Acts
An Act is a major narrative division of your project. Acts are the highest level of story structure — they contain scenes and shots, and they define the pacing, tone, and dramatic progression of your video or film.
The ACT3 AI platform uses a standard hierarchy: Act → Scene → Beat → Shot → Output
The Three-Act Structure
Most films and video projects use a three-act structure. ACT3 AI defaults to this format, though you can modify the number of acts for any project:
Act 1 — Setup Introduces the world, characters, and central conflict. Ends with the inciting incident or "point of no return" that propels the story into Act 2.
Act 2 — Confrontation Expands the conflict, develops character relationships, and raises the stakes. This is typically the longest act. Ends with a major low point or complication that forces the climax.
Act 3 — Resolution Delivers the climax and resolves the central conflict. Brings character arcs to completion and leaves the audience with a clear emotional outcome.
Flexible Act Structures
ACT3 AI is not limited to three acts. You can configure any number of acts to match your format:
- Four-act structure — common for TV drama, with a stronger midpoint break
- Five-act structure — classical theatrical structure
- Single act — for short-form social content under 60 seconds
- Multi-episode — each episode treated as a separate project or as acts within a larger series
Using Acts in ACT3 AI
- Start a new project or open an existing one
- Use the AI Wizard to automatically generate acts from your logline or concept
- Add or edit acts manually in the Script Editor or Timeline
- Organize scenes within each act for structure and pacing
- Lock acts once finalized to prevent major changes during production
Acts in the Timeline
Acts appear as labeled sections in the Timeline editor, making it easy to navigate large projects. You can:
- Jump directly to any act from the timeline overview
- Filter the Top-Down View by act
- Set pacing and tone properties per act that influence AI generation
- Use Build Video to maintain act divisions when reviewing or exporting
Act Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Label used in the editor (e.g., "Act 1 — Setup") |
| Theme | The dominant dramatic purpose or emotional arc |
| Tone | Visual and atmospheric style for AI generation |
| Target Duration | Planned screen time |
| Status | Draft, In Progress, or Locked |
AI Wizard and Acts
When you run the AI Wizard with a logline, it generates act outlines that include:
- A description of the act's narrative purpose
- Suggested scenes with locations and characters
- Key story beats within each act
- Pacing notes and dramatic turning points
You can regenerate any act independently without affecting others.
Best Practices
- Define acts early for clarity before adding scene-level details
- Keep each act focused on a single narrative purpose
- Use story beats to break acts into smaller units for pacing control — see Beats for how to work with them
- For fast-paced content like social media ads, shorten Act 1 significantly and extend Act 2
Troubleshooting
Too few acts — Add additional acts if your story feels rushed or underdeveloped at the scene level.
Too many acts — Consider merging acts if your narrative pacing slows or becomes confusing for the audience.
AI-generated acts do not match your vision — Edit manually in the Script Editor. The AI Wizard is a starting point, not a final decision.