Overview

Get ready for a deep dive into the structure of the greatest movies ever. In each session you’ll learn the structure for a different film, and how to apply what you learn to organically build a structure for your own screenplay.

7 Act Structure is a revolutionary, more organic approach to screenwriting that solves the most common problems writers face—without sacrificing your voice or your authenticity. Developed by WGA Award-Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger, this system helps you build stories the way real human change actually happens, empowering you to write bold, disruptive scripts that stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Why 7 Act Structure is Different

Character-Driven, Not Plot-Driven

Traditional formulas focus on manipulating the audience, forcing your characters into a predetermined plot. 7 Act Structure places your characters’ choices, conflicts, and emotional growth front and center—so you write scripts that feel alive and original.

Rooted in Real-Life Psychology

Inspired by how human change actually works, this method focuses on five simple elements—Want, Emotional Need, Obstacle, How, and Completions—the same drivers of behavior we see in real life. This lets you intuitively create the most compelling journey for your characters (and for yourself as a writer).

No More Second-Act Slump

The 3 Act model lumps 60 pages into a murky “middle.” We’ll show you how to break that down into more manageable, 10–15 page chunks, so you can keep track of your character’s transformation step by step. This system provides a clear road map without stifling your creativity.

Not a Paint-by-Numbers Formula

Whether you’re writing the biggest studio blockbuster or the smallest indie film, 7 Act Structure honors your unique artistic instincts. It’s designed to give you creative freedom, so you can surprise audiences with your authenticity and disrupt the status quo.

Crush Writer's Block

Stuck in endless outlining? Worried you have to figure out everything before you start writing? 77 Act Structure helps you break through your creative blocks and intuitively discover your structure as you write, while still keeping your characters on a powerful arc of transformation.

Each week, you’ll break down the structure of one of the greatest movies of all time, learning how to apply the concepts of 7 Act Structure to a screenplay of any genre, and how these films were built from the blank page. Jake curates a unique set of films for every class, based on the needs and goals of the students taking it, rom character driven dramas, action movies, thrillers, romantic comedies, animated, and even expressionistic films.

In addition to studying the masters, you’ll be learning how to apply these lessons to build a 7 Act Structure for your own screenplay, including how to balance writing and outlining, how to handle it if you get stuck, how to know if your outline is helping or hurting your writing, and what to do if things don’t go as planned.

Who should take this class?