A screenplay has three main parts: the premise, the people, and the plot—the three Ps. Each “P” should carry equal weight, even to the point of using up about the same number of words in the script. The premise is the element upon which the other two are laid, but people and plot are equally important. Picture the three parts as circles that slightly overlap each other.
Premise is the situation, the hook or the concept. If someone asks what your story is about, you should be able to answer with the premise. Premise often asks the central question of a movie: “Can men and women be friends?”, “What would happen if you found a genie who granted you three wishes?” Premise also is the setting the audience enters for the story. It’s the what, where and when. It could be outer space, a war zone, a school or a crime scene.
The premise should be the driving force behind every event in your screenplay. A good premise is derived from emotions–love, hate, fear, jealousy, desire, etc.–and revolves around a character, a conflict and a conclusion. In James Cameron’s film Titanic (1997), the premise is that love conquers death, physically and spiritually. Rose is the character, the sinking ship and Rose’s unhappy engagement are the conflict and the conclusion is that Jack’s love helps her survive and free herself from her fiancé.
If your story does not have a clear premise, it will lack focus and drive. For example, if a story is more “illustrative” than dramatic, presenting ideas rather than conflict, it may not maintain an audience’s interest. If a story has more than one premise, or if the premise changes along the way, the audience will become confused or bored.
People are the characters. There are major characters and minor characters who serve a variety of purposes. Some represent things, some are love interests, some help tell the story, some provide comedic relief and others fill in the gaps. The audience needs to relate to the characters and their relationships. Good characters must have a past history to really resonate with the audience.
Just as you need a clear premise, you need each character to consistently view their world through their own private view. Their view and beliefs should determine how they behave. In fact a story is driven by the personalities of the main characters as they behave in the way they must due to their own private view of the world.
The basic behavior of the characters should not change during the story until something the characters learn during the story changes their beliefs. This basic change in the beliefs of the hero is ultimately the point of all good stories. The audience, who is emphasizing with the hero, gets to share in the emotions and enlightenment of learning what the hero learns.
Plot is the unfolding of events. It is the basis of a story. What happens? What should be done about it? Plot is not only the events but the how and why of the events. Once you’ve established your premise, you need to determine all the obstacles the main character will face during the story – the plot points. What events will dramatize the conflict?