Working out whether you’ve nailed the right course to take in dramatic storytelling can be nail-biting. There are no right or wrong threads, you are free to write what you like, just the possibility of better options.
So often we sit in the cinema or in front of a TV and shake our heads at story moments where the inferior choice is taken, or a better path is obvious.
Knowing that something could be better is really frustrating. Picking up on a poorly chosen plot turn or inadequate dialogue can spoil the flow of a viewing experience.
So what happens to allow such objections hit the screen? Maybe the director decides to veer from the script? Worse still, the problem lies in the screenplay itself.
For the benefit of this post, let’s assume the writing needs attention. There is little point in trying to second guess the wording but more merit in focusing on strategies to improve.
Let’s look at this example:
A Russian HITMAN story set in the tropics of South East Asia.
That’s highly uneventful, and boring. Sure, you get the character to where he needs to be to start observing his next mark. It feels like an opportunity to achieve something.
If everything works swimmingly in life, that’s great, but in the world of drama, to read or watch this kills interest and panders to expectation.
Use this opportunity to round out the character or create an event which can come around later in the story.
Sure, we are using more space on the page, but if this is the beginning of your screenplay, then you get to turn a simple walk to a cafe into character building. We now know that Valentin is calm and collected, and prepared with a handkerchief. Revenge on any dog in sight paints more into his character and provides humor.
To echo the wise words of Robert McKee, “serve your story.” When looking at these events in your screenplay, make sure they are relevant to pushing your story forwards. If you take my advice here, keep it relevant to the benefit of the plot or the characters.
So how do you tackle this?
A great strategy is to ask yourself “What shouldn’t happen?”
This is what your hero/character should not do, in terms of logic and regular progression. When writing, you think in terms of real life, but you must adapt to the realm of drama.
Have your character do the opposite of what the audience want. This might also mean having your characters do the opposite of what your initial thought might be. Go against the grain.
You can apply this thinking to many of your scenes. Go over what you have written and see if you can turn up the heat.
Let’s look at some scenarios:
Splitting people/a family up in a chase or disaster situation is a great example. It is the opposite of sensible, but it creates dramatic tension.
Be careful not to over do it! For some genres it may be appropriate to do more of this than in others. The Horror story, for example, will want more unexpected moments than a period drama.
What you also want to do is to throw curve balls and prevent the audience getting used to your choices. Not only can you write the opposite of what should or shouldn’t happen, but once you have set a trend, you can then write the opposite of what the audience have come to expect.
Case Study:
The path to success cannot be too easy, otherwise it will be bland and unchallenging. Take “The Queen’s Gambit,” for example. Episode 1 looks back to Elizabeth’s childhood. We know this show is about a female chess player, so naturally we expect to see the formative experience of the chess game.
What plays out is a trip to the basement of the orphanage and an encounter with the handyman who sits alone with a chessboard. When she asks about it and then pushes to be taught, she is denied, and she slopes off.
This is good writing because if she got what she wanted immediately, the audience wouldn’t go through the questioning in their minds as to why he denied her and how will it come to be that she gets her induction?
This is a degree of dramatic tension. You want to get your audience questioning and wondering. You want to take your scenes to an edge and then pull away. It is akin to the Japanese game shows on TV where contestants are tied to a post and then teased with a parade of cream cakes. They’re just about within reach but pulled away. This is much more watchable than tuning in to see contestants eat cream cakes.