Story Structure in Practice with David Vincent Smith

A workshop hosted by award-winning HE AIN'T HEAVY writer and director, offering a fresh and practical take on story structure for screen.

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This engaging workshop with David Vincent Smith approaches story structure not as a rigid formula, but as a flexible tool for shaping tension, clarity and momentum within a film.

Moving briskly through some of cinema’s most widely used structural models — from Aristotle and three-act structure to the Hero’s Journey, five-act structure and sequence theory — the focus is on understanding why these frameworks exist and the problems they were originally designed to solve.

Using clear examples, familiar films and live structural mapping, the session explores how structure can help diagnose pacing issues, sharpen character intention and strip away unnecessary plot. It also examines the risks of over-relying on formulas and how this can dilute originality, voice and theme.

Taking a non-prescriptive approach, the workshop treats structure as a shared language filmmakers use to communicate, rather than a checklist for success. Designed for emerging to mid-career writers, directors and producers, this session is ideal for anyone feeling overwhelmed by competing screenwriting theories or seeking a clearer understanding of how structure truly functions in finished films.