Identifies where a screenplay's structural beats actually land and compares them against
the ideal placement for the declared format. Produces a visual page-map that makes
structural problems immediately visible.

## Key Points

- 2 acts, each ~5.5 minutes (~5-6 pages per act)
- Inciting incident by end of page 1
- Act break with cliffhanger at page 5-6
- Resolution by page 11
- 3 acts: ~7 pages each
- Faster pace than live-action; more scenes per page
- Visual gags count as story beats
- Page number where it lands
- The specific scene or moment that constitutes the beat
- Confidence level (CLEAR / AMBIGUOUS / MISSING)
- **Forcing a structure that does not fit.** If the script is intentionally non-traditional
- **Treating page numbers as absolute.** Beat placement targets are guidelines, not laws.

## Quick Example

```
Page:  1    10   20   30   40   50   60   70   80   90  100  110
       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
IDEAL: H....I........T1..........M..........D....T2..CL...R
ACTUAL:H.........I...........T1.....M..............D.T2CL..R
                 ^^late      ^^^late               ^^compressed
```

Act Structure Mapper

Identifies where a screenplay's structural beats actually land and compares them against the ideal placement for the declared format. Produces a visual page-map that makes structural problems immediately visible.

When to Use

Use when the user asks to "check my structure", "map my act breaks", "verify beat placement", "is my midpoint in the right place", "check pacing", or when a general audit flags structural issues. Essential for scripts that "feel off" in pacing.

Supported Structures

3-Act Structure (Feature Film, Animated Film, Short Film)

The dominant structure for feature-length screenplays. Three acts with clear turning points that shift the story's direction.

Beat	Ideal Placement	Function
Opening image/hook	pp. 1-2	Sets tone, world, or central metaphor
Inciting incident	pp. 10-12 (10% mark)	Event that disrupts the status quo
Act 1 break / first turning point	pp. 25-30 (25% mark)	Protagonist commits to the central problem
B-story introduction	pp. 30-35	Subplot that mirrors or contrasts A-story
Midpoint	pp. 55-60 (50% mark)	False victory or false defeat; stakes escalate
Act 2 complications	pp. 60-75	Rising obstacles, ally/enemy reveals
Dark moment / all-is-lost	pp. 75-85 (75% mark)	Lowest point; protagonist faces failure
Act 2 break / second turning point	pp. 85-90	Protagonist discovers the key to resolution
Climax	pp. 90-105	Central conflict resolved through protagonist action
Resolution / closing image	pp. 105-110	New equilibrium; mirrors or contrasts opening

Short Film adjustment: Compress all beats proportionally to target page count. A 15-page short hits the inciting incident by page 2, midpoint by page 7-8.

4-Act Structure (TV Drama, 1-Hour)

Standard for network TV drama. Four acts of roughly equal length plus optional teaser and tag.

Beat	Ideal Placement	Function
Teaser / cold open	pp. 1-5	Hook; often a mystery, threat, or question
Act 1	pp. 6-18	Establish episode's central problem
Act 1 break	p. 18	Cliffhanger or dramatic question
Act 2	pp. 19-32	Complications; stakes rise
Act 2 break (midpoint)	p. 32	Major twist or reversal
Act 3	pp. 33-45	Crisis deepens; dark moment
Act 3 break	p. 45	Lowest point or key revelation
Act 4	pp. 46-55	Climax and resolution
Tag (optional)	pp. 55-58	Emotional coda or cliffhanger for next episode

5-Act variation (premium cable): Five acts of 10-12 pages each, no tag required.

2-Act Structure (TV Comedy, Half-Hour)

Standard for sitcoms and half-hour comedies.

Beat	Ideal Placement	Function
Cold open	pp. 1-3	Joke or situation setup; may or may not connect to episode plot
Act 1	pp. 4-16	A-story and B-story established; A-story complication at break
Act 1 break	p. 16	Dramatic or comedic complication
Act 2	pp. 17-30	Escalation, crisis, resolution of both stories
Tag	pp. 30-32	Button joke; often unrelated to episode

Episodic Animation Structure

11-minute episode (ANIM-K typical):

• 2 acts, each ~5.5 minutes (~5-6 pages per act)
• Inciting incident by end of page 1
• Act break with cliffhanger at page 5-6
• Resolution by page 11

22-minute episode (ANIM-A, ANIM-K):

• 3 acts: ~7 pages each
• Faster pace than live-action; more scenes per page
• Visual gags count as story beats

Documentary Structure

Documentaries follow thematic rather than dramatic structure. Three models: Expository (thesis 10-15%, evidence 60-70%, complication 10-15%, resolution 10%), Observational (establishment 15-20%, rising action 50-60%, crisis 15%, resolution 10-15%), Participatory (entry 10-15%, investigation 60-70%, revelation 15%, reflection 10%).

Analysis Procedure

Step 1: Identify the Declared Format

Confirm with the user which format and structure apply. Do not assume.

Step 2: Find the Actual Beats

Read the full script and identify where each structural beat actually occurs. For each beat:

• Page number where it lands
• The specific scene or moment that constitutes the beat
• Confidence level (CLEAR / AMBIGUOUS / MISSING)

A beat marked AMBIGUOUS means something happens near the expected location but it is unclear whether it functions as that structural beat. A beat marked MISSING means no scene in the script fulfills that function.

Step 3: Build the Page Map

Create a visual representation comparing actual beat placement against ideal targets.

Page:  1    10   20   30   40   50   60   70   80   90  100  110
       |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
IDEAL: H....I........T1..........M..........D....T2..CL...R
ACTUAL:H.........I...........T1.....M..............D.T2CL..R
                 ^^late      ^^^late               ^^compressed

Legend: H=Hook, I=Inciting, T1=Turn 1, M=Midpoint, D=Dark moment, T2=Turn 2, CL=Climax, R=Resolution

Step 4: Diagnose Structural Problems

Common issues and their symptoms:

Problem	Symptom	Cause
Late inciting incident	Act 1 feels slow; story takes too long to start	Too much setup/world-building before disruption
Missing midpoint	Act 2 sags; story feels aimless in the middle	No escalation event at the halfway mark
No dark moment	Climax feels unearned; no emotional low before high	AI avoidance of conflict; story stays pleasant
Compressed Act 3	Climax feels rushed; resolution is abrupt	Too much time in Act 2; ran out of pages
Missing act breaks (TV)	Episode feels like a movie, not TV	AI wrote a continuous narrative without break structure
Subplots unresolved	Story threads dangle at the end	B-story introduced but never paid off
Double climax	Two big scenes compete for climax position	Unclear which conflict is central

Step 5: Provide Remediation

For each issue, suggest: which scenes to move/combine/cut, where to add missing beats, how to strengthen weak beats, and page targets for repositioned beats.

Output Format

Produce: a visual ASCII page map (ideal vs actual), a beat analysis table (Beat | Ideal Page | Actual Page | Delta | Status | Scene), a structural issues list with severity and fix recommendations, and an act balance breakdown showing actual vs target percentages.

Anti-Patterns

• Forcing a structure that does not fit. If the script is intentionally non-traditional (non-linear, anthology, experimental), note this and adjust analysis accordingly. Not every screenplay follows three-act structure.
• Treating page numbers as absolute. Beat placement targets are guidelines, not laws. A beat landing 2-3 pages off target is normal. Flag only significant deviations (5+ pages).
• Ignoring act breaks in TV scripts. TV scripts require explicit act breaks for commercial insertion. A TV script without act breaks is structurally broken regardless of story quality.
• Mapping documentary to dramatic structure. Documentaries follow thematic logic, not dramatic logic. Use the documentary models above, not the 3-act feature model.