I like it how I like it. And so, this is a feature written in five parts:

  1. The Intro

  2. The Acts

  3. The Hats

  4. On Bound

  5. The End

THE INTRO.

— In script writing, I used to just throw words at a page and see where I ended up. I liked to be instinctual about it rather than intellectual, or to be “free” rather than be “fixed.” There’s no problem in tapping into instinct but you’ve got to have balance; otherwise, the next thing you know, you’re thirty-something-years-old, single and still blowin’-in-the-wind, career— Oops. Oh, right. We’re talking about script writing.

In my early attempts I observed that I was decent at dialogue and at making moments in storytelling but I needed big improvement in structure. So, I went to school (meaning the internet) and studied screenplays. After toying with an idea here and a guide there, I created an overall structure that worked for me - one that offered the order (or intellect) that I needed but that still allowed me a sense of freedom (or instinct) in the pages.

I call it the “DAWN TO DUSK” method. It’s a five-act structure that simply mirrors the course of a day, from sun up to sun down:

  • Act 1 (Dawn)

  • Act 2 (Morning)

  • Act 3 (Afternoon)

  • Act 4 (Evening)

  • Act 5 (Dusk)

Before I break it down below, I’d like to shout out other methods. This link briefly but wonderfully distills the major teachings in screenwriting like “The Three Acts,” “The Hero’s Journey” and “Save the Cat.” I also want to be clear that every structure more or less comes out the same - I'm certainly not claiming to have “discovered” something. Different methods work for different people, and the reason I wanted to write about “Dawn to Dusk” is because it’s what ultimately helped me unlock So Far Bound - on a micro level (scripts), and more importantly, on a macro level (ideas).

It was the work in shaping this method that helped me crack the contour of a whole, So Far Bound series. Once I did that, I could (re)start.

THE ACTS.

— Below, see the simplified form of “DAWN TO DUSK.” I liked the five steps, as opposed to three, because it’s visual - you can see it in the day; you can see it on your hand - but more so, because it helped me better sort out the larger, “middle” section of a story.

In fact, other methods help break down the story or the middle even more, with eight steps or twelve, but for me, who, again, didn’t want too many restraints or to just connect-the-dots, the five steps offered a solid scaffolding without building too much of the house. Here’s the five acts:

1. At Dawn (Clear Eyes)

— Here, the protagonist and at least some main characters are introduced, as well as the world, the tone, etc. The characters go about their own way until something, whether larger or smaller, changes their course. Act 1 checklist:

  • Fun ways (even for drama) of introducing the characters and the setting.

  • A clear “inciting incident” (even if it’s just a line) that sets off the story, plus its fallout.

2. The Morning (First Journey)

— After the fallout from the inciting incident, it’s time to get moving toward wherever we’re going. In a quieter story, the “first journey” might be a sequence of slow-but-progressive moments, and in a louder story, it’s actively setting up the first, consequential set piece(s). Act 2 checklist:

  • Characters in initial motion, with some clarity on at least the next point.

  • But then a moment(s) (an obstacle or even just a nudge) affects things as planned, plus its fallout.

3. The Afternoon (Altered Journey)

— The journey started off one way for the character(s) and now it’s changed. So with that change and its effect in hand, they start off again on the now altered journey and, well, something else happens on this journey that adjust things even more. Act 3 checklist:

  • Characters in modified motion, with some clarity on at least the next point.

  • Another moment(s) that undeniably affects them and its fallout.

4. The Evening (Final Journey)

— Third time’s a charm, right? The characters got a (figurative) black eye at the start, then a bloody nose on the first journey, then a fat lip on the altered one. Now, with trial and error behind them, let’s go one more time. They’ll pick up another ailment, sure, but this time, they register the remedy. Act 4 checklist:

  • Characters in their most comprehensive motion yet.

  • One more undeniable obstacle(s), with revelation.

5. At Dusk (Deep Breath)

— Take a deep breath in, then hold it. After three tries, there’s a breakthrough. It’s time to cross the line and go farther than ever to match up with the biggest moment. Maybe you win; maybe you lose. Either way, after it all, you take a big breath out. Act 5 checklist:

  • Finally cross the line, toward greatest moment.

  • The consequence(s) of meeting the moment.

NOTE — The next section may be bullshit, but it’s nonetheless sincere. It’s something I’m still working through - a process to try to mold the best character(s) over the five acts so that by the final moments, there can be peak experience. I tried “Hats” over the first four episodes of Bound, which can sort of play like a movie and I’ve considered it in other, feature scripts.

THE HATS.

— Just as I used to freestyle on the story structure, I’d do the same with characters. I’d have a broad idea of a person but then flesh them out more in the writing. And sure, no matter how much you plan them, a character does always evolve in writing or in casting, but still, it’s much easier envisioning the structure of the whole story from the outset when you have a more specific idea of the characters and how they could play out.

So, as much as you can, create a holistic character beforehand. Then, with that knowledge, you can envision a fuller story and better consider “the hats,” which are the layers of the character that the writer wants the audience to know by certain points of the story. It’s about fully showing the kind of person who is experiencing the actions and the stakes in the story. By the beginning of Act 5, at least four layers should be added to the character(s) so that the audience has a better shot at a peak experience at the end. The “hats” are:

1. At Dawn (Basic Profile)

— Here we hit the surface elements. What is this character’s age; what is their physical style; where are they from / how do they talk; what’s their job / what class are they? … I know it all sounds, like, so obvious, but the more identifiers that you can subtly layer in means more for the audience to hang on to or to resonate with.

2. The Morning (Public Persona)

— By the end of Act 2, the audience should have a pretty clear idea of how this character interacts publicly - their stereotype. You’ll see this in Act 1, for sure; the idea here is to try to deftly show that public persona up against more different types of personas, or in as many varied scenarios as is reasonable. Doing this can help highlight the breadth and effects of the character’s stereotype.

3. The Afternoon (Private Persona)

By the end of Act 3, the audience should have a clearer idea of who the character is privately - their archetype. These are the things they want and/or are below the surface. For example, two people with “silly” personas or stereotypes can be very different inside. One can be ultimately vapid and the other can be deeply ambitious or stimulating. Either way, by now the audience has a solid idea of the wholeness and range of the character.

NOTE — The first three hats could honestly be achieved in the first ten minutes if you wanted. I like a slower-release model, though, that tries to layer them in throughout the acts. It’s like meeting someone in real life — I don’t want to give it all to you upfront, you know? I ain’t no damn puppy.

4. The Evening (Surprising Factor)

— This is, for lack of a better phrase, the wildcard. Maybe the cherry on top? It’s just something unexpected. Whether it’s a trait or an anecdote or something else is dealer’s choice. And “surprising” doesn’t have to mean a big revelation; it can be a small moment or attribute but it must in some way add to the character. It can further endear - or alienate - the audience toward the character they had fully come to know before now.

And now, with rich, rounded characters that the audience has connected or resonated with in tow, we cross into the final act.

5. At Dusk (“El Duende” / Peak Emotion)

NOTE — I first learned about “duende” my senior year of college while studying abroad in Granada, Spain. The class went to a see a flamenco performance in an awesome cave-turned-arts center in the hills. Duende, we learned, was when the dancers went to another, almost spiritual place during their performance. It’s a transitory moment of peak emotion or expression. It can be for better or for worse.

— How do we define “duende” in storytelling? There’s the first thought, in which the character on the screen achieves or fails, and, based on all the trials before, they can have that heightened moment. However, just because the character realizes a moment doesn’t mean the audience will. And if the audience doesn’t, then, who cares?

Duende in storytelling is really when the audience realizes a moment of peak emotion and that, I believe, only happens through a relationship with whole characters which is what we’ve tried to build with the “hats” structure. — The flamenco performance in Spain was stunning and I could see the dancers swoon and in revelry and I admired it all very much. But, I didn’t really care. But maybe, if I’d met one of the dancers before and looked them in the eye and got their name and how they got there and I had some thing to hang onto, my admiration would have moved toward exhilaration for their performance.

On the screen, it doesn’t matter how cool the sets are or how witty the dialogue or how epic the set pieces, if you want to grip the audience and then have release, you have to define and present a whole character.

NOTE — Of course, not all projects need story arcs and whole characters. In a sitcom, people stay the same for years. In some action movies, the protagonist is just a prop or an expo machine. And both of those can be absolutely entertaining. It’s not the model for So Far Bound, though. For that, there are some objectives.

ON BOUND.

— Let’s look at how the So Far Bound story works within in the “DAWN TO DUSK” structure. I’ll be honest, I’ve added and ultimately subtracted here quite a bit. For one, I don’t want to overly elaborate the ideas. But more so, I know the story’s going to shift - maybe a lot - after casting, after location selection, after the money.

So, we’re going to go broad and just outline ideas. Also, we’ll focus only on the general story “acts” and not so much the character “hats.” That five-step presentation of character takes place most prominently over the first four episodes of the series, but then becomes much slower and much less paramount over the course of series.

The below structure is for a five season arc (in the real world), over five to seven years (in the story world). The ideas are larger themes or threads for the individuals, the group, their hotel and the setting combined.

Season 1 (Discovery)

  • The chaotic, clear-eyed, first days, then weeks in a new place.

  • Then, after deciding to stay longer, a time of expansive exploration.

    • Think lots of nights on the town, day trips in the area, mishaps galore and making the hotel their own. Also, cliques and conflicts form among the group and with the locals.

Season 2 (Settlement)

  • After “decisions” to stay permanently, begin the first journey of designing a new life abroad.

  • Then constructing a that life by trying new things, or old things in a new environment, before ultimately finding their feet in some way.

    • Questions to consider: Are the characters gonna stay there legally or no? Are they all still going to live at the hotel? Do they try their old careers here? How do they decide on and make new ones?

Season 3 (Community)

  • Once secure to varying degrees, characters alter and embark on more creative endeavors.

  • Plus, there are events that further tie people together or to the place.

    • Ever seen an ongoing TV show? At some point there’s gotta be a wedding, family talk, a “big sick” or similar big event.

Season 4 (Purpose)

  • After it all, characters gain new insight on the life they have and the world they’re in.

  • With that, the start of a new direction and a final, surprising ambition.

    • Everything before now can build to a sort of enlightenment. They’ll have had more experiences and perspectives than most, leading to an original idea that takes shape over the course of the season.

Season 5 (Consequences)

  • Characters advancing in the new and final endeavor.

  • Seeing a finish line; deciding whether to cross it.

    • They go farther than they ever thought they would, and then, consider all they’re doing and have done before deciding to continue or not in this endeavor.

NOTE — The plan is to have more contained episodes, like an old-school sitcom, rather than a heavily serialized drama. So, all the ideas and progress above should more so drift in the background - and be something you hardly notice as you hang out with the characters - rather than be something with cliffhangers and heavy exposition every other episode.

THE END.

I’ll be honest, I’ve added and ultimately subtracted here quite a bit. For one, I don’t want to overly elaborate the ideas. But more so, I know the story’s going to shift …

— I lied before. Hell, maybe I’ve been lying all the time. I tried to give an excuse earlier for being vague on the storyline. There’s validity to the quote above, sure, but the truth is, I’m vague on the story because I just don’t really know the details of it yet. “Dawn to Dusk” helped me unlock the general storyline and larger ideas (like the new endeavor in Season 4). It also helped crack character specifics that I hadn’t considered before, but ultimately, all the smaller stories and adventures in between are to be determined.

I get excited about making Bound, not because I know exactly what’s going to happen but more so because I get to find out. And, as opposed to before, when I was just moving through the forest with no real sense of direction - whacking at trees and slogging through the mud - now there’s a pathway that works for me in “Dawn to Dusk.” Not just for Bound, but for all other scripts, too. “Dawn” makes the writing (which can be a slog) much more enjoyable and offers me the tools and structure to go further than I could before. It took a lot of tinkering to get there, but now that I have, I’m excited and hopeful to go on. *

“FROM DAWN TO DUSK, BABY”