SCENE THEORY

·       A good scene has a beginning middle and end, just like the movie does – see graph

·       It should contain one key event that advances plot or character

·       The reason we are watching this scene is because it offers us a compelling event in the life of the character (otherwise why bother reading or watching)

·       It should be entertaining - something that the audience is engaged to follow

GOOD SCENES HAVE:

·       a sense of time and place

·       a meaningful conflict

·       plenty of action and dialogue

·       a goal where the hero or antagonist wants something

·       an ending that makes you want to watch the next scene

Ask yourself, can the movie live without this scene (moment)?

if the answer is yes - delete it

And REMEMBER:

This is a movie, so we need something to LOOK at and something to LISTEN to. As such, these details should be evident in your screenplay. If it is just two people talking, then it is a play - not a movie.

COMMON PROBLEMS

A scene needs

·       rising action

·       unity of time and place

·       differentiated characters

·       the turn, the twist, the inciting event

Good and Bad scenic direction:

BAD example: Dave is obviously very happy in his life

GOOD example: We see a montage of Dave enjoying his meal, his family and having a positive experience at work

BAD example: A dull gloomy dystopian society. People are clearly unhappy.

GOOD example: The camera pans across grey, decrepit buildings. It is raining. People line up in front of a grocery store. They are thin and dressed poorly. Their faces are sad or desperate. A woman collapses and others ignore her. A low hum of  industrial noise underscores the scene.

Screen directions should be clear and discuss what we see, not what happens.

BAD: Jannicore is obviusly in a BAD muud. He is fed up @ skool and we can tell.

GOOD: The camera comes up on Jalen, sitting at the back of his math class. He is scowling at his teacher and turns on his iPod. She waves at him. He pulls his hat over his eyes and the camera zooms in to his obscured eyes and frown.