Scenes that doesn´t move the story forward (Scene example)

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  • Scenes that doesn´t move the story forward (Scene example)

    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.

  • #2
    Scenes that doesn´t move the story forward (Scene example)

    The scene does move the story forward as it shows the burgeoning relationship between father and son. This is the first time Ted has ever taken Billy to his place of work and it is a huge deal and a major turning point in their relationship.

    The subtext is that Billy hasn't got to grips with the fact that his mom and dad will never be together again. Ted probably thought that his business success was all that was required of him, to have his son naively state this is hard to take and brings it home to Ted that there are much more important things.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Scenes that doesn´t move the story forward (Scene exampl

      Dave, I don´t know what I would do without you, thanks

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Scenes that doesn´t move the story forward (Scene exampl

        see, it's been a while since i've seen "Kramer vs. Kramer" but i think that scene takes place just after the scene where dustin hoffman basiclly begged for a job he needed to have to even have any hope of keeping custody of his son. it was a job for less money than his old job and a smaller, less luxurious office than he used to have. i think that's when we find out tht he actually got the job. and the boy is completely oblivious to all the other stuff and just thinks the office is cool.

        but like i said, it's been a while so i could be wrong.

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