Mariner Software Contour for Windows - Manual (Page 18)

Plot Points
A plot point is a discreet, unique and essential chunk of story information. In the hierarchy of scriptwriting it falls
out above beats and scenes and just below acts. A linear breakdown is supplied below.
Screenplay >Act > Plot Point > Scene > Beat
Forty-four plot points are needed to tell the story; itʼs up to the writer to figure out how many beats and scenes
are necessary to flesh out those plot points. Using more or less than forty-four plot points will diminish the effec-
tiveness of the structure.
The forty-four plot points are divided over the three act structure as follows:
• There are twelve plot points in Act I -- the Orphan phase of the script -- followed by the Central Question,
which is the question that, once itʼs answered definitively “yes” or “no,” the story -- and the film -- is over.
• In the first half of Act II -- the Wanderer phase -- there are fourteen plot points.
• There are another fourteen plot points in the second half of Act II -- the Warrior phase.
• And finally, there are-four plot points in the Martyr phase, Act III.
These forty-four plot points will be discussed at length later in the manual.
These are the basics of the Contour method, and now, itʼs time to put these concepts into practice.
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