THE STRUCTURE

The story can be broken out in two ways: the three-act structure and the 15-beat structure.

A script can be organized like an essay with a beginning (act 1), middle (act 2). and end (act 3). In the movie, Daniels renames the three acts as: Everything, Everywhere, and All at Once.

The three acts can be further divided into 15 chapters called "beats". Each beat moves the story along with different turning points.

Daniels combine this structure with a Japanese storytelling concept called Kishōtenketsu. Daniel Kwan explains, “Rather than the conflict pushing the story, the story is full of changes in perspectives.” Daniel Scheinert added, “I was obsessed with Princess Mononoke for the longest time… Mononoke is much more morally ambiguous. They’re trying to negotiate peace as a climax to a fantasy film, which is how we steered our film."