How to Write a Scene: Part 1
I just started a new semester teaching my college students. The class is called Master Screenwriting and in it, each writer will pound out the first draft of an original feature-length screenplay. Every week, we read aloud their pages, critique them, then brainstorm ways to make them better, and I use their scripts to make points about screenwriting theory. Plus each student covers a Black List script, researches a Hollywood studio or major production company, at least two Skype conversations with industry insiders, movie screenings… in other words, lots of learning, lots of fun.
In the process, these young writers discover a fundamental truth: Screenwriting is scene-writing. Last week, I ran through several key questions they should ask about each scene to help focus their writing and make sure their scenes move the story forward in an entertaining way.
Thus I was intrigued by something mafatty79 wrote in comments on a recent post featuring the movie Blade Runner:
Checkpoints for analyzing a scene:
1. T.E. — Transitional elements. Is there a way to make a transitional element interesting and additive to a story element (tone, theme, ambiance, etc,)
2. V.I. — Visually interesting. What about the action description is visually interesting? It can be a little thing, as with the origami folding in Blade Runner. Each scene, if possible, should have some big or little thing that is visually interesting and adds to story elements (tone, theme, ambiance, character revelation, etc.)?
3. C.U. — Character Uniqueness. What hint, or reveal, is there which teaches us something about a character?
4. A.C. — Action. What about the scene’s action is interesting/central to the story and moves it forward; what conflict or question is raised?
This got me thinking about crowd-sourcing tips about how to write a scene. So here we are. What do you think of these four checkpoints? I think they’re quite helpful. How about you?
And what do you consider when writing a scene? Do you have any goals in mind? Any techniques to help you write consistently strong scenes?
I’ve titled this post Part 1 because there’s a lot to be said on this subject. Let’s see what bubbles up in our conversation, maybe carry it over for another day or two.
What advice or concerns do you have about writing scenes?
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