The scene is all about creating an optimal emotional experience for the audience.

We do go to the movies to feel and not just to think after all.

So the big question is how do you create emotion?

If you check out the Bourne Supremacy and the scene inside the Italian embassy, where Jason Bourne is being guarded by an Italian policeman and a CIA agent attempts to interrogate him you’ll find it has everything on the following checklist.

If you don’t know the movie buy the DVD box set and watch the trilogy back to back – they’re all superb! Here’s where you can find a draft of the script online.

www.dailyscript.com/scripts/bournesupremacy.pdf

And remember, every scene must connect in some way to the hero’s goal.

Checklist – 10 qualities to have in every scene.

1. Setting – draw in the audience/reader/executive.
It needs some detail to convey the setting and emotional tone of the scene. e.g. Jason Bourne in the Italian Embassy under guard – it’s a stark cold room in comparison to Langley which is full of people, it’s plush and comfortably furnished

2. Characters
The hero must be in every scene ‘emotionally’ even if not present
Other characters serve one of four functions
1) support hero – sidekick/mentor/ally/girlfriend
2) opposition to hero
3) reveal information
4) add credibility to the scene –e.g. Italian Guard with gun guards Jason
Limit scene to only absolutely necessary characters
Resolve scene for every character

3. Desire
Every character in every scene must WANT something which must relate to the overall DESIRE of the hero
e.g. guard wants to guard Jason; CIA agent wants to interrogate; Jason wants to escape; Pamela wants to figure out how to stop Jason.

4. Conflict
Emotion grows out of CONFLICT not desire
Stack deck against hero as much as possible

5. Structure
You want to create anticipation of what’s going to happen next e.g. Pamela Landy mentions Berlin so we have a feeling Jason is going to go to Berlin, we ask ourselves why is he going after Pamela/to Berlin?

Give your reader a superior position – let the audience in on something that some of the characters don’t know. E.g we know Jason’s been framed for murder 20 minutes before he finds out.

Curiosity – we need to think ‘what’s going to happen next?’

Surprise – stock and trade in thriller and horror, throws audience off balance

Time – a ticking clock is immensely emotional; come in as close as you can to event; scenes play out in real time

Pacing – the further into the story you go – the SHORTER the scenes will be
Closer to the climax, the shorter the space between the obstacles. Every time you imagine an editor cutting the scene up add in a paragraph. This defines the pace of the scene, it will be read faster reflecting the pace

At the end of the scene – force reader to turn page
e.g. Pamela Landy says she’s getting on a plane to Berlin in 45 minutes then we CUT to Jason in his car with a map on his way to Berlin – the reader/audience is already thinking about next scene

6. Choreography
Think about how the characters move in the scene. Don’t make the description of the movement too detailed – you’ll lose the reader

7. Credibility
For every scene – ask this question – do my characters behave the way people of their backgrounds would normally behave in this situation?
e.g. in the Karate Kid at the climax we have a 16 year old student with a broken knee fighting the champion – as soon as he gets into the crane stance we know he’s going to win, because we’ve seen it before, even though it didn’t seem important at the time.

8. Dialogue
Is it consistent for every character? Is it minimal?
Remember, silence is a powerful tool
Avoid ‘announcing’ dialogue, addressing characters by their name
Avoid on the nose – characters say what they think

9. Style/Format
Action description must be easy to read and brief. The Screenwriters’ Bible by David Trottier shows how to format and layout a script.

10. Transformation
What is the character’s arc in the scene? How does the inner conflict inform my characters behaviour in every scene?

More good stuff from Michael Hauge can be found at his website:

www.ScreenplayMastery.com.

That’s all folks.

More next week.

Alexandra

I recently went to the Screenwriting Expo in LA (Nov 12-16th) which was all I’d hope it would be. I learnt a huge amount about the craft and business of screenwriting. I attended over 20 classes ranging from subtext to a managing a million dollar screenwriting career. I networked like crazy and met lots of other writers and many professionals.

There was a star studded line up of seminars, interviews and panels including William Goldman (Butch Cassidy), Aaron Sorkin (West Wing), Nancy Meyers (Private Benjamin), Richard Price (Color of Money), Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu), Josh Olson (History of Violence), Jason Reitman (Dir. Juno), Melissa Rosenberg (Head writer on Dexter), Michael Hauge, Linda Cowgill, John Truby, Blake Snyder, William Martell and Syd Field.

I’m going to be posting ‘Top Tips’ from some of the seminars I attended and here’s the first from a seminar entitled ‘How to sell your spec script’.

It was given by Victoria Wisdom, who was an agent at Becsey Wisdom Kalajian for 14 years representing the writer/directors of Oscar winning films like The Usual Suspects and The Red Violin. Victoria also sold the hit CBS drama series Criminal Minds and repped the Oscar winners Ernest Thompson and Christopher McQuarrie as well as director Bryan Singer. Victoria recently became a manager/producer setting up the Hilary Swank starrer Labyrinths.

So she knows her stuff.

Top Tips
If you think like a professional and sound like one, you’ll be treated like one. You need to give the impression you are immersed in the industry (even if you’re not living in LA)

- Studios are looking for Action, Comedy, Thriller and Drama scripts – in that order. Drama accounts for only 7% of the market. 50% of people who see movies are under 25

- Trends – there are perceptible shifts in the market and tracking the market/box office figures on Mondays is essential (you can sign up for industry info at variety.com for free)

- Learn the lingo – know what ‘the drop’ and ‘is it holding?’ mean (the drop is the box office percentage drop on a movie’s second week-end box office, ‘holding’ means the drop isn’t that high. The Hulk had a 2nd week 48% drop – not good, Pirates of the Caribbean had a 23% drop – this was considered okay because it’s a modest drop.

- Take what’s been done before and adapt it ‘just like but different’ – 50 First Dates is an example of the rom-com genre between re-invented

- Have a great title – like The Wedding Crashers, Gladiator

- Simple powerful ideas sell themselves

- When pitching, reference 3 movies similar to yours and why they should buy it

- Get yourself noticed by winning an award – e.g. Samuel Goldywn Award (UCLA competition), Nicholls Fellowship

- Do not send letters! Email instead. Be very brief – a one sentence pitch and ask if they want to read the script

- Know who your movie stars are, the up and coming ones

- No Iraq movies!

- Always make the date yesterday on your script – execs want to feel its fresh

I was awarded a Skillset bursary of just under £800 towards the cost of the trip – this was invaluable especially as the exchange rate tanked just before I arrived in LA.

If you’d like a copy of the full notes please email me at alexandra@stellarnetwork.com.

I’ll be posting more Top Tips in the next few days.

All the best
Alexandra

www.skillset.org
www.screenwritingexpo.com