May 6
7 comments
May 6
7 comments
Session expired
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David, I really enjoyed this article. It challenged the traditional expectations of screenwriting and opened the door for more immersive, authentic storytelling. I especially appreciated the focus on structural innovation, subtext, and building well-rounded characters with clear decision-making. For me, starting with emotional beat sheets and letting characters drive the story through real, decision making choices was the biggest takeaway. Thank you for sharing—this fresh, bold content is what the industry truly needs. Creators like Coogler and Van Peebles have paved the way—now it’s our turn to walk through Hollywood’s cracked doors and kick them wide open! Thanks again for these articles and content for us to read and incorporate into our writing.
One of the most profound stories with an innovative structure came from an African American woman named Jackie Sibblies Drury. It is rich and layered throughout the story. She won the Pulizer Prize for this work and I hope to see it as a film one day. Some refer to her structure landing on a Nesting Doll play struture. Each ACT of the story is specialized and I learned so much from the experience. In addition, I learneed a great deal from this article and I am diving into to seeing each one of the films. HUGE THANK YOU.
The name of the play is entitled FAIRVIEW.
I appreciate this thoughtful article, David. My screenwriting teacher told me long ago that once I learn the rules of structure well, then I can break them. That’s what I’ve been doing over the past few years -finding innovative ways to tell my stories that break out of the three-act structure. I think Ryan, Alex, Sean, and Barry Jenkins have shown us how we can recreate structure, which is not bound by plot devices. I’m definitely going to continue to experiment. I like the idea of switching scenes out of order. That’s what I did with Marked. Great tips, David. Thanks again.
The 3 act structure has been hammered into us for a long time. Are readers for contests and producers aware of this new way? Will they give your story a chance to unfold in a different way? Or will they trash it as not following the formula and not read the whole thing? I agree with MB. Movie lovers crave bold narratives that don’t follow convention, but to give those stories oxygen – they have to get by the gatekeepers, who might be playing from the old rule book.
There’s no “give your story a chance to unfold”. You simply have to be engaging, compelling, and understand how to write a story that keeps them turning the page all the way to “the end” because they can’t help it. If you can do that, they’ll figure out what to call the structure later. If you don’t do that, you missed. your number one responsibility: keep the reader emotionally engaged.
I totally agree that the industry is hungry for fresh, authentic Black voices that challenge the status quo, not just in story, but in structure. By embracing bold narrative forms like Coogler, Hansberry, and Van Peebles before us (I love Sweet, Sweetback fyi), we can do more than entertain. We can inspire, disrupt, and redefine the cinematic landscape. Great advice, David.