Here´s a scene from the second act from the third revised draft of Kramer VS. Kramer and my question is, how does this scene move the story forward? I can´t see how and then my other question is, should every scene move the story forward (especially in act 2 and 3)? Am I missing anything? I tried to find answers to my questions on my own first and now I ask you if you know the answers. As always I´m very thankful for the help I get. I hope it is OK to post examples from other screenplays here.
104 EXT. MODERN OFFICE BUILDING, MIDTOWN - DAY
WIDE SHOT--It is a Saturday afternoon. HOLD FOR A
BEAT as we SEE Ted Kramer and Billy approaching. Billy
is talking a mile a minute. Ted listens intently,
absorbed in the boy's de*****ion. As they turn into
the entrance of the office building:
105 INT. CORRIDOR, J. WALTER THOMPSON - DAY
WIDE SHOT--A long corridor with desks for secretaries
lined up next to doors leading to smaller individual
offices. As they approach a door in the foreground
that bears a small sign reading, "Ted Kramer":
TED
(interrupting Billy,
who is still in the
middle of his story)
See. That's my name.
BILLY
(looking at the sign)
It's my name too.
TED
Right.
As he opens the door:
CUT TO:
106 INT. TED KRAMER'S OFFICE - DAY
It is a pleasant enough office, but nothing spectacular,
windows that look out over Fifty-seventh Street, simple
Formica furniture, that sort of thing.
ON THE DOOR--as they enter.
BILLY
(he stops dead in
his tracks at the
sight of the office)
Wow!
TED
(pleased)
You like it?
Billy crosses to the window, presses his nose to the
glass, looks out.
BILLY
Wow! Is this really where you
work?
Ted nods, walks over to the desk and begins collecting
paperwork to do over the weekend. As he does, Billy
goes through the office, sitting in every chair,
looking in every drawer.
BILLY
Is this really your desk?
TED
Yep.
BILLY
Is that really your chair?
TED
Uh huh...
BILLY
Wow! That's neat. Can I sit
in it?
TED
Sure.
Billy plops himself down in Ted's chair, swivels
around.
BILLY
Did mommy ever see this?
TED
No, she never did.
BILLY
Are you going to get remarried?
TED
I don't know. I hadn't thought
much about it.
BILLY
Are you going to remarried
Phyllis?
TED
(shaking his head)
No.
CLOSE ON BILLY--There is a long pause, then:
BILLY
Will you and mommy get remarried?
Ted stops what he is doing, looks across at Billy:
TED
No, son. Daddy and mommy will
never get remarried.
BILLY
(looking around Ted's
office)
Boy, I bet you if mommy ever
saw this she'd remarried you.
104 EXT. MODERN OFFICE BUILDING, MIDTOWN - DAY
WIDE SHOT--It is a Saturday afternoon. HOLD FOR A
BEAT as we SEE Ted Kramer and Billy approaching. Billy
is talking a mile a minute. Ted listens intently,
absorbed in the boy's de*****ion. As they turn into
the entrance of the office building:
105 INT. CORRIDOR, J. WALTER THOMPSON - DAY
WIDE SHOT--A long corridor with desks for secretaries
lined up next to doors leading to smaller individual
offices. As they approach a door in the foreground
that bears a small sign reading, "Ted Kramer":
TED
(interrupting Billy,
who is still in the
middle of his story)
See. That's my name.
BILLY
(looking at the sign)
It's my name too.
TED
Right.
As he opens the door:
CUT TO:
106 INT. TED KRAMER'S OFFICE - DAY
It is a pleasant enough office, but nothing spectacular,
windows that look out over Fifty-seventh Street, simple
Formica furniture, that sort of thing.
ON THE DOOR--as they enter.
BILLY
(he stops dead in
his tracks at the
sight of the office)
Wow!
TED
(pleased)
You like it?
Billy crosses to the window, presses his nose to the
glass, looks out.
BILLY
Wow! Is this really where you
work?
Ted nods, walks over to the desk and begins collecting
paperwork to do over the weekend. As he does, Billy
goes through the office, sitting in every chair,
looking in every drawer.
BILLY
Is this really your desk?
TED
Yep.
BILLY
Is that really your chair?
TED
Uh huh...
BILLY
Wow! That's neat. Can I sit
in it?
TED
Sure.
Billy plops himself down in Ted's chair, swivels
around.
BILLY
Did mommy ever see this?
TED
No, she never did.
BILLY
Are you going to get remarried?
TED
I don't know. I hadn't thought
much about it.
BILLY
Are you going to remarried
Phyllis?
TED
(shaking his head)
No.
CLOSE ON BILLY--There is a long pause, then:
BILLY
Will you and mommy get remarried?
Ted stops what he is doing, looks across at Billy:
TED
No, son. Daddy and mommy will
never get remarried.
BILLY
(looking around Ted's
office)
Boy, I bet you if mommy ever
saw this she'd remarried you.
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