Unlike the chapters in a novel or true story book, the basic units of movies are scenes. Scenes are grouped together into what is called a sequence, and 10 - 15 or so sequences make a movie.
Scenes take place either outdoors or indoors, designated in screenwriting terms as Exterior or Interior, and abbreviated in the slugline as INT. OR EXT.
Scenes also occur in specific places, such as a beach, a bedroom, a bar, an office, and so on. Scenes also occur during a part of the day, either day or night. Sometimes the time of day is further specified, such as morning or sunset.
The slugline, begins each scene and is flush left in the margin:
EXT. A BEACH - SUNRISE
Sometimes the slugline is extended with a specific day or time period:
EXT. A BEACH - SUNRISE - THE 1980s or
EXT. A BEACH - DAY - DECEMBER 7, 1941
After you type the slugline, write your description of what is happening in that particular scene, such as:
Susan and Tom walk barefoot along the waves as they break on the shore. The stillness of the beautiful morning is broken by the SOUND OF AIRPLANES. They are shocked to see dozens of Japanese fighters flying low, heading right for them.
Only once you have established your scene and who is in it, do you write the dialogue. One common mistake of new screenwriters is to start the dialogue immediately after the slugline, which can be confusing, since the reader can't tell who these disembodied voices belong to. So always let us know who is in the scene before anybody talks.
When writing the scene, your first goal is to determine if it is absolutely necessary to the screenplay. Does it advance the plot or reveal some aspect of character? If it doesn't, don't write it. Or if you have, either rewrite it so that it does serve at least one of those functions, preferably both, or delete it.
Like the three act structure of the screenplay, each scene should have a beginning, middle and end. What does each character want in the scene and what is their attitude about getting it? For example, two men notice two attractive women in a bar. They decide to go over and talk with them. One guy is confident, cocky. The other is shy, afraid of being rejected. Same goal, two different attitudes.
You also need to determine the goals of the women. Do they both want to meet the men? Would one of them rather be left alone? What are their attitudes? Is one hopeful that the encounter could lead to romance while the other keeps her emotional distance?
What kinds of twists or reversals can you include? Does the cocky guy get shot down while his shy friend gets a date?
Next, decide how your scene will end. Who gets what they want and who doesn't? What is each person's attitude about it?
Also consider if each character is necessary for the scene. If not, leave him or her out.
If you consider each of these key scene elements when screenwriting, you'll be able to create much more interesting scenes, which when linked together, can create a more powerful story.
Scenes take place either outdoors or indoors, designated in screenwriting terms as Exterior or Interior, and abbreviated in the slugline as INT. OR EXT.
Scenes also occur in specific places, such as a beach, a bedroom, a bar, an office, and so on. Scenes also occur during a part of the day, either day or night. Sometimes the time of day is further specified, such as morning or sunset.
The slugline, begins each scene and is flush left in the margin:
EXT. A BEACH - SUNRISE
Sometimes the slugline is extended with a specific day or time period:
EXT. A BEACH - SUNRISE - THE 1980s or
EXT. A BEACH - DAY - DECEMBER 7, 1941
After you type the slugline, write your description of what is happening in that particular scene, such as:
Susan and Tom walk barefoot along the waves as they break on the shore. The stillness of the beautiful morning is broken by the SOUND OF AIRPLANES. They are shocked to see dozens of Japanese fighters flying low, heading right for them.
Only once you have established your scene and who is in it, do you write the dialogue. One common mistake of new screenwriters is to start the dialogue immediately after the slugline, which can be confusing, since the reader can't tell who these disembodied voices belong to. So always let us know who is in the scene before anybody talks.
When writing the scene, your first goal is to determine if it is absolutely necessary to the screenplay. Does it advance the plot or reveal some aspect of character? If it doesn't, don't write it. Or if you have, either rewrite it so that it does serve at least one of those functions, preferably both, or delete it.
Like the three act structure of the screenplay, each scene should have a beginning, middle and end. What does each character want in the scene and what is their attitude about getting it? For example, two men notice two attractive women in a bar. They decide to go over and talk with them. One guy is confident, cocky. The other is shy, afraid of being rejected. Same goal, two different attitudes.
You also need to determine the goals of the women. Do they both want to meet the men? Would one of them rather be left alone? What are their attitudes? Is one hopeful that the encounter could lead to romance while the other keeps her emotional distance?
What kinds of twists or reversals can you include? Does the cocky guy get shot down while his shy friend gets a date?
Next, decide how your scene will end. Who gets what they want and who doesn't? What is each person's attitude about it?
Also consider if each character is necessary for the scene. If not, leave him or her out.
If you consider each of these key scene elements when screenwriting, you'll be able to create much more interesting scenes, which when linked together, can create a more powerful story.
About the Author:
Danek S. Kaus is a produced screenwriter of an award-winning feature film. He has two movies in development and three more of his screenplays have been optioned. Check out his his screenwriting site for more article on screenwriting. You can also ask for his Free Ebook screenwriting for authors
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