I think a big mistake some writers make is forgetting that a scene, unto itself, should hit all the beasts that a full-length film does; it's a mini-story. A character monologue, itself, can hit those beats as well. Every part of a story can work if each one hums with the paradigm of universal truth that is 'story'. Syd Field's paradigm is one I've found to be particularly easy to apply in broad strokes because it captures the broad rhythm of most stories without necessarily imposing specificity the way a paradigm like 'Save the Cat' does.
Hi ! Are you a screenplay writer or consultant ? 😊 I would love to connect with you as someone who is learning the craft while writing a full length. I’m having trouble applying the broad stroke at a scene level
It's kinda like writing a novel, where every chapter is similar to a standalone short story. :) Check out the movie "What If" (called "The F Word" in some markets. A perfect example: each scene could be a standalone micro short or TH-cam sketch. Something "happens" in each scene -- it's interesting in itself. :) Not much to it beyond that: each scene should be (largely) self - contained.
@@flickeringgreenflame8493 I would say yes and no. Because particularly if you subscribe to the Lajos Egri (or David Ball) mindset, each scene is also generally a link in some kind of causal chain. If you start at the end of a movie, you should be able to work backwards and discover how the ending occurred in the first place. In the film, 'Halloween', how can Michael Myers be shot out of a window at the end if he never escapes the asylum? How can he target Laurie Strode if she never leaves a key at his house? If he doesn't leave the asylum and return to his home, how can he be there when she leaves the key? Even in surrealism and the more surrealist parts of Halloween, we can spot a chain of causality. Michael seems to disappear after being shot and his breathing seems to shadow over the whole neighborhood. How can we understand that ephemerality if we aren't told Michael is the Boogeyman? Or see him dress as a ghost?
@@sandhyaraju4472hello ...would you like to connect cause i am also learning the screenplay writing craft.... if ready to share idea and tips please connect !
I think about that line in Fight Club: "You met me at a very strange time in my life." Your character has a long history, but the story needs to be the most significant time in their life story. Nothing is still the same from the end of the movie.
I actually work by scene cards instead of chapters. Scenes are their own mini stories and brainstorming them beforehand really helps to tie the story together and make the drafting stage easier. The book Story Genius by Lisa Cron has a really good scene card template. This template ensures you have all the elements that Cody mentions; progress, conflict, why it matters, realization, next move. (Not sponsored in any way. I just really love that book haha).
yes but also they need to be have their own self-contained value as well.. what i mean with this is, take a look at Shrek.. every scene moves the plot forward, but also every scene has its own beginning and end.. you can refer to any scene in Shrek as "the [insert word here] scene" and people will immediately know what you're talking about.. for example, i only say "the onion scene" you instantly know every quote from that scene and its self-contained message.. then i say "the Duloc fight scene" and you know instantly from start to finish which scene i'm talking about, why the fight happened, and at least one of the jokes before the fight (that joke usually being "it's a sacrifice i'm willing to make" and even quoting it just now, you immediately know what i'm talking about) some tv-shows make scenes go back and forth and require you to put multiple scenes together, just to get one sub-plot, and it's like, that just makes the scenes feel like their only purpose is to move the story forward, and have no value on its own.. which the audience is immediately able to point out..
If you have a redundant scene, but there's something in it that you like, or a scene that doesn't work, and you don't want to combine it with another scene or weave into several scenes, one tool is to write a list of 20 different ideas for that scene. The first few will be pretty obvious, but by the time you get to the 20th, you might have a couple of good ideas worth exploring that reveal more about the characters or add to the plot. I also think that removing exposition or information can often add subtext, like Hemingway with his 'iceberg' theory.
Stop the scene where the character is in peril and the music and sound effects get super loud and they wake up from a dream sitting up sweating and make a startled sound.
I think a big mistake some writers make is forgetting that a scene, unto itself, should hit all the beasts that a full-length film does; it's a mini-story. A character monologue, itself, can hit those beats as well. Every part of a story can work if each one hums with the paradigm of universal truth that is 'story'. Syd Field's paradigm is one I've found to be particularly easy to apply in broad strokes because it captures the broad rhythm of most stories without necessarily imposing specificity the way a paradigm like 'Save the Cat' does.
Hi ! Are you a screenplay writer or consultant ? 😊 I would love to connect with you as someone who is learning the craft while writing a full length. I’m having trouble applying the broad stroke at a scene level
It's kinda like writing a novel, where every chapter is similar to a standalone short story. :)
Check out the movie "What If" (called "The F Word" in some markets. A perfect example: each scene could be a standalone micro short or TH-cam sketch. Something "happens" in each scene -- it's interesting in itself. :)
Not much to it beyond that: each scene should be (largely) self - contained.
You are absolutely right.
@@flickeringgreenflame8493 I would say yes and no. Because particularly if you subscribe to the Lajos Egri (or David Ball) mindset, each scene is also generally a link in some kind of causal chain. If you start at the end of a movie, you should be able to work backwards and discover how the ending occurred in the first place. In the film, 'Halloween', how can Michael Myers be shot out of a window at the end if he never escapes the asylum? How can he target Laurie Strode if she never leaves a key at his house? If he doesn't leave the asylum and return to his home, how can he be there when she leaves the key? Even in surrealism and the more surrealist parts of Halloween, we can spot a chain of causality. Michael seems to disappear after being shot and his breathing seems to shadow over the whole neighborhood. How can we understand that ephemerality if we aren't told Michael is the Boogeyman? Or see him dress as a ghost?
@@sandhyaraju4472hello ...would you like to connect cause i am also learning the screenplay writing craft.... if ready to share idea and tips please connect !
I think about that line in Fight Club: "You met me at a very strange time in my life."
Your character has a long history, but the story needs to be the most significant time in their life story. Nothing is still the same from the end of the movie.
I actually work by scene cards instead of chapters. Scenes are their own mini stories and brainstorming them beforehand really helps to tie the story together and make the drafting stage easier. The book Story Genius by Lisa Cron has a really good scene card template. This template ensures you have all the elements that Cody mentions; progress, conflict, why it matters, realization, next move. (Not sponsored in any way. I just really love that book haha).
yes but also they need to be have their own self-contained value as well.. what i mean with this is, take a look at Shrek.. every scene moves the plot forward, but also every scene has its own beginning and end.. you can refer to any scene in Shrek as "the [insert word here] scene" and people will immediately know what you're talking about.. for example, i only say "the onion scene" you instantly know every quote from that scene and its self-contained message.. then i say "the Duloc fight scene" and you know instantly from start to finish which scene i'm talking about, why the fight happened, and at least one of the jokes before the fight (that joke usually being "it's a sacrifice i'm willing to make" and even quoting it just now, you immediately know what i'm talking about)
some tv-shows make scenes go back and forth and require you to put multiple scenes together, just to get one sub-plot, and it's like, that just makes the scenes feel like their only purpose is to move the story forward, and have no value on its own.. which the audience is immediately able to point out..
If you have a redundant scene, but there's something in it that you like, or a scene that doesn't work, and you don't want to combine it with another scene or weave into several scenes, one tool is to write a list of 20 different ideas for that scene. The first few will be pretty obvious, but by the time you get to the 20th, you might have a couple of good ideas worth exploring that reveal more about the characters or add to the plot. I also think that removing exposition or information can often add subtext, like Hemingway with his 'iceberg' theory.
informative interview.
This is great advice! Thank you!
Cheers Kody!
👍 👍
This is so useful on the editing phase. When your tv script is 75 pages ha
Do you have trouble deleting scenes?
Definitely😢
less talked in scenes, more appealing
Yes, to avoid over exposition
My novel is comprised of scenes that all should’ve been deleted
😂 felt that
Stop the scene where the character is in peril and the music and sound effects get super loud and they wake up from a dream sitting up sweating and make a startled sound.