Sequence
Also: eight-sequence structure
A sequence is a run of scenes that together form one self-contained movement of a story, with its own small beginning, middle, and end. The classic feature is often built as roughly eight sequences of ten to fifteen minutes each — a mid-level unit between the individual scene and the full act.
A sequence groups scenes around a single dramatic objective — an escape, a heist, a seduction — that opens, complicates, and resolves before the next sequence begins. Thinking in sequences gives a feature a manageable rhythm of eight or so mini-movies.
The eight-sequence approach descends from the reel structure of early film and remains a practical way to outline: each sequence is short enough to hold in your head and long enough to carry a real turn.