ORDERING SCENES IN A SCREENPLAY

Someone asked me recently,  "How do I order my scenes in my screenplay?" Well, for screenplays, plays and other stories, the answer is both simple and complex.

Most stories take place in a chronological order. So one scene follows another according to chronology.That’s one answer.

But stories often involve an interplay between one or more subplots or between the present and the past.

So a more general answer: You order your scenes according to rising tension/conflict/anxiety/rising stakes. So each scene should involve more conflict than the previous scene and so forth.

Of course if the scenes all have similar conflict/tension/stakes, then you have to ask: Why aren’t the stakes rising? Why isn’t there more conflict?

For a possible solution, consider this conception of four-act structure (yes four, not three):

In Act I, for the protagonist: A problem is created/a question is raised. By taking on this problem, conflict is created so scenes in Act II naturally have more conflict than scenes in Act I.

In Act II, investigation and trials leads to the correct solution/answer. As the protagonist gets closer to this answer, more anxiety/conflict is created as the antagonist (and helpers) tries to stop him/her  (or he/she tries to stop himself if the story is about an internal conflict).

At the end of Act II, this solution/answer is ignored or actively rejected by the protagonist because it's too disturbing (that’s the midpoint of the story).  A different case:  At the end of Act II, the protagonist (or someone close to the protagonist) accepts the answer or solution, or at least gains greater insight into the problem, which puts him/her into greater conflict with the antagonist(s) in Act III.  More confidence = more boldness = more conflict.

In Act III, there’s rising anxiety/misdirection due to this ignored solution/answer.  The protagonist will do ANYTHING to avoid what he/she knows to be the true path. The antagonist is allowed to get stronger. At the end of Act III the protagonist chooses the WRONG answer/WRONG solution and finds him/herself paralyzed. (I call this the dark moment.)

In Act IV: the protagonist’s hidden strength (established in Act I) leads to his/her recovery from this paralysis and very quick (and perilous!) movement towards the antagonist and the most difficult obstacles, which have all been allowed to get quite strong because of the protagonist's end of Act III paralysis.  The protagonist prevails, discovering the RIGHT SOLUTION/RIGHT ANSWER and CATHARSIS. 

So question to ignored answer to wrong answer to right answer.

And greater conflict in Act IV, because the protagonist is late due to his misdirection and paralysis in Act III.

So greater conflict in Act III than Act II because of his/her ignoring the answer.

So greater conflict in Act II than Act I because he/she has taken on a problem.

Another way to think about the ordering of scenes:

A story usually involves two diametrically opposed forces (paths, people, ideas, etc): Force A v. Force B. The question of the story is usually which force will prevail? (Or which answer? Or which idea. Etc.)

At the beginning of each scene or sequence, the arrow points to force A as the one that will prevail. At the end of the scene or sequence, the arrow points to force B.

Beginning scenes – that switch from A to B is very subtle. But at the end of the story that switch from A to B is drastic and sudden and seismic.  

Drop in on any action movie:  The beginning scenes – involve collecting clues that turn out to be right or wrong, so a slight movement from A to B.  The end scenes: Clashes of forces that switch violently from one possibility to the other.

And in all this there are predictable patterns:

One scene where one force is in control is followed by a scene where the other force is in control, again drastically at the end, subtly at the beginning.

One sequence ruled by Force A is followed by a sequence ruled by Force B is followed by a sequence ruled by Force A.  And so on.

If your story seems to go all in the same direction (be "ruled" by Force A), then that’s a clue that your scenes and sequences aren’t ordered in the most effective way. 

If your scenes with more conflict are at the beginning versus the end, that’s a clue that your scenes aren’t ordered in the most effective way.

A nuance to this answer:  Often stories start with an unbelievably tense scene or sequence. Fine. So drop back down to less tension after this scene or sequence, and remember you’re working back to tension/conflict/stakes that must be greater than this beginning scene/sequence. If not, your story will feel front heavy, will be disappointing at the end.

And as always, all of the above rules/ideas should be broken/played with whenever possible.   

Without An Ending to his Monologue, For Spalding Gray, Suicide Was Inevitable

I was moved to read in the April 27 issue of The New Yorker, The Catastrophe, Oliver Sacks' account of Spalding Gray’s demise including the likely medical causes of his suicide. I met Spalding during the time right after his accident and worked with him for three weeks as part of a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. The Spalding I knew was a brilliant teacher, but also quite distracted as Sacks describes — obsessed with his mother’s death, selling his house, and the idea of committing suicide. He was also afraid of odd things like recycling plants. And most memorable to me, he was obsessed with the idea that he could find no ending to his monologue about his accident and that’s another reason he was worried he would kill himself.  He had always been able to find both humor in the upsetting events of his life and an ending to stories about those events. Without an ending, there could be no closure and therefore no going on.

I agree that brain damage was likely, but I’m not sure that changes how I experienced him. The more I read about depression, the more I think there’s always a physical component. Regardless, I was a big fan of his work and am still sad that he’s gone and I wonder what if that accident hadn’t happened. What would the Spalding I knew have been like?  Would he still be here today, making himself and others laugh? Would he be watching his young son grow up (that’s the part I find the saddest)? Would he be finding many happy and humorous endings to would-be depressing events? Anyway, sad. 

Thanks to Olive Sacks for this piece.  I will be thinking about it. And of course thinking about it in the context of Sacks’ own medical condition.  

David E. Tolchinsky

PS I wrote about my experiences with Spalding in my essay, Where’s the Rest of Me?, published in Paraphilia Magazine, and in my play by the same name.  An aspect of both those works is my grappling with being told by Spalding that I could deliver monologues for a living, that “David, you could be me,” and then finding out he had killed himself.  

Fast Talk Now Available on GooglePlay

The award-winning feature documentary, Fast Talk, about the mile-a-minute world of college debate and our own accelerated lives, is now available on GooglePlay for rental and purchase. Directed by Debra Tolchinsky, edited by Ron Ward, produced by Debra, Ron and myself, with an original score by Mark Koval, it features Northwestern University's debate team (this year's champions) and legendary coach Scott Deatherage.https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Fast_Talk?id=tfT2fZDx91s

Debra Tolchinsky highlighted in Documentary magazine

Great interview in Documentary magazine about her film work and the Northwestern University MFA in Documentary Media, which she directs. http://www.documentary.org/…/northwestern-now-school-docs-u…

 Also, nice shoutouts to me and the writing program I direct.  Very honored to be part of Debra's life. 

Student's Series premiering on the CW

Congrats to my ex-student, Northwestern University MFA in Writing for Screen+Stage alum Eoghan O'Donnell ('08), whose TV series THE MESSENGERS, is premiering THIS FRIDAY, April 17th, at 9/8c, on The CW Network. Trailer here:  http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-messengers/angels-trailer/?play=12c23a06-eb4b-4ecb-b910-2efebe1925d6