Too much drama?

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Too much drama?

    Hi there,

    I'm drafting a script about a love triangle. After reading up on some scripts it seems to me that I have too much action going on in every scene and that, maybe, toning down some of that and having some more slower paced ones would give the unfolding drama a more realistic feel to it.

    Has anyone any suggestions on this?

  • #2
    Re: Too much drama?

    One thing that helps is to ask yourself, "What needs to happen in this scene?" What does the audience need to find out? What do the characters need to learn and/or accomplish? What has to happen in order for the story to continue? Then stick to just those things.

    I find when I over-complicate my scenes, I'm usually just flailing around trying to make things generically interesting. Zeroing in on the character objectives and what has to happen when gives it a lot more focus (which, of course, makes the action more interesting all on its own).

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Too much drama?

      Also remember that sometimes, one silence is worth a thousand words.
      Sometimes less is more.
      Check out my website with my productions: http://www.picturesplusproductions.com

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Too much drama?

        good thoughts above.

        i don't know anything, but say someone at a doctor's office or DMV is sort of not tuned in to where they are like others seem to be. they are actually reading the lemon pie recipe article in the old Southern Living magazine and taking notes, or seem so antsy, they appear about to blast off out of their waiting room chair into outer space. the contrast of the norm in the crowded room (a little does a lot with stuff like this, unless the story needs a lot), young and old, with the...unusual, the struggling, can highlight things without many words. a screech on a window late at night from an overgrown bush, etc yells/warns a storm is coming better than a weather forecast on TV. and keeps the tv off in the scene. etc. keep the tv off unless somebody is gonna crawl through it, etc. good luck whittling things down!
        Last edited by AnconRanger; 06-26-2017, 03:32 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Too much drama?

          Originally posted by Lydia1960 View Post
          Hi there,

          I'm drafting a script about a love triangle. After reading up on some scripts it seems to me that I have too much action going on in every scene and that, maybe, toning down some of that and having some more slower paced ones would give the unfolding drama a more realistic feel to it.

          Has anyone any suggestions on this?
          Impossible to say without actually looking at what you are doing.

          In general, not every scene has to be intense with action.

          "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Too much drama?

            I'm generally of a belief that one scene is about one thing only.

            Revelation. Return. Fight for death. Surprise reveal of backstory.

            When I don't hold to that rule, script goes all spongy and indecisive.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Too much drama?

              may help to read it aloud. focus on where you sort of get hung up, confused, skim, or just don't want to read what you've written for some reason, etc. then try to fix. sounds easy! good luck.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Too much drama?

                Maybe breaking it up into sequences could help.

                After struggling with a muddy late Act 2, I broke my teen romance screenplay into Intro, the chase, falling, love, heartbreak, rebound, revelation and end. I wrote those sequences on cards and put them on a wall (my corkboard wasn't big enough) then with different colored post it notes for each character, i put the scenes under each like a visual outline. It really helped me with the pacing of the story as well as the character arc's.
                https://twitter.com/_jenniferhughes

                Comment

                Working...
                X