb’s kids

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September 30, 2017

How To Add Multiple Story Lines When Writing A Movie

By wise sloth

A 90-120 minute movie about a hero who only accomplishes one goal, would require him to complete at least a dozen steps to fill all the screen time. This would be painfully slow and lack depth. The solution is to give the hero multiple needs to fill, each with their own goal, conditions and complications. There’s no right answer for how many story lines you should have, but the industry standard is three: An “A-story,” “B-story,” and “C-story.” This gives you just enough content to fill 90-120 pages without things getting too complicated, choppy or fast.

If all three story lines contain the same amount of screen time, each one would feel equally important, and it would be unclear what the driving force of the movie is. Therefore, the standard is for the A-story to take up 60-70% of the screen time. The B-story takes up 20-30%, and the C-story takes up 5-10%. This gives the hero enough time to complete the twelve-steps to accomplishing a goal, 3-4 times in the A-story, 1-3 times in the B-story and once in the C-story.

The A, B and C-storylines serve a specific purpose, which defines the need/s the hero is attempting to satisfy in each storyline:

The A-story

The A-story is the longest storyline. So it carries the story, which means the hero’s ultimate goal in the A-story is the driving force of the story. Since the story needs the hero to be active, it makes sense that the hero’s A-story goal is to achieve an external, tangible goal. It’s what he wants to do most in life. It’s the impact/change he wants to have on the external universe.

Below are some of the most common A-storyline goals:

Save his world, home, business or a loved one’s home or business.
Win a contest.
Stop a killer, monster, oppressor or kidnapper.
Find or return home.
Fulfill a job contract.
Get rich, powerful or otherwise successful.
Get revenge.

The B-story

The B-story could be another tangible goal, but the standard is for the B-story goal to be what the hero’s heart wants most in life. It’s what he wants to become. It’s his quest for intangible, interpersonal, metaphysical, and/or internal accomplishment. It’s the impact/change he needs/wants in his internal universe. The hero may have to do something tangible to fulfill the condition of the B-story goal, but the topic/theme of the quest is psychological, inter-personal or spiritual.

It creates the most tension when the B-storyline goal is a condition of the A-story goal. This means the hero has to achieve his B-story goal before he can achieve his external goal. This is psychologically satisfying for the audience, because the hero’s external progress depends on his internal growth, which brings the quest full circle.

Below are some of the most common B-storylines:

The hero wants someone to fall in love with him. This is the most common B-story.
The hero wants to save, protect or help a loved one (if that’s not already the A-story goal).
The hero wants to prove his worth/virtue and be respected or accepted by himself, his lover, boss, children, parents, teacher or social group.
The hero wants or needs to overcome an internal flaw. For a list of character flaws, do an internet search for lists of personality disorders, emotional disorders, behavioral disorders or character flaw tropes.

If you want to write a story that is more emotion-based and focused on interpersonal relationships, you can swap the A-story and B-story so that the longer A-story revolves around the hero’s internal goal, and the shorter B-story revolves around the hero’s external goal. The shorter action-oriented storyline can still drive the story if you want.

In “Back to the Future,” Marty spends most of his screen time unifying his parents to fulfill his dream of having a functional family, which is a condition he must fulfill before he can use his time machine to go back to the future, which he only spends about 20 minutes doing.

In “Along Came Polly,” the hero spends most of his time falling in love with a woman named Polly. He only spends about 20 minutes completing a job for his boss, in which he learns the life lesson he needs to know in order to keep Polly.

The C-story

The C-story is an optional miniature side-story. If you have a C-story, it will appear in the last beat of the movie, which hints at what the future holds for the hero. So the C-story arc would logically involve solving a problem that sets the hero up for his next adventure.

You have three options when adding your third (or more) storyline/s.

1: Each storyline represents another quest for the hero. It’s the hero’s quest to accomplish whatever the third most important goal in life is for him, based on his beliefs. It can be used tactically to provide the hero with a resource he’ll need to solve the A-story line, or it can be a fun time-filler that could be cut without affecting the main storylines. In “Back to the Future,” the hero tries to prevent his mentor from dying in the future.

2: Each storyline follows a character’s quest to fulfill their need other than the hero, such as the antagonist, love interest or sidekick. The storyline should be relevant to the hero’s ultimate goal or it will feel irrelevant and distracting. The C-story will have the most impact if it’s the character’s B-story and conflicts with the hero’s A or B-story goals.

3: Each storyline represents a quest for one of the minor characters. This option has less impact on the story and the viewer, which can be a good vehicle for comic relief or fleshing out the tone of a genre-centric story… unless you’re doing a story like “Snatch” or “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” where there are multiple characters with conflicting goals that keep crossing paths. Either way, the minor character/s’ goals should somehow align or conflict with another main character’s ultimate goal/s, preferably the hero. Otherwise, the storyline is an unnecessary distraction. However, that can work to your advantage if you’re writing a mystery story where you want to misdirect the audience’s attention.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

Screenwriting for TV

Short Stories

Erotica

Short erotica formula plot template

Choose Your Own Adventure

Movie plot break downs

Master Spreadsheet of all movie break downs (on Google Docs)
American Beauty
Avatar (Spreadsheet)
Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Back to the Future
Bladerunner
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
Snatch
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

TV plot break downs

Free story prompts

Writing tips

16 tips to overcoming writer’s block
Why you shouldn’t mock aspiring writers
How do you eat an elephant? (An inspirational short story)
Does substance abuse make you a better writer?
Why using proper grammar is important in life

Blogging

Art

September 29, 2017

A Basic Sitcom Episode Plot Template For TV Screenwriters

By wise sloth

I created this sitcom template by analyzing popular TV shows and breaking them down into their fundamental parts and identifying the most common denominators. I found sitcom episodes tend to follow a predictable 5-Act structure. This formula assumes there is one protagonist and one plot. For help writing stories with multiple protagonists and subplots, read “Advanced Sitcom Episode Plot Templates For Writing Stories With Multiple Protagonists And Subplots.”

SUMMARY OF THE 5-ACT SITCOM STRUCTURE

WITH ONE PROTAGONIST AND ONE GOAL

1: THE INTRODUCTION (1-3 MIN)

Establish what goal the protagonist wants to accomplish in this episode.

2: THE CATALYST (3-8 MIN)

A major opportunity or obstacle appears between the protagonist and his goal.
The protagonist reacts to the antagonist/obstacle in his own signature fashion.
The protagonist comes up with a plan to neutralize the obstacle.

3: COMPLICATIONS AND ESCALATIONS (8-13 MIN)

The protagonist enacts the plan, but sub-obstacles keep getting in the way.
Each time a new obstacle appears in front of the protagonist, he comes up with a new plan to overcome the sub-obstacles and enacts the plan with varying levels of success.

4: THE SHOWDOWN (13-18 MIN)

The protagonist reaches the final obstacle between him and his goal.
The protagonist pulls out his last resort.
The protagonist wins…or loses.

5: THE SUNSET (18-21 MIN)

Show where the protagonist’s success or failure leaves him.

DETAILED BREAK DOWN OF THE 5-ACT SITCOM STRUCTURE

ACT 1

THE INTRODUCTION

The first 1-3 minutes of your sitcom is the introduction segment. Then the opening credits role. The screen time allotted for this time frame must serve a very specific purpose. It establishes what the protagonist wants (in this episode). The first 1-3 minutes don’t (usually) reveal the antagonist or any obstacles that will stand in the protagonists way. You can squeeze that in, but if you’re new to writing sitcoms, try writing a simple script first.

There was an episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” that began with the gang standing in a parking lot drinking beers shouting, “Reunion! Reunion! Reunion!” In those three words, they established that that episode’s plot would revolve around them going to a high school reunion. For the rest of the time until the opening credits rolled each character expressed why they wanted to go to the reunion. No obstacles were introduced. All the audience learned was where they were, who would be in the episode and what they wanted. It was a prime example of good sitcom writing, and it worked. The episode flowed logically and was enjoyable.

This short, 1-3 minute skit needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. Or you could think of it as a setup, a delivery and a reaction. It’s basically a joke. It says, “Here’s where I’m at. Here’s where I want to be…but that’s my life!”

When you’re outlining your script, don’t write this whole scene before starting on the next scene. Write one or two sentences saying (not showing) what happens in the scene to establish what the protagonist wants. After you’re finished outlining the whole sitcom then you can go back and “show, don’t tell.”

ACT 2

THE MIDDLE: PART 1

THE CATALYST

The entire middle of the story lasts 15 minutes, and is divided into 3, 5-minute segments.

The Middle: Part 1 introduces the protagonist and the audience to the main obstacle that will stand between the protagonist and his dream of the week. In a standard movie or novel the protagonist would experience a catastrophic cataclysm that irrevocably cuts him off from the most important goal of his entire life. It’s like the pillars of the earth are ripped out from underneath him destroying the foundation of his existence, which will require him to reassess everything he’s ever taken for granted and reinvent himself to overcome this unprecedented challenge.

In sitcoms that will happen to a small degree in season finales, but in a sitcom the protagonist has to begin every episode in basically the same place he started the last one and the same place he’ll start the next one. So to tear out the foundation of his world is to rip out the foundation of the sitcom, and to reinvent the protagonist is to invent a new sitcom.

For those reasons, the protagonist of a sitcom can’t suffer an apocalyptic cataclysm that turns his whole world upside down. Instead, of having the floor fall out from under him he should just have a wall appear in front of him that prevents him from achieving the most important goal in his short-term life plan.

For example, Seinfeld’s life plan (in the series) was to become a world famous comedian. His character only ever took a few steps towards that goal through the 9 seasons it aired. Instead, each episode focused on him and his friends confronting day-to-day obstacles that stood in the way of their short-term goals such as having a good meal, having casual relationships, renting a car or helping a friend. The protagonist’s goal of the week is should be expressed in the first 1-3 minutes before the credits, and it’s established what the main obstacle between him and that goal is.

Since you have to begin a new scene after the opening credits that means you have to begin that scene (as you do every scene) with an introductory segway bit that establishes where the protagonist is now and what he’s doing.

A the writer you already know (in a general sense) where the protagonist should be and what he should be doing. He should be at the next logical place to do the next logical thing to fulfil his want. You can establish where he’s at and what he’s doing with one camera shot and a sentence. It could only take two seconds, but it has to be there. The audience needs it to keep them on track with your fast-forwarded story. Plus, it will set you up for what happens next.

As soon as you’ve established where he’s at and what he’s doing then you establish the main obstacle that will stand in between the protagonist and his goal. It’s important to pick this obstacle carefully, because the rest of the episode is about this obstacle as much as it’s about the protagonist. After all, the protagonist will spend the rest of the episode trying to neutralize this problem in order to get what he wants.

The MIddle: Part 1 has to have a beginning, middle and end. You’ve already written the introduction where you establish where the protagonist is and what he’s doing. You wrote the middle where something gets in the way of the protagonist and his goal. Now, you need to cap-off this segment of the story with a logical ending. The logical thing to do after someone has discovered a dire obstacle between them and their goal is to freak out and then recollect themself. The characters in Seinfeld and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are usually screaming at this point. Then they have a huddle and figure out what they’re going to do address the problem.

The plan they come up with has to reflect the characters who came up with the plan. The characters from “Workaholics” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” would approach the same problem from very different angles. If you’ve already mapped out your characters right down to what their personality type is then the scenes where they formulate a plan should write themselves. You shouldn’t ever ask yourself, “What should I have my characters do next?” You should always ask yourself, “What would my characters do next?”

Once your characters have stated what they’re going to do to solve the problem you can throw in a punch line and end the scene.

ACT 3

THE MIDDLE: PART 2

COMPLICATIONS AND ESCALATIONS

You begin a new scene here. It will establish where you’re protagonist is at now and what he’s doing. He should be at the next logical place to do the next logical thing to enact his plan.That’s the introductory scene to The Middle: Part 2.

Once you’ve set that up the protagonist will actively put his plan in motion. However, that plan can’t work. If it did then the episode would be over. So the protagonist must encounter another obstacle. This obstacle isn’t apocalyptic and life changing, and it’s not standing between him and his dream. It’s a minor, amusing problem that stands between him and his ability to solve the bigger problem that’s preventing him from achieving his goal of the week. So it’s a little problem within a bigger problem…like a Russian stacking doll.

It doesn’t matter if the protagonist overcomes this (or any other) obstacle throughout the story. The protagonist can lose every single battle and the war. He can just bounce around like a pin ball getting hit in the face by life until he falls into a hole in the ground and dies. What’s important is that there are progressively bigger obstacles between him and that which he’s motivated to attain, and he confronts those obstacles according to his own personal style. That’s what builds tension and puts the audience on the edge of their seats.

Another logical reason why protagonists often fail to overcome minor obstacles is because it would be extremely hard to maintain a sitcom about a protagonist who waltzes through every problem for 9 seasons. “Highlander” had this problem. You knew that the protagonist had to win in every episode, because to lose would mean getting his head cut off. This was exciting for a while, but after a few seasons there was just no point to watch the show anymore…and it was cancelled.

If your protagonist is going to fail then there needs to be a logical reason why. There are really only two reasons why a protagonist ever fails to achieve their goals. Either the obstacles in front of them are simply insurmountable or the protagonist has a major character flaw. If the only reason the protagonist ever fails at anything is because life is just that unfair then you’re going to have a very depressing sitcom. However, if the protagonist has a major character flaw that often gets in his way then his successes and failures will make more sense. From that point of view, Archer and House from “Archer’ and “House” almost had to be drug-addicted, obstinate jerks. If the protagonist’s character flaw helps him sometimes and hinders him sometimes then you’ll keep the audience on the edge of their seats guessing what will happen next.

If you simply can’t bear to soil your protagonist with a major character flaw you can give him a problematic sidekick that screws things up for him, but this can get annoying if every episode is based on that premise. A classic example is “Inspector Gadget.” Despite the misleading title, the protagonist was Inspector Gadget’s niece, Penny. She was a nearly flawless super hero whose brilliant schemes were always complicated by her retarded alter ego, Inspector Gadget. The show had a novel premise, but it got boring watching Inspector Gadget complicate Penny’s life every single episode, and the show was cancelled.

A more interesting reinvention of “Inspector Gadget” is “Wilfred.” In “Wilfred” the protagonist (Ryan) has a goal he wants to accomplish, but his bungling sidekick, a talking man-dog named Wilfred, serves as his sidekick and a minor antagonist who places minor obstacles in Ryan’s path as he tries to overcome the primary obstacle in each episode. This works better than “Inspector Gadget” because both Ryan and Wilfred are both tragically flawed characters with their own redeeming qualities as well. Plus the jokes are funnier. It all adds up to a multi-faceted, entertaining sitcom. However, since it does stick to the same formula every episode it does get a little tedious after a couple of episodes.

It’s worth noting that protagonists in sitcoms fail more frequently than protagonists in blockbuster movies. People watch blockbuster movies to see the protagonist win so they can feel good about themselves. People don’t watch sitcom to see if the protagonist wins or loses. They watch sitcoms to see what kind of zany situations will stand between the protagonist and his goal of the week, what kind of zany methods he’ll use to attempt to solve those problems and whether or not the writer can deliver these rote, tension building devices in a way that actually makes the audience laugh, cry or feel any emotion other than the dull, cold comfort they’ve settled into in their drab, suburban lives.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what obstacles to put in front of your protagonist, just ask yourself what a bored, suburban TV zombie would wish they could see happen in real life. Or just copy and paste the real problems that normal people face every day like Seinfeld did with its idiosyncratic insights into the little trials of life like “double dipping” and trying to spend as much time in the shower as possible. Those little problems resonate with people, and if you spice them up then they’ll really get a reaction from the audience. Or you could write a sitcom like “Heroes” that is geared towards letting suburbanites live out their fantasy of having super powers and saving the world from super villains. If you can’t think of a better obstacle to put in front of your character than say a literal road block preventing your character from getting across town to watch “Thunder Gun Express” then you can make that boring road block interesting by having the road block be there because the president’s motorcade is coming through town and the secret service has the entire area on lockdown. If you can’t make mundane problems interesting then you probably shouldn’t be writing sitcoms.

If the protagonist manages to get past the first sub-obstacle in 30 seconds then just keep putting progressively more difficult sub-obstacles between him and the main obstacle of the episode. Each new sub-obstacle will have to constitute a new scene with its own introductory shot. Then the protagonist will have to figure out a way to address the new sub-obstacle and then attempt to enact his plan. The plan will then succeed or fail as is characteristic for the protagonist. Do this until you’ve filled 5 minutes. If you’re having a hard time filling space or it doesn’t make sense to add a new sub-obstacle then just add a fluffy joke segment. A sub-character may go on a rant or the protagonist may force you to watch a Johnny Cash video for three minutes. Or you could spend that extra time pumping up how important it is to the protagonist that he accomplishes his goal or how difficult it’s going to be for him to accomplish that goal.

The sub-obstacles that present themselves to the protagonist in The MIddle: Part 2 don’t have to be logically connected together. The only connection they need to have is that they block the protagonist’s path to his dream. These obstacles can be completely random and be delivered by a deus ex machina with no foreshadowing or relevance to the story afterwards. Normally this would be a lazy way to structure a story at best or cheating at worst. However, this form of storytelling is often easier for zoned-out television viewers to follow. They don’t want to have to track the plot with a pencil and paper every week. They don’t want to watch “Primer” over and over again. They just want to see something amusing happen. So don’t get hung up on trying to tie your plot line into an elegant Celtic knot.

For example, if your protagonist wanted to get across town to watch the movie “Thunder Gun Express” at a movie theatre you could literally throw a road block in his way. After that, have him miss a train and then have him hijack a boat. None of those events technically have anything to do with each other except they’re all obstacles that stand between the protagonist and his goal, and they get progressively more intense.

Once you’ve had your protagonist jumping over and smacking into hurdles for 5 minutes throw in a punch line and end the scene.

ACT 4

THE MIDDLE: PART 3

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

The protagonist has been working towards his goal for 13 minutes now. What started as a straightforward goal has devolved into a gauntlet of progressively more outlandish obstacles that he’s had to endure just to get to the main obstacle that knocked his day off course in the first place.

Now the stakes are as high as they’re going to get, and the antagonist has the upper hand. Time is running out, and the protagonist is getting desperate. So he pulls out his last resort and throws a Hail-Mary. Likewise, the antagonist could be getting desperate to stop the protagonist’s surprising success at passing all the minor obstacles. So the antagonist throws one more major punch. It doesn’t matter who throws the final punch, but somebody has to.

The last resort either succeeds or fails completely to neutralize the primary obstacle (regardless of whether or not any of the minor obstacles were ever successfully neutralized). By the end of this scene it is absolutely clear whether or not the protagonist was able to attain the prize he’s been chasing the entire episode. If the protagonist has to enter a boxing match to save the orphanage then the referee should be holding up one of the boxer’s hands and declaring the winner as the bell rings. This should happen between 17-18 minutes into the sitcom.

ACT 5

THE END

THE SUNSET

There are only 1-3 minutes of screen time left after the knockout punch has been delivered. This final scene shows how the outcome of the episode’s conflict will affect the protagonist’s future, which won’t be much. This final scene doesn’t have to have an ingenious turn-about or give the audience closure to the protagonist’s life. It just shows where the protagonist and what he’s doing now that the storm has passed. The protagonist can be in jail, the hospital or in another country, and you don’t have to explain how he gets back to his normal life by the next episode. You can just start the next episode like nothing ever happened if you want to.

The final 3 minutes of your sitcom should be the easiest scene to write. It should be logical how the outcome of the episode will affect the protagonist. If he won then he won. If he lost then he lost. Just show that in an amusing way. And since this scene doesn’t have to set up a following scene then it doesn’t matter how it ends. It just matters that it ends with a really amusing punch line.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

Screenwriting for TV

Advanced sitcom plot template for stories with multiple protagonists and subplots

Short Stories

Erotica

Short erotica formula plot template

Choose Your Own Adventure

Movie plot break downs

Master Spreadsheet of all movie break downs (on Google Docs)
American Beauty
Avatar (Spreadsheet)
Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Back to the Future
Bladerunner
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
Snatch
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

TV plot break downs

Free story prompts

Writing tips

16 tips to overcoming writer’s block
Why you shouldn’t mock aspiring writers
How do you eat an elephant? (An inspirational short story)
Does substance abuse make you a better writer?
Why using proper grammar is important in life

Blogging

Art

1 Comment | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, film script plot structure, formula plot template, how to write fiction, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline | posted in Screenwriting

September 29, 2017

Advanced Sitcom Episode Plot Templates For Writing Stories With Multiple Protagonists and Subplots

By wise sloth

I created this sitcom template by analyzing popular TV shows and breaking them down into their fundamental parts and identifying the most common denominators. I found sitcom episodes tend to follow a predictable 5-Act structure. This formula helps you create stories with multiple protagonists and sublplots. For a more basic version with one protagonist on one main quest, read “Basic Sitcom Episode Plot Template For TV Screenwriters”

INTRODUCTION TO USING MULTIPLE PROTAGONISTS

Since it’s so hard to have a single protagonist fill an entire episode, sometimes sitcoms will use what I call “a protagonist with multiple heads.” “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is a good example of this. It uses a protagonist with 4 heads. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are all the protagonists of the show. They each have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses, but they act as a team to solve a single problem, which is almost always to defeat their nemesis, Shredder.

Shows like “Seinfeld,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Workaholics” use a slightly more complicated formula. Often times the gang will have a major problem that affects all of them and that they all need to work together as a multi-headed protagonist to solve the big problem, just like the Ninja Turtles.

However, each of the characters in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Workaholics” will have their own reasons for wanting to address the problem, whereas in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” the writers never dwelt much on each of the protagonists’ motives. It was just taken for granted that they all wanted to stop Shredder to save the world, which made the show a little stale.

Other times, the characters will split up into teams. Two characters will have their own reasons to accomplish a common goal, two more will share another quest, and one character may be one their own hero’s journey. Each episode cycles different combinations.

SUMMARY OF THE 5-ACT STRUCTURE

WITH MULTIPLE PROTAGONISTS

1: THE INTRODUCTION (1-3 MIN)

In the first 1-3 minutes of the sitcom the protagonists state their respective goals for the episode. You can just have all the protagonists sitting in a diner or standing in a bar having a conversation. In that conversation they each say what they want, one after another.

2: THE CATALYST (3-8 MIN)

One thing happens that prevents all of the protagonists from achieving their goal. Then they huddle together and figure out how to overcome the obstacle. They each come up with a solution based on their motives, strengths and weaknesses that may or may not result in them working together. They state their plan and their reason for choosing that plan one after another.

3: COMPLICATIONS AND ESCALATIONS (8-13 MIN)

Each protagonist attacks the problem for a different angle depending on their personality, strengths and weaknesses.

4: THE SHOWDOWN (13-18 MIN)

Each protagonist’s successes or failures affect the team’s overall ability to solve their common problem.

5: THE SUNSET (18-21 MIN)

Show all the characters together back at their regular haunt. Show whether each character got what they wanted or not.

INTRODUCTION TO SUBPLOTS

If you only have one protagonist then you may find it hard to flesh out a complete 20 minute story. You may find that your scenes are dragging on too long or the plot is getting ridiculously complicated because you have too much time to fill. You don’t have to make your protagonist’s mission more complicated to fill air time and create the entertainment factor. Instead, you can weave in a subplot that follows a minor character.

Minor characters’ subplots should be able to stand alone as their own story. They should have a beginning, where the minor character (who is the star of the subplot) reveals what they want and how they plan to get it. They have a middle, where the minor character does something to try to get what they want, and they have an end where the minor character either achieves their goal or they don’t.

Most of your sitcom’s total screen time is going to be taken up with the protagonist’s quest, and every minute you take away from the protagonist’s main story line is less time the protagonist has to accomplish his goal. Thus the fewer complications the protagonist can confront and the less time he can spend deciding what to do much less actually doing anything proactive. This can work to your advantage if the protagonist’s quest is pretty straight forward and would be ruined by cramming in unnecessary complications, but subplots can work to your disadvantage if they drag on too long and don’t leave enough time to wrap up the protagonist’s quest. You’ll likely have that problem if you try to cram too many subplots revolving around too many minor characters into a 20 minute sitcom. Don’t try to include more than one or two (at the most) subplots.

Don’t be intimidated by subplots. If you’re basing your sitcom on a formula plot then weaving subplots into the main plot is easy because you know where you can logically fit them in as well as what will have to be shrunk as a result.

It’s great if the minor character’s subplot ties into the protagonist’s plot, but it isn’t necessary. For example, you could have the protagonist stay at home and try to write a book while the minor character goes on holiday with old friends from high school. That would keep the two story lines almost completely separate other than the protagonist and the minor character telling each other what they’re going to do in the very beginning and then talking about what happened afterwards at the very end.

On the other hand, if your protagonist is going to a high school reunion then it might make sense for a minor character to tag along and have their own subplot about confronting an ex-lover or bully at the reunion. The minor character’s subplot doesn’t necessarily have to have any effect on whether or not the protagonist succeeds or fails. However, it looks pretty clever when the minor character finishes their story line at the 16-17 minute marks, and the results of their actions have a direct effect on what the protagonist is able to do between the 17-18 minute marks to neutralize (or be neutralized by) his main obstacle.

There was an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” entitled “The Drunk Train.” It followed 3 plot lines, and although none of them really directly affected the outcome of the others, they all analysed the topic of love from different perspectives. So they felt like they tied together, and in fact, since they tied together on a meta level the result was just as satisfying as if the events affected each other.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUBPLOTS

Instead of cutting to new scenes where the minor character walks through their own subplot you could have the protagonist walk through their own subplot. For example, if the protagonist’s primary goal is to go to a job interview, but his main obstacle is that he doesn’t have a car then he could spend the whole episode running around town. To make this more interesting you could have a minor character struggle with getting a date. Or you could have the protagonist running around town trying to get to a job interview while also juggling the unrelated sub-quest of trying to get a date.

You can combine these strategies by giving the protagonist a main quest and a sub quest…and also have a minor character engaged in their own subplot quest. In this case you would plot your story as if the protagonist’s subplot is a second minor character’s subplot. The protagonist’s main quest will be shorter, but it should still take up the bulk of the episode’s screen time.

Another variation on these plots is to combine a multi-headed protagonist and minor character’s subplot in the same story. In this case there will be no single character who is clearly distinguishable as the protagonist. This would be a mortal sin in a blockbuster movie or a novel, but sitcom audiences are fine with it.

The easiest way to explain how to do this is to use a two-headed protagonist and one minor character. This is a popular formula because it’s clean, and it ends up filling the right amount of time. “Black Books” is a good example. The protagonists are Bernard Black and Manny. They’ll collaborate on a single quest while the recurring minor character, Fran, works on her own quest.

“Black Books” often uses another variation on this formula. It will use one of its protagonists as the antagonist for an episode. Manny will be trying to run a successful book shop while Bernard thwarts his best attempts until Manny neutralizes Bernard…or Bernard neutralizes Manny…or fate neutralizes both of them. Meanwhile, Fran is doing her own thing.

In the “Tales From the Crypt” episode, “Collection Complete” there are two protagonists who are each other’s antagonists, and there are no other subplots. This was a straightforward episode, but its simplicity required the characters to fill most of the episode by constantly restating how the two protagonists were preventing each other from fulfilling their goal (and thus becoming each other’s antagonists), which got kind of boring.

If you’re writing a sitcom with four or five recurring protagonists like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and you want to give screen time to all the characters then you’ll have a hard time fitting in four quests even without trying to squeeze in a minor character’s subquest. In that case you can split your four protagonists into two protagonists with two heads. In “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Mac and Dennis will often team up with each other to solve a common goal/obstacle while Charlie and Frank collaborate on a separate goal/obstacle leaving Dee to play a minor character with her own subplot. In another episode Frank, Dee and Mac might solve a common problem (though they each have their own reasons for doing so) while Charlie and Dee team up to collaborate on a separate problem. You can cut the cake anyway you want.

SUMMARY OF THE 5-ACT SITCOM STRUCTURE

WITH MULTIPLE SUBPLOTS

1: THE INTRODUCTION (1-3 MIN)
Establish what the protagonists want, one at a time or together.

2: THE CATALYST (3-8 MIN)

An obstacle appears between the protagonist and his goal.

The protagonist reacts to the antagonist/obstacle in his own signature fashion.

Cut to a new scene that establishes what the minor character wants and how he plans to get it.

Cut to a new scene where the protagonist comes up with a plan to neutralize his primary obstacle.

3: COMPLICATIONS AND ESCALATIONS (8-13 MIN)

The protagonist enacts his plan, but he’s blocked by a minor obstacle.

The protagonist comes up with a plan to neutralize the minor obstacle in his way.
Cut to a new scene that shows the minor character enacting his plan and running into his own resistance.

Cut to a new scene where the protagonist enacts his plan and succeeds or fails at overcoming the minor obstacle.

4: THE SHOWDOWN (13-18 MIN)

If the protagonist failed to overcome his sub-obstacle then he comes up with a new plan to neutralize his main obstacle given this new limitation. If he succeed at neutralizing his minor obstacle then he confronts the main obstacle directly with the new strength/resource he gained from his success.

Cut to a new scene where the minor character confronts their primary obstacle and either succeeds or fails at neutralizing it.

Cut to a new scene where the protagonist pulls out his last resort and throws a hail-Mary to beat the antagonist.

The protagonist either wins or loses.

5: THE SUNSET (18-21 MIN)
Show where this chain of events leaves the protagonist and the minor character.

DETAILED BREAK DOWN OF THE 5-ACT SITCOM STRUCTURE

WITH SUBPLOTS

ACT 1

THE INTRODUCTION

Typically, the first 1-3 minutes of a sitcom are reserved for setting up the protagonist’s main quest. If you put the introduction to the minor character’s subplot here it hogs the spotlight from the protagonist and the audience isn’t sure which story line is the main one. If you’re going to set up or hint at the minor character’s subplot here then do it very quickly and unobtrusively. And there better be a good reason why it was illogical to wait to introduce the subplot until after the opening credits. If you’re new to sitcom writing I would suggest leaving the subplot out of the first 1-3 minutes.

ACT 2

THE MIDDLE: PART 1

THE CATALYST

The minor character’s subplot is typically introduced between the 6-8 minute marks. At that point the story stops following the protagonist and switches focus to the minor character. This means a new scene begins which the minor character plays the main role. You introduce where he is, what he’s doing, what he wants and how he plans to get it. This whole scene must only take 1-2 minutes. Then the scene ends. Then the story switches back to the protagonist and his quest. When that happens you have to re-establish where the protagonist is and what he’s doing.

This doesn’t leave a lot of time to introduce the subplot. That’s fine. If the subplot takes too long it’ll distract and confuse the audience. The time limitation on the subplot will make it easier to write if you let it. The subplot doesn’t have time to be serious or complicated. It’s a quick scene with a quick joke. It gives the audience a chance to breathe more than it gives the audience another puzzle to figure out. Don’t make it harder than it is.

The logical time to insert the minor character’s introductory subquest scene is right after the protagonist is finished establishing what his problem is and what he’s going to do about it. Since the audience has just seen the protagonist do it they’re not thrown for a loop when they see another character go through the same thing. But if you wait until after the protagonist has been working on his problem for 10-15 minutes it’s going to feel clunky to see a minor character just begin their quest, and you’re not going to have any time to flesh out that subplot because the episode will almost be over and that time is already reserved for the final showdown between the protagonist and the main obstacle standing between him and his prize.

ACT 3

THE MIDDLE: PART 2

COMPLICATIONS AND ESCALATIONS

During the 8-13 minute marks the protagonist is dancing through a minefield trying to navigate his way to the other side where the grass is greener. The 8-9 minute mark is reserved for the protagonist’s first attempt to overcome the main obstacle. The 12-13 minute mark is reserved to show how the protagonist’s plan is working out for him. Somewhere between the 9-12 minute marks is the logical place to cut away from the protagonist’s story line for a moment and splice in the continuation of the minor character’s subplot for 1-2 minutes.

In those 1-2 minutes the minor character will have one minor obstacle between them and their primary goal. The minor character will only have enough time to take one stab at doing what they do in order to neutralize this obstacle. The situation has to be simple because there isn’t time for any more complications.

It doesn’t particularly matter if the minor character succeeds at neutralizing this minor problem. It’s usually more dramatic if they fail, and that gives them motivation to come back desperate and with a vengeance later. However, they don’t have to succeed or fail at anything in this segment. You could just spend this 1-2 minutes re-establishing how important this quest is to the minor character and what their chances of success are based on their current behaviour. That will raise the tension for the final showdown and give the audience an enjoyable break from the fast-forwarded main plot. Also, this will allow you to focus on getting to know the minor character. If the protagonist is on a practical mission then the minor character’s mission could be emotional or visa/versa, but don’t worry too much about balancing opposites or creating yin-yang situations. The audience’s primary concern is that the subplot lines are entertaining, and they’ll even forgive an uninteresting plot line if it’s delivered in an entertaining way. Keep that mind when you’re asking yourself, “What should happen next?” Something entertaining should happen next, that’s what. Everything else, rules included, are only important to the extent that they makes the final product entertaining.

At any rate, life isn’t organized. All the strings don’t tie together at the end of the day for real people like they do in well-structured novels or blockbuster movies. Just watch an episode of Family Guy if you need proof that you don’t have to write air-tight coherent stories to be a successful sitcom writer. I’m not giving you permission to be sloppy. I’m just saying, don’t give yourself writer’s block trying to write your magnum opus every single episode. Successful sitcom writers don’t.

ACT 4

THE MIDDLE: PART 3

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

The first minute of Part 3 (the 14-15 minute mark) is reserved to re-establish where the protagonist is and what he’s doing. The 17-18 minute mark is also reserved for the final blow between the protagonist and antagonist to decide the main victor of the episode. This leaves you a three minute window between the 15-17 minute marks to stop the protagonist’s main quest and splice in a 1-2 minute scene that shows the minor character deliver their final blow to the antagonist (or visa/versa), which will decide if the minor character is successful at achieving their goal.

ACT 5

THE END

THE SUNSET

The final 1-3 minutes of a sitcom reveals how the repercussions of the protagonist’s victory or loss. This information isn’t vital to the plot. The real story ended as soon as the victor was decided. This segment is just icing on the cake, and you can take broad liberties with it. At any point you can splice in a few seconds or a few minutes showing the repercussions of the minor character’s victory or loss. Or you could just leave out any mention of the minor character and their fate. It really depends on the situation. But since the protagonist and the minor character see each other day in and day out at the same place, it often makes sense to end a sitcom episode with the protagonist doing something with the minor character that reveals how both their quests have affected them at the same time. Often this means they’re just sitting at their favorite diner or bar talking about what happened to them and how happy or mad they are about how it’s going to affect their short-term future.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

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Movie plot break downs

Master Spreadsheet of all movie break downs (on Google Docs)
American Beauty
Avatar (Spreadsheet)
Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Back to the Future
Bladerunner
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
Snatch
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

TV plot break downs

Free story prompts

Writing tips

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Why you shouldn’t mock aspiring writers
How do you eat an elephant? (An inspirational short story)
Does substance abuse make you a better writer?
Why using proper grammar is important in life

Blogging

Art

November 17, 2009

8 Simple Formula Plot Templates

By wise sloth

ACTION STORY TEMPLATE

ACT 1

SEGMENT 1

The story begins by introducing the protagonist in a way that reveals his defining characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, life circumstances, motives, and goals. SEGMENT 1 also establishes the setting and tone.

SEGMENT 2

Something happens to the protagonist that is out of the ordinary (for the protagonist, not for you). The event should be as apocalyptic as possible. This event throws the protagonist out of his comfort zone. The more disastrous it is for the protagonist the higher the stakes are. The higher the stakes are the more interesting the story will be.CH

SEGMENT 3

The protagonist weighs his options. He decides he can not ignore the event that has thrown his life off track. There is either too much at stake or the event has irrevocably closed the door on his previous life until he confronts the issue.

ACT 2

SEGMENT 4

The protagonist makes a plan of action to address the source of the conflict. The event that threw him off course has given him 1 clue as to where to start finding answers or he knows the first obstacle standing between him and the resolution of his conflict.for

The protagonist executes his plan and succeeds, closing the door on the antagonist’s original plan. Not only does the antagonist not achieve his goal he was hoping for, but the exact opposite of what he intended happened and the door he was trying to go through is now closed. The protagonist learns more about the antagonist, himself and the antagonist’s motives/goals. Based on this new information the protagonist makes a new plan to get closer to the antagonist.

SEGMENT 5

The protagonist, enabled by his previous success, sets in motion the second part of his plan to accomplish his goal.

SEGMENT 6

The antagonist has to adapt to the new circumstances created by the protagonist’s success and devises a new plan.

SEGMENT 7

The protagonist executes his new plan and fails. Not only does he not achieve the goal he was hoping for, but the exact opposite of what he intended happened. The door he was trying to go through is now closed.

SEGMENT 8

Despite the protagonist’s failure he has learned something new about the antagonist. He uses that information to create a new plan to approach the conflict from a different angle.

SEGMENT 9

The protagonist executes his new plan and succeeds.

Note: You can repeat SEGMENTS 4-9 as many times as logically needed to fully develop the characters and the conflict.

Also

There’s no set rule for how early or how late you should reveal the antagonist. It just needs to be logical and provide maximum tension.

SEGMENT 10

The protagonist’s success places him in a position to confront the antagonist directly, which he does. This is the Battle of the Bulge. The protagonist has made it to/into the gates of the antagonist’s lair and must directly battle all of the antagonist’s signature strengths with his own signature strengths.

SEGMENT 11

The antagonist has the protagonist cornered. The protagonist is at his weakest point and all hope is lost. The antagonist is one step away from accomplishing all of his goals and defeating the protagonist.

SEGMENT 12

The protagonist uses his signature strength and attacks the antagonist’s signature weakness to defeat him.

ACT 3

SEGMENT 13

Having defeated the antagonist the protagonist finally takes possession of the object of his quest.

SEGMENT 14

After the protagonist takes possession of the object of his quest he must do what he planned to do with it.

SEGMENT 15

The protagonist, having accomplished all of his goals must choose what to do next or with the rest of his life.

SEGMENT 16

The denouement tells what lies in store for the protagonist, any supporting characters or the world in general.

A VERY COMMON SITCOM TEMPLATE:

THE TRAGIC OPPORTUNITY

SEGMENT 1

A sitcom episode does not need to begin by introducing the protagonist at length since his character has already been established in previous episodes. However, the first segment of an episode should begin by revealing the protagonist’s primary motive/goal for that particular episode. In a sitcom Segments 1 and 2 can be combined often within a single sentence of dialogue.

SEGMENT 2

The protagonist finds (or is presented with) an unusual (for him, not for the audience) opportunity to attain whatever it is he values (usually money, fame, sex, love, freedom, leisure, etc.).

SEGMENT 3

The protagonist pursues the opportunity and becomes involved with it.

SEGMENT 4

The opportunity turns south. Not only does it not help the protagonist achieve his goal, but it actually prevents him from achieving it and results in him attaining the thing he was trying to avoid.

SEGMENT 5

The protagonist tries to free himself of the situation he’s gotten himself into but fails.

SEGMENT 6

The opportunity, being faulty, ends up destroying itself and spitting the protagonist either right back where he started, farther behind, or miraculously ahead in some unexpected way.

SEGMENT 7

The protagonist learns a valuable lesson.

SEGMENT 8

In the final scene it is explained how the resolution of the conflict will affect the character’s life in the future.

THE SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY TEMPLATE

SEGMENT 1

Introduce the detective. Arthur Conan Doyle usually just showed Sherlock Holmes in his home office and said, “This is Sherlock Holmes. He’s a genius detective.” Just to prove the point he would sometimes have Sherlock Holmes make genius deductions about his sidekick based on his appearance.

SEGMENT 2

Introduce the harbinger. Someone walks through the door and tells the detective they have a case they need solved. Then the detective agrees to hear the case. If you want to rub in what a genius the detective is then you can have him make deductions about the harbinger based on their appearance.

SEGMENT 3

The harbinger explains the case as they understand it. They leave out the critical details necessary to solve the plot. However, they give the detective all the clues he needs to solve the case. These clues are laid out in plain sight, but they’re presented alongside superfluous details so that it’s impossible for the reader to guess which details are the true clues.

Note:

If the crime was murder then the harbinger must be someone who has a close connection with the murder victim, and the harbinger will tell the victim’s story. If the crime was theft, blackmail or manipulation then the harbinger can be the victim, and then they will tell the story of their own victimization.

The harbinger will relate their story to the detective in this general order:

1: Give a general description of all the characters involved in the crime. The harbinger explains who the characters are, where they came from, what they do, what their greatest hopes and fears are (to establish their motives). For example: “My father was a gold hunter in Australia, and he retired in England with his partner who was a bastard.”

2: The harbinger relates the significant events that happened to the victim leading up to the day of their victimization that set the stage for the crime committed against them. For example, “My father started receiving strange letters that freaked him out.”

3: Next the harbinger relates the specific details of the crime as they happened on the day of the crime. This part reads like a police report. (Studying how to actually write a real police report will help you write detective fiction.) For example, “My father was last seen by the lake arguing with his business partner’s son.”

SEGMENT 4

The detective identifies the vital clues in the harbinger’s story and asks the harbinger to elaborate on them.

SEGMENT 5

The detective leaves his office and finds the proof necessary to validate his theory.

SEGMENT 6

The detective catches the antagonist and explains how he solved the mystery.

NOTE

The key to plotting a mystery is to understand that a mystery story is really three stories: The story of how/why the antagonist committed his crime, the story of how/why the crime affected the harbinger and the story of how/why the detective solved the case. The easiest way to weave these together is to write them in this order and then splice them together in the format explained above.

So the first thing you need to do is to write a dark crime story starring the antagonist, which you do like this:

SEGMENT 1

Introduce the antagonist.

SEGMENT 2

The antagonist has an opportunity to attain or defend what he wants most in life (usually a lot of money or a lover)…at the expense of someone else.

Segment 3

The antagonist finds a way to attain/defend what he wants in a way that nobody else can trace the crime back to him.

Segment 4

The antagonist commits the crime but unknowingly leaves one or more vital clues that can trace the crime back to him.

Segment 5

The antagonist goes on about his life hiding his secret.

Once you’ve written this relatively simple, strait-forward crime story, then create a mystery out of it is just a matter of plugging the details into the detective formula.

FABLE TEMPLATE

SEGMENT 1

SEGMENT 2

The antagonist appears and poses a moral quandary to the protagonist.

SEGMENT 3

The protagonist chooses a course of action he believes is most desirable based on his values.

SEGMENT 4

Protagonist executes his decision, and the antagonist reacts accordingly.

SEGMENT 5

If the protagonist chose wisely it has positive consequences for him and negative consequences for the antagonist. If the protagonist chose unwisely it has negative consequences for him and positive consequences for the antagonist.

SEGMENT 6

The lesson to be learned from the protagonist’s decision is explained.

GROUP JOURNEY TEMPLATE

(FOR CHILDREN’S STORIES)

SEGMENT 1

Introduce the protagonist, describe the protagonist, explain the protagonist’s backstory.

SEGMENT 2

Something terrible happens to the protagonist, and he has to embark on a journey to get something that will fix the problem.

SEGMENT 3

The protagonist sets out on his journey and runs into his travel companions who each have personalities, values and/or skills relevant to the quest. Explain each supporting characters’ backstory and their incentive to join the protagonist.

SEGMENT 4

Explain the first obstacle the characters must surmount to resolve their conflict. The characters must draw on their combined resources (mental and physical) to overcome the obstacle.

SEGMENT 5

Explain the second obstacle the characters must surmount to resolve their conflict. This one must be more difficult than the first, and the characters must overcome it or work around it.

Note: You can have as many obstacles as are logical, but they must keep getting progressively more difficult.

SEGMENT 6

After surmounting all the obstacles between the characters and their goal they (or just the protagonist) face the antagonist head on. Describe the antagonist, Explain the antagonist’s backstory. Explain the antagonist’s motivation to oppose the protagonist. The protagonist (possibly aided by his/her friends) defeat the physically superior antagonist by outwitting him/her.

SEGMENT 7

Denouement

THE SEINFELD/SNATCH TEMPLATE

This template uses 4 main characters, but the template is easily adjustable to use more or less main characters.

SEGMENT 1

Introduce all 4 characters in one location. “Seinfeld” uses a diner. “Friends” uses a cafe. “The IT Crowd” uses a work office. “The Big Bang Theory” uses communal living space. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” uses an Irish pub. You get the idea.

In the introduction segment, each character expresses some goal they want to achieve. Reverse engineer what goal each character would most likely want to accomplish based on their distinctive personality. Primetime television leans towards using petty, idiosyncratic, common, day-to-day goals like trying to get a bowl of soup from a mean chef. Or you can go the “Snatch” route and have them trying to get something extraordinary…like a gigantic diamond.

SEGMENT 2

The characters go their separate ways, and each of them either encounters a problem that prevents them from achieving their goal or an opportunity opens up that allows them the chance to attain their goal given that they complete a task relevant to the goal.

SEGMENT 3

Each character does something that commits them to accept the challenge before them. They could simply declare that they’re going to achieve their goal like making a vow to get laid on prom night or they can do something they can’t back out of like making a deal with a mobster.

SEGMENT 4

Each character steps up to the plate and takes their first swing at their problem. They go on the date. They go to the job interview. They steal the beer. They steal the diamond. Remember that they engage their challenge in a way that reflects their distinctive personalities and values.

SEGMENT 5

Up until this point, it doesn’t matter if each character’s storyline intersects or affects any other characters’ storyline. Whether or not that happens up to this point just depends on what moves your particular story along. Having reached this point though, the storylines have to start weaving together. Here’s one way to do that:

Character #1 will succeed or fail at his goal as is typical for his character. His success or failure will directly influence the situation Character #2 is in when he takes his final stab at achieving his goal. Character #2’s success or failure will then affect character #3, and character #3’s success or failure will affect character #4. This is a simple domino progression that looks simple in outline form, but when your story is fully fleshed out it’ll look genius.

The big question is how each character’s storyline affects the next character’s. You can psych yourself out by trying to preplan this, but you don’t need to. Simply get each character to the second to last step of their journey and then reverse engineer a way to connect the dots from there. Your characters may end up miles apart with no obvious way to connect them, but this just means you’re going to have to do something absurd and nonsensical to connect them. This may seem like a cheap deus ex machina trick when you look at your outline, but when your story is fully fleshed out your reader will be amazed at how creatively you managed to connect 4 seemingly unrelated events.

SEGMENT 6

After each character succeeds or fails they end up back where they first met in SEGMENT 1 and lick their wounds and/or celebrate their victory.

THE “HERO YOU WANT TO BE” TEMPLATE

Answer the following questions and you’ll have written a complete story. Your outline will “tell” what happens. Based on that outline write a story that “shows” what happens.

ACT 1

SEGMENT 1

Name your 3 favorite characters from your favorite books or movies. Note: They don’t have to be from your favorite stories. They just have to be your favorite characters. Now combine yourself and those characters into one person. That’s who your protagonist is.

Next, name your three favorite stories. Now combine the setting/environment in those 3 movies into one place. That’s where the protagonist lives. Write a short narrative about what that protagonist’s daily routine is like. Have him engage a conflict that is typical of his life, and succeed or fail as would be typical for that character.

SEGMENT 2

What is the one thing you want most in the universe? Who/what is the most likely agent in the story setting you just created to have the power and the motive to take that away from you? What is the most logical obstacle that would prevent you from stopping this agent of loss from taking away the most valuable thing in the universe from you? That agent takes your thing away and you fail to stop it from happening.

SEGMENT 3

What’s the first thing that would go through your mind after the traumatic loss? How do you react to the loss?

ACT 2

SEGMENT 4

What would it take to get your very important thing back? What would be the first logical thing you would do to get back your very important thing given the strengths/weaknesses of your protagonist and the specific nature of the agent that took it?

SEGMENT 5

What’s the most logical reason why that wouldn’t work? Because it didn’t work, and that’s why. So where does that leave you now?

SEGMENT 6

What would be the most logical way for you to get your very important thing back from the agent of loss now? You do that, and it almost doesn’t work, but you do it a little more and it finally works perfectly. (Or fails miserably if you want your story to be a tragedy.)

ACT 3

SEGMENT 7

What’s the first thing you would do after getting your very important thing back?

SEGMENT 8

And what would that accomplish? What’s the biggest effect that would have on your life and/or the world?

SEGMENT 9

Once that happens what does the future hold for your character and/or the characters left behind in the story environment you created?

THE “IT’S LIKE THE AUTHOR UNDERSTANDS ME” TEMPLATE

Answer the following questions and you’ll have written a complete story. Then go back and change enough details to hide the characters’ true identities and make the story flow. Remember, critics say good art reflects life, and good artists say the key to creativity is hiding your sources. Mark Twain said, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

ACT 1

SEGMENT 1

Who are you? What is your day to day life like?

SEGMENT 2

What was the biggest personal problem or tragedy you had to overcome in your life?

ACT 2

SEGMENT 3

How did you figure out the solution you ultimately used to solve (or at least cope with) the problem?

SEGMENT 4

What steps did you take to solve/cope with the problem?

SEGMENT 5

How did the final events that brought closure to the issue play out?

ACT 3

SEGMENT 6

How did the initial recovery period after that go? What was it like adjusting to life after having gone through what you went through?

SEGMENT 7

Where are you now? What are doing with yourself these days? How is life going for you? Have the old wounds healed?

SEGMENT 8

What are your plans for the future, or are you just living for the moment right now?

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

Screenwriting for TV

Short Stories

Erotica

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Movie plot break downs

Master Spreadsheet of all movie break downs (on Google Docs)
American Beauty
Avatar (Spreadsheet)
Avatar (Text)
The Avengers
Back to the Future
Bladerunner
Good Will Hunting (Spreadsheet)
Good Will Hunting (Text)
Inception
Jurassic Park
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
The Shawshank Redemption
Snatch
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

TV plot break downs

Free story prompts

Writing tips

16 tips to overcoming writer’s block
Why you shouldn’t mock aspiring writers
How do you eat an elephant? (An inspirational short story)
Does substance abuse make you a better writer?
Why using proper grammar is important in life

Blogging

Art

18 Comments | tags: 5 act structure story, act structure, film script plot structure, formula plot template, how to write fiction, movie script break down, plot outline, plot structure guide, screeplay outline | posted in Formula Plot Templates

The Wise Sloth

Tag Archives: film script plot structure

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If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

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Share this:

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

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Share this:

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

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Share this:

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

Screenwriting for TV

Short Stories

Erotica

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Movie plot break downs

TV plot break downs

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Writing tips

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Art

Share this:

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also like these:

Screenwriting for Movies

Screenwriting for TV

Short Stories

Erotica

Choose Your Own Adventure

Movie plot break downs

TV plot break downs

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Art

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