The Template is an outline for a generic 120-page screenplay. Replace each {variable} with your own ideas to create your own hero's journey.

The template is partitioned into acts, measures, and beats:

See the FAQ below for more details.

Act I: Enter the unknown.

1 OPEN FRAME
Reveal the {mise-en-scène}.
Reveal the {starting_time}.
Reveal a {banality} which demonstrates the {status_quo}.
5 SET PINS
An {anomaly} reveals a hint of the {core_conflict}.
10 RELEASE HERO
A {caller} induces the {hero} to visit an {otherworld}.
Hero departs from the familiar {homeworld}.
12 LET IT SLIDE
Hero touches an {otherworldly_person_or_thing}.
Hero commits a {boundary_violation} with no consequences.
Hero is unaffacted by meeting {various_otherworlders}.
Hero is lectured by an {authority} in an {authority_room}.
25 ROLL ON RUG
A {rude_awakening} compels hero to change course.
Hero undergoes {visible_adaptation} to the otherworld.
Hero suffers a {traumatic_separation} from the homeworld.

Act II: Return to the known.

30 FALL INTO PIT
Hero is trapped in a {desolate_place}.
Hero recovers from a {debilitating_setback}.
40 LOOK UNDER HOOD
Hero is advised by a {prophet} in a {temple_of_truth}.
50 GAZE INTO VOID
Hero witnesses a {scary_reminder} of the cost of failure.
55 LIFT AND DROP
Hero is encouraged by a {false_hope}.
Hero is discouraged by a {demoralizing_defeat}.
60 ENTER TUNNEL
Hero is invited to an {exposition_diversion}.
Hero endures several {inglorious_frustrations}.
75 TALK TO SOURCE
Hero speaks to a {higher_power} of the otherworld.
85 ARREST HERO
Hero's path is blocked by a {powerful_authority}.
Hero's journey appears doomed by a {failure_to_notice}.

Act III: Finish the job.

90 ENLIGHTEN HERO
Hero discovers a {solution} to the core conflict.
100 ROLL AGAIN
Hero attends a {showdown} with a {scary_antagonist}.
110 RETURN AGAIN
Hero reunites with {surviving_allies}.
Hero adapts to a {new_order} replacing the status quo.
120 UPDATE SCORE
A {novelty} echoes the initial banality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who put you in charge?
Nobody. The authors do not enforce any of these rules.
Can beats occur off-screen?
Yes, if they are unambiguously implied by on-screen events.
What if my story has multiple heroes?
Any of the protagonists can play the role of hero during a beat.
Are these beats the only significant events in a film?
No. The template beats are necessary but not sufficient to write a conventional monomythic screenplay.
Is that all?
Ay all.
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© Jen Blair and Sam Kennerly 2019. Built by a Quarto.
jenblair@gmail.com samkennerly@gmail.com