Screenwriting: The Three Acts with Stephen Davis

Understand how the three acts work and how you can use it in your story.

The Three acts have been isolated since Aristotle's Poetics. Here Aristotle said that a first act can have nothing before it. A third act must have nothing after it and the second act must have something before and after it.

Since then Theorists have attempted to place more emotionality and transformation into its definition. In this workshop you will get the chance to gain analysis and definition in how Joseph Campbell defines the three acts and how it applies to a transformative character journey. Offering a full narrative understanding, the participants will leave the lecture with practical tools on how to build a three act story and how to construct change for their protagonist.

There will also be an introduction on how to write dynamic action and a question and answer session that are open to the discussion of screen craft, narratology and survival tips.

Complimentary access to this workshop is available to all Scriptable 2022 applicants - please select the free Scriptable 2022 Applicant Admission ticket type (please ensure your registration details match those on your initial application).

Learning Outcomes

• Understand 3 acts.
• Understand character transformation.
• Be able to apply action to define character.
• Isolate flaw and learn how it links to theme
• Introduction to dynamic screen writing and big print/action.

Format

This is a live stream only workshop held as part of the Scriptable program, with a focus on craft; it will be live streamed solely to an online audience. It is a level 1 course for writers of all levels.

About Stephen

Stephen is an AFI nominated and multi award winning writer and script editor with five features credits (City Loop, Blurred, Monkey Puzzle, The Reef and Drown – which he also produced). His work has played at the Toronto, Tokyo, Sydney and Cannes film festivals.
He has hours of award winning produced theatre work (QTC ‘Drown’, La Boite, ‘Scar’ QPAT ‘Juice’ and ‘Blurred’, QUT ‘Crushed’ , UCQ, ‘Burnt’ Barking Gecko Theatre Company ‘Turtle Island’ ‘Wet Dogs’ Newcastle Theatre Company. ‘Porn’) and television work (Neighbours, Spirited, Blinky Bill, Crash Palace).

He has developed myriad television shows for Channel 9, ABC, SBS Foxtel and Fox in Los Angeles.
Stephen is also one of the country’s most sought after script editors having helped writers to draft, through the state funding systems in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

He was a screenwriting, producing and screen studies lecturer at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School from 2016 – 2021 and runs the successful LOST KITTEN script programme that mentors over 50 writers across the world.

For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info