Scene completion

"And the very last thing is, in order to give a sense of closure to the scene, you generally want to end each scene on an action that your main character takes, which feels connected to the first action that they took in the scene." - Jessica Hinds 

Screenwriting Challenge - Pick a Genre

Pick a genre you don't usually write in.  Write an action - reflection scene.

Post your results in the comments or post a link to your screenplay site.

Action and Reaction - The Key to Screenwriting? <>

Action and Reaction - One of Newtown's Laws of Physics illustrates how humans behave.  And it's a great way to focus on your story and help you make sure you're not skipping over important scenes.

BUT

I want my screenplays to be personal.  I want them to resonate with readers.

And Action - Reaction puts me and them at an observant distance.

SO

Let's change it up and call it Action - Reflection.

Reflection?

Reflection speaks to how the action reflects on my main character's "character."

From the first scene on, I want to be thinking about how each action makes my character look.  And how they look in their own eyes and in the eyes of others is at the soul of what they want.  Or what some might argue, they need.

Here's two examples:

Action - Reaction Example:
OFFICER TOM chases down a WOMAN.  The chase ends with her drawing a gun on top of an apartment building.  He fires a shot into her leg and she falls to her death.
He reacts by filing his police report and moving onto the next case.

Action - Reflection Example:
Office Tom chases down a WOMAN, chase ends on roof, he fires into her leg and she falls to her death.
His record of no criminal deaths has been shattered.  He heads home early.  He can't shake the image of the woman falling out of his head.  He feels like a bad person.  He must do something to regain his status of a "good guy".
He walks into the precinct and hands in his badge.

When an action reflects onto your main character, the drama/comedy will begin to develop and flourish into a screenplay worth reading.

When I'm writing - right off the bat I'm thinking how does this first scene reflect on my character.  Don't wait until 10 or twelve pages in to start this process.  Scene one is the source of all that will come after.

Screenwriting Challenge - First Scene Incitement

Open up a .doc, draft, notepad or grab a pen or pencil.

For this challenge you must:
1) Write an inciting incident in the very first scene of a story
2) Show your character reacting to how they feel the incident reflects on their character.
3) Show them take a step toward regaining their status.  Status meaning, rectifying how this incident has made them look whether in a good or bad way.

Post your scenes in the comments section.

Shawshank Redemption - I HATE THIS MOVIE

Ever watch a movie you just hated and want that time back?

Well, that's NOT how I felt when I watched shawshank redemption.

I enjoyed the movie and still enjoy it to this day.

So fuck off SR haters!  And drink a bottle of wine.

A Character's Goal - Your Screenplay

Thinking about a character's goal in an objective way can lead you to write impersonal flapjack snap-shit.

Try  thinking about their goal in a personal way.  Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what the goal will show about their character.

If they reach the goal, how does it reflect on their character.

At the inciting incident, what occurs to tarnish their character, their self image.

screenplays - communication

A story is not a story to your main character.  It is a time when they are trying to communicate something about themselves.  They are trying to prove something about themselves.