Music To My Ears: The Eight Sequences Approach to Structure

by Liz Fania Werner

During the Stowe Producers’ Lab this month, it was music to my ears to hear David Pope mention the Eight Sequences as his preferred method for structuring screenplays. If you haven’t heard of them, don’t worry. Most writers haven’t. They’re a method for taking classic three-act structure and breaking it up into eight discreet sections: two in act one, four in act two and two in act three. I learned them while getting my MFA in screenwriting at USC and have used them ever since.

The story my teachers there told was that the sequences were born because, in the early days of film, projectionists had to change reels every 10-15 minutes. Screenwriters came up with natural breaks in their stories so they wouldn’t be interrupted in awkward places. The practice has hung on for many reasons, though, especially because it has the potential to break up the monotony of the longer stretches of a film (read, Act Two).

Many people choose to label each sequence with its own problem or question. I prefer to name a goal for my protagonist that fits under the umbrella of the larger act goal. For example, if a character’s act two goal is to rob a bank, their goal for the first sequence of act two, sequence three, might be to build a team or get their hands on the architectural plans for the building. I find that this functions as a diagnostic method that allows me to be sure that my character is always active and not simply passively reacting to circumstances. The actions they take may be small or nearly impossible due to the severity of the obstacles they face. But, as long as they “want something badly and are having trouble getting it”, I find that I have a fighting chance of creating identification for the audience with the main character. This is the secret that I believe many good screenwriters know: “relatability” in a character doesn’t grow out of bland niceness or a societally accepted moral code, it comes from the strength of the protagonist’s goal and the power of the obstacles they face (as one of my professors at USC used to say, “If relatability were the same as likability, Jack Nicholson never would have had a career”). So, for me, the eight sequences are not so much about plot as about creating that invaluable connection between story and character that has the power to draw audiences in and keep them connected from beginning to end.

I also like the eight sequences because, unlike more prescriptive methods, they work for many different types of films, not just those with a Hollywood structure. The sequences don’t presume a happy ending or a successful character arc, though they certainly do work for those.

I think of the sequences as a container with room for other popular structure techniques, or for none at all.

If you’re interested in reading more, I recommend the “Basic Dramatic Structure” section of David Howard’s fantastic book, How to Build a Great Screenplay, which gives a comprehensive introduction to the sequences and how they fit into the three-acts.

Liz Fania Werner

Liz Fania Werner is a writer-director and producer whose work integrates genre with character-driven storytelling and visual artistry. Most recently, she wrote and co-directed her first feature film, WAKING KARMA, a psychological thriller starring Michael Madsen, distributed by XYZ Films and now streaming on Tubi. Liz lives in Los Angeles, though she considers herself a life-long New Yorker.