Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

Collapse

Announcement

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

  • Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

    And if not, what would be the point of the scene?
    sigpic

    "I'm gonna run ya ragged!"

    "YEE HAWWW!!!"

  • #2
    Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

    Every scene must progress the story or reveal character. I'm not talking about every time you use a new scene heading; a scene may play out over multiple locations, but every scene must have a purpose.
    Vancouver Screenwriters Meetup Group

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

      Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?
      sigpic

      "I'm gonna run ya ragged!"

      "YEE HAWWW!!!"

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

        Originally posted by WriteHandMan View Post
        Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?
        In a broader sense, yes. Each scene should lead to (setup) what happens next.

        But specifically (like Ripley and the Loader in Aliens), no.
        "I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
        - Clive Barker, Galilee

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

          Each scene should be progressing/regressing things so you can have a catharsis.
          The best way out is always through. - Robert Frost

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

            Originally posted by TwoBrad Bradley View Post
            In a broader sense, yes. Each scene should lead to (setup) what happens next.

            But specifically (like Ripley and the Loader in Aliens), no.
            Ripley and the Loader in Aliens was a crucial set-up...
            Vancouver Screenwriters Meetup Group

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

              Originally posted by WriteHandMan View Post
              Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?
              A scene must set-up the next scene. You need to maintain a logical flow of events.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                Originally posted by ReneC View Post
                Ripley and the Loader in Aliens was a crucial set-up...
                Sure. But let's skip ahead a few scenes. Say, when they're first entering the base.

                That scene isn't "setting anything up." I suppose you could say it's paying off the promise of the base being out of communication - but at a certain point you're broadening the definition of setup and payoff beyond the point of usefulness.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                  Originally posted by Ronaldinho View Post
                  Sure. But let's skip ahead a few scenes. Say, when they're first entering the base.

                  That scene isn't "setting anything up." I suppose you could say it's paying off the promise of the base being out of communication - but at a certain point you're broadening the definition of setup and payoff beyond the point of usefulness.
                  No, that scene is progressing the story. In terms of "setup" and "pay-off" it's pay-off: they've fulfilled a desire by reaching the objective. And another set-up: where is everybody? What happened? New objectives/desires are established.
                  Vancouver Screenwriters Meetup Group

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                    Interesting thread. One could say that in a good script, every scene is either setup or payoff in a sense -- even the "little" scenes. It's much more definitive than "progressing" the story
                    "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
                    - Screenwriting Friend

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                      Yes, possibly both, but not always for the sake of scene progression because logical transitions can do that as well from scene to scene. Most effective setups are concerned with motivation first then it's synchronized with plot points for payoffs. The combination provides a lot of forward motion so I suppose that would be its purpose.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                        This kind of exercise doesn't mean anything.

                        Calculate less.

                        Don't worry about it.

                        Every scene should be interesting. If you pull that off, you win the big prize.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                          A scene has to mean something that's integral to the plot. One of my favorite recent films, "Lucky Number Slevin" uses a wristwatch, owned by the protagonist's father, as a prop that moves the story by being present in pivotal scenes.
                          "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                          "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                            I guess I'll be the rebel here and say that it depends on the film. This meme holds true more so with Drama than with Comedy. I believe you can, if executed correctly, get away with a filler scene in a comedy simply because it's really, really funny. In a Drama, it's going to seem abruptly out of place and pointless. It certainly shouldn't be routine in ANY genre, but it can be pulled off under the right circumstances - assuming the scene is short and sweet.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Should Every Scene In A Script Be Either Setup or Payoff?

                              I don't understand why the loader scenes in 'Aliens' came up.

                              We first see her actually using the loader early on, setting up the fact that she knows how to use this complicated peice of machinery.

                              She then uses it to fight the Alien queen. Therefore it is paid-off.

                              Why do you think it wasn't set-up and paid-off. I really don't understand.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X