Three-Act Structure Planner
A free three-act structure planner for screenwriters. Map setup, inciting incident, midpoint, low point, climax, and resolution — then export the whole outline as a PDF. Auto-saves to your browser.
Three-act structure is the scaffold that holds most working screenplays together. This planner gives you a beat-by-beat form with the twelve core beats — from opening image to closing image — and exports a clean PDF outline you can share with collaborators or pin to a writers' room wall.
Act I — Setup
The visual that establishes the world before change.
Introduce protagonist, world, flaw, and the status quo.
The event that disrupts the protagonist's world and sets the story in motion.
The protagonist commits — there is no going back to the old life.
Act II — Confrontation
Obstacles escalate. The protagonist tries and fails to reach the goal.
A major shift — a victory that becomes a setback, or new information that changes everything.
Stakes rise, allies shift, internal flaw is exposed.
The protagonist hits their lowest point. The goal seems impossible.
A new plan, insight, or resolve that propels into Act III.
Act III — Resolution
The final confrontation. The protagonist faces the antagonist or central problem head-on.
The new equilibrium. How the world and protagonist have changed.
The visual that mirrors or contrasts the opening — completes the arc.
Your beats are auto-saved to your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How to Build a Three-Act Outline
Three acts. Twelve beats. One PDF.
Define Act I
Lay out the world, protagonist, inciting incident, and the moment they commit to the story.
Design Act II
Map the rising obstacles, midpoint reversal, and low point that forces a new approach.
Resolve in Act III
Stage the climax, deliver the payoffs, and close on the image that completes the arc.
Why Use a Three-Act Planner
Structure is what lets a draft survive contact with the page.
Twelve Core Beats
Covers opening image, setup, inciting incident, plot points, midpoint, low point, climax, resolution, and closing image.
Inline Beat Guidance
Each field includes a one-line definition so you do not have to consult a textbook while outlining.
Auto-Save
Beats are saved to your browser's local storage automatically. Close the tab and pick up later.
PDF Export
Generate a one-click PDF outline you can share with collaborators or print for the writers' room wall.
Genre-Agnostic
Works for features, pilots, shorts, and limited series. The structure adapts to scale.
Free, No Signup
No email, no account, no upload. Open the page and start outlining.
Three-Act Structure FAQ
What is three-act structure?
Three-act structure is the dominant storytelling framework in film and television. Act I establishes the protagonist, world, and inciting incident. Act II is the longest section — a chain of escalating obstacles built around a midpoint reversal and a low point that forces a strategic shift. Act III stages the climax and resolves the protagonist's arc. It is a flexible scaffold, not a rigid formula, and works across genres and runtimes.
What are the most important beats in three-act structure?
Five beats carry the most weight: the inciting incident that breaks the status quo, the first plot point that commits the protagonist to the journey, the midpoint that reframes the conflict, the low point that exposes the protagonist's flaw, and the climax that resolves the dramatic question. Other beats — opening image, complications, closing image — give the structure shape, but these five are load-bearing.
How long should each act be?
A common feature benchmark is roughly 25 percent for Act I, 50 percent for Act II, and 25 percent for Act III. In a 100-page screenplay, that is 25 pages of setup, 50 pages of confrontation, and 25 pages of resolution. Television pilots compress these ratios — a 60-page pilot may run 12-30-18 — but the underlying proportions of setup, escalation, and payoff stay similar.
Is three-act structure the same as Save the Cat?
No, but they overlap. Save the Cat is a 15-beat sheet that fits inside the three-act frame. The three acts give you the macro structure; Save the Cat fills in the beats at the page-count level. Many writers use the three-act planner first, then drop the result into a 15-beat sheet for execution detail.
Where is my outline stored?
Your outline lives in your browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded to a server. If you clear your browser data, your outline is gone — so export to PDF when you finish a planning session.
Can I plan a TV series or pilot with this tool?
Yes. Three-act structure scales to pilots, episodes, and limited series. The beats remain the same — only the proportions change. For a six-episode limited series, treat the entire arc as one three-act structure, with each episode also containing a smaller three-act shape inside it.
Outline Built? Pressure-Test the Script.
Take your outlined draft and get an AI coverage report or detailed development notes — starting at $39.
Get a Coverage Report — $39