Free Three Act Structure Template (With a Star Wars Example)
Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The three act structure adds five turning points that hold those parts together and tell you roughly where each one should land. This free three act structure template gives you a story timeline and a box for every beat on two pages. Fill it in on screen or print it. There’s also a completed version for Star Wars (1977) to show you how it works.
TL;DR: 25%, 50%, 25%
Act one sets up your hero and ends when they commit. Act two is the long middle, split by a midpoint twist. Act three is the final battle and the new normal. In a 110-page script, act one ends around page 27, the midpoint is around page 55 and act three starts around page 82.
Download the Free Three Act Structure Template
Two fillable pages with a story timeline and a box for every beat. Type in it or print it. The Star Wars example shows it filled in.
What Is Three Act Structure?
Three act structure splits a story into setup, confrontation and resolution. The idea goes back to Aristotle, who said a whole story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Syd Field made it the standard for screenwriters in his 1979 book Screenplay, with a plot point at the end of act one and act two to turn the story.
- Act one: setup. About the first quarter. Who the hero is, what they want and what’s missing.
- Act two: confrontation. About half the story. Obstacles pile up and the stakes rise.
- Act three: resolution. About the last quarter. The climax and what’s left after it.
The Five Turning Points
The template’s timeline marks five beats. These are the moments where the story changes direction.
| Beat | Roughly at | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Inciting incident | 10% | Starts the story. Something breaks the hero’s normal life. |
| Plot point 1 | 25% | The hero commits. There’s no going back. |
| Midpoint | 50% | A big reveal or reversal changes the game. |
| Plot point 2 | 75% | The lowest point, or a push into the final battle. |
| Climax | 90% | The final confrontation. The hero wins or loses. |
Here’s where those beats fall in scripts of different lengths, at about one page per minute.
| Script length | Inciting incident | Plot point 1 | Midpoint | Plot point 2 | Climax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 pages | p. 9 | p. 22 | p. 45 | p. 67 | p. 81 |
| 110 pages | p. 11 | p. 27 | p. 55 | p. 82 | p. 99 |
| 120 pages | p. 12 | p. 30 | p. 60 | p. 90 | p. 108 |
Treat the numbers as a check, not a rule. If your first plot point is on page 45, that’s a sign act one needs trimming.
Here’s a quick test for your middle.
Write your midpoint in one sentence, then ask what the hero believes before it and after it.
If nothing changes, act two will sag.
Three Act Structure Example: Star Wars (1977)
Here’s the template filled in for Star Wars.
Act One: Setup
- Setup: The Empire captures Princess Leia. Her droids escape to Tatooine and are sold to Luke’s uncle. Luke is bored and stuck.
- Inciting incident: Luke finds Leia’s message inside R2-D2 and meets Obi-Wan Kenobi.
- Plot point 1: Stormtroopers kill Luke’s aunt and uncle. With no home left, he leaves Tatooine with Obi-Wan.
Act Two: Confrontation
- Rising action: Mos Eisley, Han Solo and Chewbacca, lightsaber training, and the news that Alderaan has been destroyed.
- Midpoint: The Falcon is captured by the Death Star. The heroes are now inside the enemy’s weapon.
- Plot point 2: Obi-Wan dies facing Darth Vader. They escape with Leia and the plans, but the Empire is tracking them.
Act Three: Resolution
- Climax: The Battle of Yavin. Luke trusts the Force on the trench run and destroys the Death Star.
- Resolution: Luke, Han and Chewbacca are honored at the medal ceremony. The Rebellion lives to fight on.
Notice how the midpoint flips the story. For the first half, the heroes run from the Empire. From the midpoint on, they’re inside it, and they leave with the thing that can beat it.
How to Use the Three Act Structure Template
- Page 1: title, writer, main character, what they want and page count, then the timeline and act one
- Page 2: act two, act three and a box for each remaining beat
- Fill in the top row first. Your main character and what they want drive every box below.
- Write the climax next. Knowing the ending makes the turning points easier to aim.
- Work back to plot point 1. What does the hero commit to that leads to that climax?
- Find your midpoint. Look for the reveal or reversal that turns act two from one problem into a bigger one.
- Fill in the gaps. Setup, rising action and resolution are what connect the beats.
Once the structure holds up, write it as a movie synopsis and start drafting with our screenplay template.
Keep this on hand while you rewrite.
Reread your draft and write the page number of each beat on the worksheet.
The gaps between them show you where the script drags.
Three Act Structure vs Hero’s Journey vs Story Circle
Three act structure is about timing. The other two are about the hero’s change. Many writers use one of each: three acts to pace the script and a character model to shape the arc.
Try the same story in our hero’s journey template, with 12 stages, or the Dan Harmon story circle, with eight. Both use Star Wars, so the three worksheets line up.
Want more detail inside each act? Our Save the Cat beat sheet template breaks the three acts into 15 beats, with a page target for each one.
FAQs About Three Act Structure Templates
Does Three Act Structure Work for TV?
Mostly. Hour-long dramas on network TV are often written in four to six acts around ad breaks. Streaming shows have more freedom, but each episode still needs a start, a turn and a payoff.
What About Five Act Structure?
Five acts, from Shakespeare’s plays and Gustav Freytag’s pyramid, cover the same ground. Split act two in half at the midpoint and you have something close to five acts.
Can I Use the Template for a Short Film?
Yes. The percentages still work. In a 10-page short, plot point 1 lands around page 2 or 3, and the midpoint around page 5.
The Final Cut on the Three Act Structure Template
A three act structure template shows you whether your story turns in the right places.
Download the worksheet, fill in the climax first and work back to the setup.
Where does your midpoint land?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.