How to Effectively Use the Rule of

Threes in Your Script

By Britton Perelman · April 22, 2022

“Three is a magic number. Yes it is,

it’s a magic number.”
Things in movies and TV shows tend to happen or appear in threes.
It’s no coincidence. No, no, not at all.
It’s the Rule of Threes.
This can be a powerful storytelling tool that can do a number of
important things for your screenplay. Let’s go over them below, and
then analyze three examples of how the Rule of Threes in film.

What Is the Rule of Threes?

Well, first let’s just establish that it’s not really a rule. There is no law
saying you must use the rule of three in your script. The screenplay
police aren’t going to come after you if you don’t.
The Rule of Threes is a writing principle wherein the storyteller
presents something three times for greater effect in the narrative.
It’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Musketeers, and
the Three Little Pigs.
When you want to call a certain comical demon in a black-and-white
striped suit, you say his name three times.
The Genie in Aladdin grants three wishes. Not two, not four — three.
See? It really is a magic number.
Why Does the Rule of Threes Work?
There’s something clean about the number three. As Goldilocks
would probably say, “Not too few, not too many. It’s just right.”
Three is the lowest number needed to establish a pattern, and
human beings have become accustomed to seeing things in groups
of this number.
In storytelling, this concept goes all the way back to Aristotle, who
dictated in his Poetics that all stories have a beginning, middle, and
end. One could also point to the Holy Trinity in Christianity — the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Even today, the dominant story structure in Hollywood is split into
three acts.
There’s a reason movie series are often trilogies — the first serves as
the beginning, the second the middle, and the third the end. A trilogy
is simply an expanded example of three-act structure.
Three is simply satisfying in a way other numbers aren’t.

Case Studies
Now that you understand the concept of the Rule of Threes, let’s look
at a few different ways this principle appears in popular movies.
When Harry Met Sally…
The title implies a single meeting, but in fact, Harry and Sally meet
three separate times in Nora Ephron’s beloved rom-com. Ephron
effectively uses the Rule of Threes to structure the setup of the love
story.
First, they meet after college graduation to drive from Chicago to
New York. Ephron uses this first encounter (roughly the first 14
minutes of the movie) to introduce the audience to Harry and Sally’s
differing personalities, opinions, and beliefs.

A few years later, they meet again by chance while on the same
flight. This encounter is shorter (only eight minutes) but serves to
reinforce what we’ve already learned about Harry and Sally — most
importantly, that she still has no interest in being his friend.
And finally, they meet for a third time at a bookstore in New York
City. This final time is when the story really takes off because this
time, Harry and Sally become friends.

Another great example of the Rule of Threes appears in Steven

Spielberg’s epic, Schindler’s List. 
As the relationship between Oskar Schindler and Itzhak Stern
develops throughout the first two acts of the movie, Schindler twice
offers Stern a drink. Each time, Stern politely refuses.
But in the third act, after Schindler has sacrificed his fortune to save
thousands of Jewish lives, Stern takes him up on the offer.

The gesture is a sign — the first two times Schindler asked, Stern’s
refusal was symbolic of Schindler’s moral standing. He wasn’t a good
enough man for Stern to have a drink with. But the third occurrence
symbolizes that Schindler has changed on a fundamental level and
has earned Stern’s respect.

The Rule of Threes can also appear in dialogue, as it does in the

second installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
Throughout the movie, the Joker thrice uses the same line to taunt
his soon-to-be victims before he does something despicable —
“Wanna know how I got these scars?”
The first two times, it’s a rhetorical question the Joker answers
himself, telling various stories to explain the scars on his face.

The third time, the Joker poses the question to his foe, “Wanna know
how I got these scars?” But before he gets the chance to tell yet
another version of his sad backstory, Batman cuts him off, saying,
“No, but I know how you got these,” and shoots blades at the Joker’s
face.
It’s a subversion of the subtle pattern established earlier in the movie,
which shows the audience that the story has come to a pivotal
turning point.

How to Use the Rule of Threes

For storytelling purposes, three works so well because it can provide
a rhythm for the storyteller to use to their advantage without being too
overt or heavy-handed. 
When you present something three times in a narrative, each
occurrence takes on a certain meaning. These meanings might
change depending on your desired effect, but they follow a similar
pattern.
Here are three variations on the Rule of Threes:

1. Introduce the element

2. Establish/Reinforce the pattern
3. Subvert or surprise

 ———

1. Neutral connotation (Introduction)

2. Negative connotation
3. Positive connotation (reversal of negative)

 ———

1. Establish tension
2. Increase tension
3. Comedic or dramatic release of tension

The Rule of Threes can appear as dialogue, action, various plot

elements, characters, or even within the structure of a story itself.
As with any writing principle, the Rule of Threes is meant to help, not
hurt.
It’s a great technique that screenwriters can use to illustrate a
character’s change or growth, subvert audience expectations, or
subtly signify pivotal structural points within a story.
Once you start looking for the Rule of Threes, you’ll notice it
everywhere. It’s as easy as one, two, three.
“No more, no less. You don’t have to guess. If it’s three, you can see
it’s a magic number.”