8 Sequence Story Structure | Why It's My Favourite Tool for Writing Features

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The 8-sequence Story Structure is a valuable tool in a screenwriter's toolkit, providing a robust framework for effective storytelling. It helps maintain narrative momentum, manage conflict and resolution, and facilitates the crafting of complex character arcs. This versatile structure, adaptable to varying story lengths, can enhance your creativity, offering a clear roadmap to transform your ideas into compelling, dynamic narratives.
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[@TheThinkersBible]

This is the best presentation of this story structure that I've ever seen for actually getting started using it. I'm going to use your ideas for my next video, which I needed some help with to organize its contents in the most effective way. Your framework provides that. Thank you.

[@filmindustrygateway]

That is great to hear. I’m glad this video could help. 🙌

[@philosophynfilm]

I couldn’t agree more.

[@JonathanDavisKookaburra]

i've been studying and teaching screenwriting for a long time. i like this model a lot.

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for commenting. This 8 sequence story structure always helps me simplify things whenever I feel overwhelmed by a particular story. 🙂🫶

[@gianthills]

8 sequences is basically 4 or 5 characters. Each character will have a series of scenes , at least 2 . the more important characters will have more scenes within their sequences. if you dont have enough pages it means you either do not have enough characters or haven't developed their sequences.

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for watching and thank you for offering your own interpretation of how to use the 8 Sequence Structure. :)

[@PenguinFondue]

This was so clear and concise. Thank you!

[@filmindustrygateway]

I hope you find it useful! Thank you for watching 🫶

[@the7thseven873]

This is an extremely useful way to write a story. Thank you✨

[@filmindustrygateway]

I’m glad you found it helpful. The 8 sequence structure has helped me on numerous occasions. 🫶 Let me know if you have any questions.

[@flamingocupproductions5329]

this is very good. I will include this in my list of notes.

[@filmindustrygateway]

That is great to hear. Always a great tool to have on hand. Thank you for watching 🫶

[@diassmaker]

Excellent approach and very useful! Thanks for sharing!

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for commenting. I’m glad you found some value in this video. Hopefully this helps you with your screenwriting. 🙌

[@osamza]

Excellent! Many Thanks.

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for commenting. I hope you found this video and this writing tool useful! 🫶

[@HMaxTube11]

Very good perspective given, illuminating and useful. 👏🌟👍 Subscribed

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for watching. I’m glad you found some value in this video.

[@JClark-ux1hz]

Thank you!

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for watching. I hope you found some value in this video. Let me know if you find this screenwriting tool useful. 🙂🙌

[@alexanderdurig4474]

Brilliant TQ!!

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for watching 🙌 I hope you find this writing tool useful ❤️

[@blakerenimu9033]

I can work with this! Thanks!

[@filmindustrygateway]

I’m glad you found this tool useful! Thank you for watching! 🙌

[@alexandresoares6763]

The best

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for watching. I hope you were able to find this tool useful.

[@davidray4506]

You say ‘if your character loses then sequence 6 should be a win’, but what if the wins are earlier in the story and this would be a low point, like they got disowned by a community. They lose in sequence 6 and go on to be disowned by the community. Does this mean that I should move or change my story points to make the big catastrophic loss part of 7 and then 8 could wrap up with him being disowned?

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for commenting. Thats correct. If the climax (sequence 7) of your film is a catastrophic loss then sequence 6 would typically be a big win. There may be various other wins and losses throughout the film. But these 2 points are the biggest win and the biggest loss. Taking a classic Western as an example. Sequence 6 is typically where the main character is wounded to the point of near death. The character then returns in sequence 7 for a big win. That big loss creates even more tension in sequence 7 and helps make that big win even bigger. For an opposite example you could look at films like Wolf of Wall Street. The main character is rich and successful right up until the end of the film where everything is completely unraveled and everyone goes to jail etc. A big win just before a big loss creates a lot of contrast between these 2 points and ultimately creates a fall from grace for the protagonist, which then creates a significantly more dramatic and impactful climax. All of that being said, it’s also important to remember that these structures are more focused on making marketable stories and it is perfectly fine for you to break any of these ‘rules’, especially if you are mainly just looking to learn and experiment with your own unique style of storytelling.

[@Julian97MetalFighter]

Mission Impossible Fallout follows this tool. It has to be the best paced movie and tightly written of the series.

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for pointing that out. I might go and have another watch of MI: Fallout to see if I can spot the different sequences. :)

[@cmh6690]

PQCEN

[@filmindustrygateway]

I don't know what your comment is trying to say. But either way, thank you for taking the time to be here. 🙌

[@jmalmsten]

Starting to feel like someone recently read "Save The Cat".

[@filmindustrygateway]

Thank you for commenting. It's great to hear that you recently read 'Save the Cat'. It is a great book and offers a lot of helpful tips. I believe I read it around 8 or so years ago. And while it is certainly quite helpful, for my personal writing style, I found the 8 Sequence Story Structure more suitable. 'Save the Cat' provides instructions on how to write the story step by step. Although for me, the best part of the 8 Sequence Story Structure is that it aims to specifically break a feature down into 8 short films. The main benefit of this structure is in finding a way to make an intimidating feature film appear much more manageable. Although it makes perfect sense if you prefer the 'Save the Cat' method as every writer is different and may find certain tools more suited to their writing style over others. Thank you again for watching. 😀

[@screggybojanklin3567]

8 sequence story structure is not mentioned in Save the Cat.

[@ayrengreber5738]

Isn’t “fun and games”?

[@screggybojanklin3567]

@@ayrengreber5738 Yes, in this entire video, the only concept from save the cat is "fun and games", which he even puts in air quotes as a nod to the ubiquitous phrase.