This document provides an overview of techniques for constructing effective scenes in screenwriting. It discusses defining the goals and main point of a scene, establishing characters and setting, incorporating subtext and business, and using techniques like sequencing, humor, and economy of language. Key principles discussed include ensuring each scene advances the plot or character development, focusing on one main idea, using visual actions over exposition, and building drama through character actions. Examples are provided from classic films to illustrate concepts. The document concludes with assignments for students to analyze a scene and rewrite one of their own using the lesson concepts.

1. 1
Lecture 11:
What are the Parts that
Make Up the Whole?
Professor Michael Green
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Written by Steve Faber & Bob Fisher

2. Previous Lesson
• Writing the End
• Revelation
• Climax and
Resolution
• Writing Exercise # 9
Raging Bull (1980)
Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin.

3. This Lesson
• Constructing the
Scene
• The Principles of
Construction
• Techniques for
Construction
• Writing Exercise # 10
Coming to America (1988)
Written by Eddie Murphy (story)
and David Sheffield & Barry W. Blaustein (screenplay)

4. 4
Constructing the Scene
Lesson 11: Part I
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Written by Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay) and Lauren Weisberger (novel)

5. Writing the Scene
• Writing the scene is considered the fun part
of screenwriting, the reward after all the
hard work of inventing characters and
putting together the plot.
• Here the characters and story come alive
and the screenwriter’s vision is realized.
• Many writers like to skip preliminary steps
and get right into writing scenes. They plan
on working out the characters and plot as
they go.
5

6. Sticking to Process
• There is no set formula for writing a
screenplay, and everyone must find his or
her own best method for working.
• But jumping into a scene before the
characters or plot is established can be
disastrous for the beginning screenwriter.
• Scenes are structured action –
interconnected pieces – each one
developing the drama and our knowledge of
the characters. You can’t do justice to the
pieces without understanding the whole.

7. Sticking to Process (Continued)
• No matter how good a scene is, if it doesn’t
relate to those before and after, it cannot be
successful in the context of the screenplay.
• Actors and filmmakers often lament having
to eliminate a great scene because it’s not
working in the overall story.
• Writing a good scene is an art and it takes a
lot of practice. As in all art, there are
principles of composition, technique and a
craft for execution.
7

8. Units of Action
• A scene is a unit of action – a single event
or exchange between characters, with unity
of time and place.
• It propels the plot forward, toward the climax
and resolution.
• If a plot can be thought of as the blueprint
from which the film is designed, scenes are
the basic building blocks, and theme is the
mortar that holds everything together. The
scenes should match the original blueprint as
well as possible. 8

9. Action as Movement
• Think of the action of the scene as
movement. The scenes move the action and
the conflict of the story from beginning to end.
9
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Written by Quentin Tarantino

10. The Action of a Scene
• The action of a scene must accomplish at
least one of three goals:
1. Advance the flow of events (the plot) toward
its inevitable conclusion (climax/resolution).
2. Advance the audience’s understanding of
the main characters by illuminating them
through behavior.
3. Advance the audience’s understanding of
the story by providing expository
information.
10

11. The Action of a Scene
(Continued)
• Scenes are stronger when they utilize a
combination of the first two goals
• As we saw earlier, providing exposition to the
audience can be awkward. Adding conflict or
physical movement to an expository scene
will strengthen it.
• Combining exposition with the first two goals
will make it stronger still.
• If too many scenes fail to achieve one or
more of the goals, the plot will crumble.
11

12. 12
The Principles of Construction
Lesson 11: Part II
Touch of Evil (1958)
Written by Whit Masterson (novel) and Orson Welles (screenplay)

13. Change within the Scene
• Within a scene, a character begins at a
definite place or with a definite
understanding of the dramatic situation.
• At the end of the scene, that character or
another is in a slightly different place, or
has furthered her understanding of the
conflict.
• Whichever it is, by the end of the scene
something has been altered.
13

14. Film Scenes vs. Theater Scenes
• Films, unlike plays and sit-coms, aren’t
made up of fully developed scenes. Films
have both more freedom and more
limitation.
• In the theater, the proscenium separates the
audience from the play, but a play succeeds
primarily for two reasons:
1. Because the spoken word moves the
audience.
2. Because the actors establish a connection
with the audience.
14

15. Film vs. Theater (continued)
• A movie also relies on dialogue and actors,
but the camera sits in place of the audience
and gives it a view of anywhere it can go.
• It also uses the close-up, approximates
realism, and transcends geography.
• But no matter how interesting the scene is
in using these techniques, it cannot play on
and on. It must fit into the rhythm of the film.
• The average length of a scene in a short
film is one to three pages.
15

16. One Main Point per Scene
• Every scene has one main point it wants to
convey to the audience. The point can be:
– To show an incident or event in the
development of the plot.
– To show an aspect of character whose
motivation the audience needs to understand.
– To make the audience feel something.
– To empathize with a character or abhor her.
– To dramatize the emotional impact of actions.
– To show the results of a character’s effort to
achieve a goal. 16

17. Example
17
Citizen Kane (1941)
Written by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles

18. Stay Focused
• Too many ideas going on in a scene will
create problems with the audience, who will
be confused about what to pay attention to
and lose track of the story progression.
• Your scene must multitask – that is
accomplish a variety of goals simultaneously
– however other issues in the scene must
complement and not obscure the main point.
• Create separate scenes for each important
story point to illuminate each ideas
separately. 18

19. Visual Actions
• It is a screenwriter’s job to consider what is
visually interesting and exciting in a scene.
• Showing characters in movement, physically
doing interesting things is better for film than
the talking actors of the stage or the “talking
heads” of television.
• Strong actions are always better than static
states. Don’t have your characters talk about
it if you can show it.
19

20. Example
20
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Written by Nora Ephron

21. Drama through Actions
• Dramatizing a story through the character’s
actions instead of through dialogue tends to
deepen audience involvement.
• When characters do more and talk less in a
scene, the audience must interpret what
those actions mean.
• The writer must drop hints about motivation,
but when characters tell too much about
themselves or the story, audiences tend to
tune out or disbelieve them.
21

22. Scene Progression
• Just as action in a screenplay builds to
the most dramatic point – the climax – the
movement in the scene must build from
the least important to the most important.
• If the significant point is given at the
beginning of the scene, all that follows will
be anti-climactic and instead of growth,
amplification or development in the
drama, there will be a letdown for the
audience. Once the main point is made,
the scene is over. 22

23. The Button
• Every good scene has a point where the
substance or action begins. This is
sometimes referred to as the button.
• A few lines of dialogue or a few seconds of
visuals may set the scene, but once hit, the
action (struggle or conflict) starts.
• A button functions like the inciting incident
in a plot; it gets things moving, sending the
line of action toward the main point.
23

24. Building the Scene
• From the scene’s introduction, a
progression builds to what the point of the
scene is: plot development, character
revelation or sometimes just a funny line
after a piece of exposition.
• The middle of the scene usually shows the
struggle or conflict involved as the main
character of the scene attempts to achieve
something important.
• There may be a reversal, but the action is
always headed towards a scene climax.

25. Scene Beginnings and Ends
• Beginning and ending a scene are
sometimes the most difficult parts of writing
it, since where it begins or ends does not
usually correspond with a traditional
entrance or exit, as you might get in a play.
• The beginning of a scene might be built into
the scene preceding it and the end of a
scene might be built into the following scene.
25

26. Sequence
• Using more than one scene to illustrate a
focused action is an example of a sequence.
• Sequences are groups of scenes built
around a single idea, incident or event in
which the locations change but the focus of
the action remains the same.
– The wedding in The Godfather
– The graduation party in Say Anything
– Most chase scenes
26

27. Sequence (Continued)
• Often whole sections of short films are built
by grouping scenes around the development
of a single idea that shows its progression.
• A scene sequence in a short film is a way to
avoid an overly episodic or incidental feel to
your story.
• Characters reveal themselves slowly over a
number of scenes, which adds suspense to
the unfolding of their character arc.
• Many short films are one scene sequence.
27

28. 28
Techniques for Construction
Lesson 11: Part III
JFK (1991)
Written by Jim Mars and Jim Garrison (books) and Oliver Stone & Zachary Skylar (screenplay)

29. Techniques
• Some screenwriters are naturally better at
writing scenes than others; still, few scenes
come into being fully formed.
• Good scenes are the product of careful
planning, hard work and reworking.
• Successful screenwriters tend to utilize
particular techniques when composing their
scenes. Discovering these techniques can
save the beginning screenwriter lots of time
and anguish.
29

30. Starting Off
• Before writing a scene, spend a little time
thinking about it. Clarify the topic and the
main point for yourself. You need to know:
1. Who is in the scene?
2. Where will it play?
3. What do the characters want in the scene?
4. What is their relationship?
5. What do they need (the subtext) in the scene?
6. What are their attitudes?
7. Where is the conflict or tension coming from?
30

31. Characters in the Scene
• Be careful to avoid clichés and subvert
stereotypes when writing characters and their
interactions.
• Additional characters in a scene, beyond the
primary ones can also be valuable.
• The main characters can play off the minor
ones for comedic or dramatic purposes.
• Minor characters can provide a counterpoint
to the main characters or reinforce them.
31

32. Setting
• A scene’s locale, including time, season and
weather, contributes to creating and
maintaining atmosphere and mood.
• The skilled writer takes advantage of what’s
available in the stetting for the characters to
relate to and use.
• Giving a character scenery to connect to or
physical props to put into his hands enlivens
the scene and increases its level of reality.
32

33. Setting (Continued)
• Beginning writers often don’t give enough
thought to their setting, using the first locale
that comes into their minds.
• But setting can enhance dramatic value by
offering characters opportunities to engage in
revealing activities.
• It can reflect their mood and emotions as well
as the film’s theme.
33

34. Example
34
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Written by George Lucas

35. Example
35
Star Wars: Episode III: Frolic in the Daisies (2008)
Written by Michael Green

36. Goals and Objectives
• In every scene, the characters have their
scene goals and objectives, though a scene
objective does not have to be exactly the
same as the overall story objective.
• A scene sometimes exists to show how
information has affected a character, which
deepens characterization.
• The characters of main importance in a
scene often have conflicting wants and the
protagonist often conflicts with others beside
the antagonist. 36

37. Goals and Objectives
(Continued)
• If it is a scene goal, it is generally connected
to the character’s want. It if is a scene
objective, it may be related to his need.
• Remember, a character’s conscious wants
often conflict with their unconscious needs,
and it’s important to discover if this can be a
source of conflict within the scene.
37

38. Subtext
• What the character needs in the scene
usually relates to the subtext. This is
what is going on beneath the surface
words and actions.
• Subtext is often reflected in character
attitudes, and these attitudes don’t always
have to be overtly shown
• An impending action also might influence
the behavior of a character.
38

39. Business
• In a scene the personal actions of a
character are referred to as business.
• These are specific actions such as pouring a
drink, eating an apple, fixing a meal, smoking
a cigarette, and so on.
• Day to day activities help create a sense of
reality on the screen, since people seldom sit
in head to head dialogue except in very
specific situations.
39

40. Business (Continued)
• Business can also:
– Lend physical
movement to a scene
– Help define the
characters
– Help the characters
hide emotions
– Be funny and visually
interesting
– Provide
foreshadowing The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Written by Herman Wouk (novel)
and Stanley Roberts (screenplay)

41. Humor
• Anywhere humor fits naturally into a
screenplay, a writer should consider using it
regardless of genre, though the humor should
be organic to the situation in the scene, and
not merely an excuse to be funny.
• Even the darkest tragedies benefit from
comic relief to relieve emotional intensity and
give the story some balance.
• After all, films are entertainment.

42. Economy
• It is an unwritten law that films must move.
• Every scene must advance the action, every
line be purposeful.
• So be economical in your writing, whether it’s
dialogue, action, or description.
• One way to do this is to enter the scene at
the latest possible moment and leave it as
soon as its goal is accomplished.
• The great writer always finds ways to say
more with less.

43. 43
Assignments
Lesson 11: Part IV
Jackie Browne (1997)
Written by Elmore Leonard (novel) and Quentin Tarantino (screenplay)

44. 44
E-Board Post #1
• Watch the short film from the lesson,
Love and Respect, and analyze one
scene from the movie. How does the
scene build and what is the main point of
the scene?

45. 45
E-Board Post #2
• Discuss one of your favorite scenes from
a feature film in terms of some of the
concepts for creating scenes we’ve
discussed in this lesson. Now that you
understand more about how scene works,
explain why you like this scene so much.

46. 46
Writing Exercise #10
You should now be in the rewriting stage
of your screenplay. Choose one scene
and rewrite it in terms of the concepts
we’ve discussed in this lesson. You might
inject humor, give your character bits of
business, make the subtext more evident
and so on.

47. End of Lecture 11
Next Lecture: The Search
for the Perfect Line