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  • Transitions

    Transitions are what give me the most agony when writing a script. Particularly transitions between scenes and transitions in time.

    Can anyone recommend some reading material?

  • #2
    enlighten me...

    ...i'm not clear on exactly what it is that's giving you trouble... if you refer to using CUT TOs and DISSOLVEs and other suchlike technical 'transition' stuff, you don't use 'em in a spec script... that's one of the major no-no's for newbies...

    if it's more of an internal plot thing, you'll need to be more specific... if you'd like some one-on-one help, i mentor aspiring screenwriters by email and you can contact me at: [email protected]


    love and hugs, maia

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    • #3
      uh, you mean like CUT TO: and DISSOLVE TO: or FADE TO:?

      or do you mean, like tranistion sentences?

      The cut to's and etc, have fallen from fashion in spec writing. Since, if you put a new slug in it's sorta assumed you're moving the camera somewhere.

      the best way to show movement in time, that i've found is.

      INT. CAR-SOME TIME LATER. or -SAME or -TOO LATE

      or something to that effect. stick a time refrence in the slug. it'll keep the reader up to the minute on the time within the script and won't clog the story down with time refrence's.

      just try to make it clear and you'll be okay.

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      • #4
        Re: enlighten me

        No, nothing technical. I'm talking about the proximate, sequential relationship between scenes or different times, and making it "flow."

        Perhaps it's just a hang-up. Does anyone else have this issue?

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        • #5
          Re: enlighten me

          A story isn't about what happens, it's about what happens next. Once you wrap your mind around that you should be fine.

          Each scene is the direct result of what happened before and is in turn the cause of what will happen next. Scenes have a dramatic causational relationship which transcends the temporal or physical world and unifies the scenes into a single cohesive story line.

          You need that internal dramatic cause effect dynamic from your character's goal and the central conflict to give the story direction and unity.

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          • #6
            Re: enlighten me

            Deus:
            A story isn't about what happens, it's about what happens next.
            Very good observation. That is, indeed, the heart of the matter.

            But Gruss has raised an important issue. One of the biggest problems that I see in films is poor transition from scene to scene. This happens because the writer has a poor conceptualization of the plot sequence (which is what Deus was talking about), or because scenes get moved around in the production process.

            It is difficult to make up a list, off the top of my head, of ways to transition smoothly, but there are ways to do this. For one thing, a final line in Scene 1 can set up Scene 2 by referring to a person or an event that starts off Scene 2. I am sure we could make a pretty long list if we tried. The main principle to follow is that the flow should be logical.

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            • #7
              Re: enlighten me

              It's not only what happens next, it's also how it happens and why.

              Sewing in a good 'why' is a tough thing to do.

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              • #8
                Re: enlighten me

                Good points Comic and Cyfress. What happens next is the dramatic question you want to raise at the end of each scene, it's part knowing when to get out of the scene and part knowing how to structure a scene so the audience's expectations and curiosity is piqued.


                We've talked about transitions before. It's an often overlooked part of newbie scripts because newbies rarely visualize the film and write cinematically. That's why I tell people to think of their script as a film projector and remind them constantly of the Towne quote "A script should read as if it is describing a film that's already made".

                There are four methods a film editor uses to create an invisible edit, one that doesn't draw attention to itself because it's a natural product of the story. Because we are writing cinematically, it helps to think about them when writing and placing your scenes.

                1. Action. An editor will cut in the middle of an action to the middle of a similar action. E.G.: Scene A ends with a man swinging an axe and Scene B start with a man swinging a bat.

                2. Screen position. Much harder to dictate in a script and rarely should it be done but there are times when it should be done. The eye is drawn to a certain portion of the screen at the end of one scene and also in the start of the next. E.G.: Scene A ends with a man looking at the ground and Scene B starts with a ball on the ground.

                3. Form. This is when you cut from one shape at the end of one scene to a similar form at the start of the next scene. E.G.: Scene A ends with a man lighting a match and scene B begins with a roaring fire.

                4. Idea. This is the most common and important transition any writer can use for an invisible edit. The idea at the end of one scene is expressed at the start of the next scene or is juxtaposed for effect with t he next scene. E.G.: Scene A ends with a woman crying and Scene B begins with rain falling. Scene A ends with a man saying he won't wear a dress and Scene B begins with him in the dress.

                The most powerful and effective edits combine two or more of the above.

                Another editing device I have used form time to time is the L cut or Overlap. That's when t he audio of the next scene bleeds into the current one to act as a bridge. E.G.: Scene A ends with an ocean and the sound of party noise makers and Scene B starts with a party aboard a ship. This is generally out of bounds for a writer but like all things, if done well and used judiciously it won't be a problem.

                But at the heart of all the above is the understanding of the internal dramatic logic in the causational relationship between every scene.

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                • #9
                  the why

                  excellent deus

                  it's that darn "spine" thing...the why...the critical needs and the decisions the protagonist must make to overcome the conflict and drive the story.

                  REMB

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                  • #10
                    Deus

                    Deus, I fear, is on the mark. And my anxiety over a transition could well be a signal that I'm trying to muscle my way past a problem in the story -- but can't.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Deus

                      As Deus so well puts it, the transition is internal, not imposed from the artificial outside. Writing script is like writing music. Think rhythm, think key, think tone, think mood. Move from where it's most effective to the next measure.

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