Detailed Scene Analysis (Part 2)
(c) Peter D. Marshall
Once you understand the story, who the characters are and what happens to them, you now need to analyze each individual scene by digging deeper into the story and its structure. (NOTE: You will use many of the same story analysis points I mentioned above but now they are specifically designed for each scene.)
What are the STORY POINTS? These are the story elements in any scene (dialogue, action, visuals, sound) that must be made clear to the audience so the story makes sense. (Example: In Titanic, Jack must win the card game in Act One so he can get onto the ship.)
What are the PLOT POINTS? Plot points are dialogue or action events in every scene the move the story forward.
What creates the TENSION? What story elements in the scene make the audience think “What will happen next?”
Where is the CLIMAX of each scene? These don’t have to be “big explosions!” They can be small dialogue moments, a certain character reaction or the reveal of a significant prop.
What are the important LINES OF DIALOGUE? These are lines of dialogue that contain story points the audience must know (and hear clearly) to make sense of a character’s actions throughout the rest of the story. (Always look for the facts behind the words or the reality behind a line. In other words, what does a particular line really mean?)
Which character CONTROLS the scene? Which character in the scene drives or pushes the story forward through the use of dialogue or actions?
What is the CONCLUSION of the scene? How does the scene end? (Does it set-up viewer interest for the next scene? Does it also set-up viewer anticipation to see how the film ends?)
CLARITY OF INFORMATION. Will this scene improve or confuse the audience’s understanding of the overall story? (Do the story points, plot points, action and dialogue in the scene make sense?)
Here are a few other story elements to look for during your story and scene breakdown:
COUNTERPOINT. Whenever I can, I personally like to add contrasting images (counterpoint) to humanize a character (a bad guy grows flowers – loves his cat) or to make a visual or thematic statement (a funeral on a sunny day – a wedding on rainy day.)
SCENE TRANSITIONS. When you analyze a scene you need to think about the “visual entrance cutting point” that takes you into the scene and the “visual exit cutting point” that takes you out of the scene. These “images and/or sounds” are the shots and cuts that “transition” an audience smoothly from one scene into another and from one sequence into another.
FORESHADOWING. These are specific images or lines of dialogue in the scene that “subtly foretell” of an event that will happen later in the story.
RECURRING MOTIFS. These are repeated ideas, patterns, images, sounds, themes, words etc. that occur throughout the story and help to reinforce the theme of the film.
SCRIPT CONCERNS: What are some potential problem scenes or concerns you have in the script? These are scenes that take usually take longer to set up and shoot because they contain stunts, visual FX, animals, children or large groups of extras etc.
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