Scenes With No Dialogue

[wendydarling11]

I need some advice. I have a few scenes that involve only action, with no dialogue (a murder-mystery). If one page = one minute of screen time, how do I write the scene without the amatuerish and dreaded blocks of prose? I can't insert camera angles to break up the action, as that is a no-no. Do I write all the scenes like the one in "A Beautiful Mind", where she discovers the shed, then runs to the house to rescue the child?

My opening scene is one of these scenes, so "we see" my dilemma. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[UserName]

You can intersperse quick one-liners among longer 3-line paragraphs.

[Deus Ex Machine]

One page = one minute is only an average and hardly an exact ratio.

Read scripts and see how others writing similar scenes as yours handled it.

[wendydarling11]

Yes, thank you. I've been reading scripts voraciously. Do you have any suggestions, off the top of your head, that employ a lot of this, Deus Ex?

[OkeyDokey]

Break actions out onto single lines.

If you have a very important prop or location that is revealed in a dramatic way, you can cap it/them.

Try to capture the feel of how the viewer would experience the scene in the movie.

Be sure not to write it like a novel!

[altoption]

BASIC INSTINCT starts with a one page action scene, no dialogue.

[ifelldownandicantgetup]

There is a terrific example of a scene that is all action and no dialogue in the script for ALIEN. Search for a copy of the script on the internet and take a look. Specifically, it is the scene in which the alien emerges from the guy's chest. What could have been a block of text is written in such a way that it almosts directs the action and reads really well.

[Kraven76]

In reference to OKeyDokey who posted "If you have a very important prop or location that is revealed in a dramatic way, you can cap it/them."

I'm not sure if that is the case for a "spec script." I am still confused about this myself if we should CAP certain objects to show that it stands out or that it entitled it's own camera shot. Does this rule apply to a "spec script" or only to "shooting scripts?"

[gruss]

Yeah, you keep hearing about what a terrible thing it is to acknowledge that there's a camera, that you actually envision and want to communicate in a grammar of FILM. So no camera angles or directions, right? Well... not really. Every time I see someone point out what they think is a great example of well-scripted action, there are camera references. That includes the examples mentioned here. That's not an accident. I've decided to hell with the fashions, if it makes my script work then I'm going to do it. And for action that means I'm going to occasionally admit there's a camera, that I'm seeing this and writing this in for FILM.

[filmcarver]

Dont worry about it.

How does a 110 page script become a 2 hour 20 minute film? Action. It's a director's issue as far as carrying out the action scenes and for how long.

No one cares about CAPS....just don't overuse. It should only be important sound or object elements....something key you want the mind's eye to focus on.