Structure is arranging your story’s elements into a specific chronological order to elicit the perfect emotional response from the reader. If you’re writing a screenplay, the same thing goes, but of course, you’ll eventually want to see your screenplay evolve into a movie and so again, screenplay structure is arranging your screenplay’s story elements into a specific chronological order so that you elicit the perfect emotional response from your audience.
Story structure also refers to a way in which your characters, events, reactions and outcomes of a story are organized in order to create a solid plot.
Story and screenplay structure are actually very simple… The basic principles of storytelling have been understood for centuries – even back in ancient civilization, storytellers knew when the hero should enter, when the plot should take a turn for the worse, and when a climax should rise and fall. Some scientists even believe that storytelling is hard-wired into our brains. Suffice to say… You cannot escape the basic principles of storytelling, no matter what story genres, story setting, or the medium.
- See more at: http://www.scriptmag.com/screenplay-story-structure/#sthash.iQgDvT3C.dpuf