Screenwriting 101: John Hill

“I mention the concept of ‘great scenes’ in a movie script because that’s what we’re always trying to write. Terrific scenes are the coin of the screenwriting realm. But what are some characteristics of great scene construction?

• Protagonist start the scene under tremendous pressure, the emotions already sky-high, things get even worse, emotions skyrocketing even higher, usually involving surprises and new plot twists that churn up our feelings as an audience and make the protagonist’s life even more difficult.
• A good scene in a movie can be said to be often when one person wants something from another.
• Another aspect of this is from good prose writing, where the term ‘narrative drive’ means writing so the reader/audience senses something is about to happen — and it matters.
• A good scene is written with constantly rising tension.
• A good scene starts as close to the end of the scene as possible — for maximum dramatic pressure and conflict.
• There are obligatory scenes (that some newer writers veer away from writing!) where heroes confront villains, where truths are revealed and reactions from everyone happen in the same room, emotions colliding.
• It might surprise you to know I’m going to mention surprises again; fake-outs, reversals, unexpected plot twists and stunning character reveals.”

— John Hill

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