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Descending Action
At the end of the second act, and after the protagonist has done everything in his/her power to overcome his/her supreme ordeal, and the main culmination is reached and the battle is done - either a victory or a defeat - the descending action starts the third act with a new tension.....
Details
The details are the individual features, props, or items in a scene. These details enrich the location and environment of the scene; however, describing too many details is a mistake. It is wise to describe a location in a general and succinct way, while pointing out a few important details that will be used to help tell the story in some way: adve....
Directing on the page
Directing on the page occurs (and is something the screenwriter wants to avoid) when the writer provides too many camera positions such as ZOOM IN, PAN LEFT, ANGLE ON, CRANE SHOT, CLOSE UP, PUSH IN, TRACKING SHOT, etc. When the writer is guilty of this, there is the potential to alienate potential directors by not allowing the director to imagine h....
Dissolve To
A dissolve is a transition between scenes in which two images gradually overlap each other.....
Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience learns something that at least one person on screen does not know.....
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the theory and practice of dramatic composition.....
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. If the audience does not empathize with the main protagonist, the audience will not hope or fear for that character, and therefore, will not care about the character’s objective.....
Environment
The environment is the surroundings or conditions in which a character lives or operates in. The environment can often be a source of conflict in of itself, and sometimes the environment is the antagonist of the story.....
Experience
The writer must draw from within his/her own experience (especially when creating characters) and rely on his/her own sense of who people are, how they tick, what they’re about, etc.....
Exposition
Exposition is an explanation of necessary information to the understanding of the facts from which the story action departs.....
EXT.
In a script, the abbreviation EXT. (EXTERIOR) notifies the reader that the following scene will be outdoors.....
FADE TO:
A fade (FADE IN:, FADE OUT., FADE TO BLACK.) is a transition effect in which the film picture lightens and appears or darkens and disappears gradually.....
Fantasy Characters
Fantasy characters live in strange, romantic, or magical worlds, inhabited by unusual creatures. Characters living within this mystical world have a limited number of qualities, sometimes defined through a physical exaggeration, or by magical powers, or by being supersomething: supergood, superbad, supersmart, etc.....
Fear
Fear is an emotion that the audience must have for the protagonist. If the audience cares about the character, they should hope the character takes the correct course of action in a difficult situation, yet fear the character will choose badly.....
First Culmination
The first culmination (or midpoint) is the first decisive moment in which the character faces his/her highest obstacle so far. This moment usually parallels the end of the film; therefore, if the film is a tragedy, then the first culmination should be a low point for the character. If the character wins in the end, then the first culmination should....
FREEZE FRAME:
The picture stops moving, becoming a still photograph, and holds for a period of time.....
Future
Elements of the future create hopes and fears in the characters, which encourage the audience to look to the future of the story.....
Hook
The hook is opening scene or scenes that attempt to grab the audience’s attention. The selection of what happens and how it takes place must be visually exciting with interesting characters in an original world with a memorable situation. If the writer catches the reader with a strong hook, the probability that the reader continues turn pages....
Hope
Hope is an emotion that the audience must have for the protagonist. If the audience cares about the character, they should fear the character will take the wrong course of action in a difficult situation, yet hope the character will choose wisely.....
Horizontal Reading
A script that invites horizontal reading has two strikes against it right off the bat. The script is horizontal when it is text-heavy, with blocks of description that are more than four lines in length. This results in a slower, more labor intensive read.....
