Single powerful scene or moment - 5 required beats
Visual that sets the tone and shows the "before" snapshot
Someone states the theme/lesson the hero will learn
Introduce the hero, their world, and what's missing
The inciting incident that disrupts the hero's world
Hero debates whether to take action
Hero makes a choice and enters a new world
Secondary story (often love interest) that carries the theme
The promise of the premise - why we came to see this
False victory or false defeat - stakes are raised
External pressure mounts, internal doubts grow
The lowest point - death of the old way
Hero processes the loss and finds new strength
Hero has the solution thanks to characters in B Story
Hero proves they've changed, defeats the bad guys
Opposite of opening image - shows transformation