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Monologue
A monologue is a long speech by one character, usually preaching or lecturing to others when the conflict is at a high point.....
MONTAGE:
A montage is a series of images showing a theme, an event, a contradiction, a passage of time, etc.....
Mood
The mood is the atmosphere or pervading tone of the scene, sequence, act, or even the entire script.....
Mystery
Mystery creates tension by presenting a puzzle, something unknown, enigmatic, or disturbing. It provokes the viewer’s curiosity and asks him to use his inquisitiveness to solve the riddle.....
Mythic Characters
Mythic characters are usually heroic characters that encourage us or motivate us into new behaviors or new understandings, ultimately making us better people as we identify with the “good”, which is often rooted from mythology, fables, and folklore.....
Nonhuman Characters
Nonhuman characters are most often human characters with a beak, a purr, or webbed feat. They are anthropomorphic animals.....
O.C.
Off-camera (O.C.) is seen next to a CHARACTER’S name in all CAPS and inside a parenthetical before a specific piece of dialogue. It indicates that the writer wants a particular character to be present at the location, but only wants that character to be heard, not seen.....
O.S.
Off-screen (O.S.) is seen next to a CHARACTER’S name in all CAPS and inside a parenthetical before a specific piece of dialogue. It indicates that the writer wants a particular character to be present at the location, but only wants that character to be heard, not seen.....
Objective
An objective is a goal. The protagonist’s objective is his want or need or desire to accomplish something.....
Obligatory Scene
An obligatory scene is a scene which the viewer waits for and excitedly looks forward to. It tension is an eager anticipation of the future, then the obligatory scene is one that the viewer consciously expects.....
Observation
The action or process of observing something or someone carefully in order to gain information.....
Obstacles
Obstacles occur throughout the entire script but are thought of as the building blocks of the second act. Each sequence has it’s own conflict, it’s own obstacle, and the obstacles continue to increase in difficulty as we move forward with the story.....
One-string Characters
One-string characters usually appear in one or just a few scenes and have primarily only a functional role belonging to a location, place, or environment. They do not suggest any special story line of their own nor are they involved in any dramatic predicament, and therefore, if they reappear in the story again, they repeat the same ‘one-stri....
Planting and Payoff
Planting and payoff is a device by which a motif, a line of dialogue, a gesture, behavioral mannerism, costume, prop or any combination of these is introduced into a story and then repeated as the story progresses. In the changed circumstances toward the resolution, the planted information assumes a new meaning and “pays off”.....
Plot
The plot is the main events of the story, devised by the writer, and presented as an interrelated whole. In a screenplay the plot is structured through three acts, including eight main sequences (sometimes nine or ten), and five major plot points.....
Point of Attack
The point of attack (also called the inciting incident) is the moment - and first major plot point - at which the dramatic conflict, hidden up until now, announces itself. This moment occurs about half way through the first act.....
Polarity
Polarity is the reversal from one pole of the experience to its opposite - that is, where has the character come from and where is he/she going? In almost every dramatic story, the beginning and the end are principally polar: happiness/unhappiness; hate/love; vengeance/forgiveness; naivete; maturity, etc.....
POV
The point of view (POV) is the position from which something or someone is observed. When using voice over, it can be the narrator’s position in relation to the story being told. POV can also be an effective way to describe the way the audience sees the scene. The camera replaces the eyes - sometimes the ears as well - of a character, monster....
Preparation
Scenes of preparation are usually scenes of a character getting ready for the dramatic confrontation ahead. They are opportunities to rev up the audience emotionally for the upcoming shock.....
Props
Props are portable objects other than furniture or costumes used by characters in a scene.....
