JILLCHAMBERLAIN.COM
THE NUTSHELL TECHNIQUE
COMEDY
FLAW
STRENGTH
FLAW is the direct opposite of STRENGTH
FINAL STEP
away from
toward
STRENGTH
FLAW
POINT OF
NO RETURN
SET-UP WANT
CLIMACTIC
CHOICE
F
PROTAGONIST
away from
toward
FLAW
STRENGTH
gets SET-UP
WANT but
there’s a
CATCH
CRISIS
tests the FLAW
SET-UP WANT is the direct opposite of CRISIS
ACT 1
25%
ACT 2
Timeline not to scale.
75%
ACT 3
To learn how the Nutshell Technique works,
pick up the acclaimed screenwriting book:
Thelearn
Nutshell
Technique:
the Secret
to
To
how
the Crack
Nutshell
Technique
works, pick up the
Successful
Screenwriting
by
Jill
Chamberlain.
acclaimed screenwriting book:The Nutshell Technique:
Crack the Secret to Successful Screenwriting
by Jill Chamberlain
❐ Does the protagonist get their SET-UP WANT immediately
and directly in the POINT OF NO RETURN?
❐ Does the protagonist get something immediately in the
POINT OF NO RETURN that they don’t want, the CATCH?
❐ Is the CATCH the perfect test of their FLAW?
❐ Is the CRISIS the lowest the protagonist can go? (What if
they were in jail? Or considering suicide?)
❐ In the CRISIS, is the protagonist in the exact opposite state
of mind or situation of where they were in the SET-UP
WANT?
❐ In both the CLIMACTIC CHOICE and the FINAL STEP, does
the protagonist move away from the FLAW and toward
the STRENGTH?
❐ Are the FLAW and the STRENGTH exact opposites?
Copyright © 2016 by Jill Chamberlain
All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced, distributed,
or transmitted without express written permission of the author.
The Nutshell Technique is a registered trademark.
JILLCHAMBERLAIN.COM
FLAW
STRENGTH
FLAW is the direct opposite of STRENGTH
TRIUMPH
SET-UP WANT sees its ultimate manifestation in TRIUMPH
SET-UP WANT
POINT OF
NO RETURN
F
PROTAGONIST
fails to move
toward
CLIMACTIC
CHOICE
worsens
FLAW
STRENGTH
❐ Does the protagonist get their SET-UP WANT immediately
and directly in the POINT OF NO RETURN?
❐ Does the protagonist get something immediately in the
POINT OF NO RETURN that they don’t want, the CATCH?
❐ Is the CATCH the perfect test of their FLAW?
❐ Is the TRIUMPH the highest the protagonist can go?
❐ Does the protagonist get the ultimate manifestation of
their SET-UP WANT in the TRIUMPH?
1 STEP, does
❐ In both the CLIMACTIC CHOICE and theACT
FINAL
the protagonist fail to toward the STRENGTH and instead
further the FLAW?
❐ Are the FLAW and the STRENGTH exact opposites?
Copyright © 2016 by Jill Chamberlain
All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced, distributed,
or transmitted without express written permission of the author.
The Nutshell Technique is a registered trademark.
gets SET-UP
WANT but
there’s a
CATCH
fails to move
toward
FINAL STEP
STRENGTH
tests the FLAW
25%
ACT 2
Timeline not to scale.
75%
ACT 3
To learn how the Nutshell Technique works, pick up the
acclaimed screenwriting book:The Nutshell Technique:
Crack the Secret to Successful Screenwriting
by Jill Chamberlain
worsens
FLAW