TRANSITION & SHOTS revisited + building a character

You can tell I just can't let go this topic ;-)

A few useful things today - like the glossary below, and a few more examples of what you can achieve with carefully planned shots and transitions.


Let's start with cult classic: The Shining

The scene plays out like that:



And this is what it looks like on paper:



As you can see the language in action description is VERY simple, yet the effect is stunning. The scene plays with very little dialogue, all that makes it so compelling is the way it's edited.

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Let's go back to MONTAGES. So far we've seen them used for comedic effect, but equally as often they are employed in action sequences. And you've probably noticed that almost always they are set to music.

Here is one such scene taken from one of my favourite films - Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

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And now the promised glossary - or more than you've ever wanted to know about terms and abbreviations used in screenwriting ;-)










(Taken from Screenwriting for narrative film and television by William Charles Miller)

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Building a character - just a brief introduction, we'll continue with this topic next time.

Tip for today - GIVE YOUR CHARACTER A QUIRK.