In the previous step we looked at how you open your script.
Now we need to do a similar exercise for each and every scene, because once the reader is hooked, it doesn’t mean they stay.
Each dramatic scene is a mini-story and you need to pull the readers into it without realising that s/he is reading. And the best way to put a reader off really quickly is to have sloppy scene introductions.
What is the purpose? Think hard about what you want to achieve with the scene. Is it a continuation of a previous scene (preferably) or do you need to set up a new location and characters? Do you want to open ‘in medias res’ and cut to the chase or do you want to build tension all the way up to a climax. Many memorable scenes fall in this last category but if most of your scenes follow straight from what preceded, your script will have great momentum.
So how to do it? How have you opened your scenes? Have effectively introduced the mini-story of each scene? Have you briefly described the location? Are all characters known or do you need to introduce and describe new ones? Is it clear what the characters are doing (as opposed to saying) in the scene? If you have done all of the above, in what order did you present it for each scene? Is this the order in which you visualized it on the screen?
In this step we will check which technique(s) you have used and whether we can improve on your scene openers, while learning from successful screenwriters.