Hey everyone! I am a new screenwriter, and I have been reading some screenplays comprised of sequences that have no specific scenes defined. I've noticed every screenwriter has different writing styles and there is not one rule or structure that is universally used. (correct me if I am wrong) The biggest question I have is about scenes vs sequence. To my basic knowledge, scenes are very location-based, however, sequences don't seem to follow that same rule. In fact, sequences do not contain scenes? Although it is not obvious that scenes exist within sequences, are they implied at all? For example, if I have a sequence with multiple different locations within that sequence, would that automatically imply the change of locations are scenes, even if it is not stated? Any input anyone has would be so helpful! Thank you.
Welcome to the forum! Even if you're new to writing, don't be shy about asking questions and sharing your work! I'm not familiar with script-writing. I know what a scene is, but I'm not sure what a sequence would be?
Thank you! I am not sure I posted in the right forum, so posted again in the scripts and screenplays one. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply!
You're welcome. If you're not sure, you can always ask a mod to take a look and advise or move it to wherever is appropriate. Just use the Report button to do that.
Story sequence has to do with the entire narrative arc of the story - i.e. from beginning >middle > end. In what order do you put the scenes? You've mentioned that a scene is "location-based" - this may be so. A scene usually contains action and dialogue. And when the location changes, a new scene starts.
No biggie. I deleted the other thread. Regarding your script question, I'm a bit rusty, but I know there are many different levels of scripts. There are the ones that we write on our own, sitting at home, typing on our devices, where we create the story from scratch with all the bells and whistles and such things. There are many different styles for that, and I don't believe they really matter much because it's just a story on paper. But then there's the shooting script which the director/producer/actors use to actually produce the film. There's the spoken words obviously, but at that stage you need to know where you're shooting and what you're shooting. Whether its an exterior (EXT in script language) shot that requires a location, time of day, weather, etc. Or and interior (INT) shot that requires a stage and a set, whether that's created in a studio or shot in a real room or whatever. All of that is an enormous deal and fairly detached from the original writer. Like, if I set a scene on an alien landscape, it's just words to me. But when they go to make the movie, they need to know whether they're going to build an alien landscape set (like old school Star Trek), create one using CGI, or use a location like Iceland which can almost double for the moon, I hear, with all the lava flows and shit. There's an old joke that when producers read a script for the first time they check how many EXT shots are listed and start adding the budget up on a cocktail napkin. The more locations, the more money needed. I think it used to be like a million dollars per EXT added to the regular costs, but don't quote me on that. I'm not 100% sure about the scenes vs sequence thing, but from what you described, the sequence sounds like a montage, which might be a combination of flashback footage from other scenes in the movie or just a regular old quick-cut montage which every film does. I would guess that from the initial writing perspective--a regular writer sitting at a laptop--marking all of the montage cuts with EXT and INT would be cumbersome to read and understand. In that case, a summary paragraph of the montage is probably the way to go for flow and narrative clarity. Then the actual directors and producers would figure out the best scenes to actually film. The thing to remember is that script writing part is only a tiny portion of the film production process. What you write and what ends up on screen requires millions of dollars, years of development, thousands of people, and all that jazz. Writing a novel is 95% one person writing words. Hope this helps. I haven't done a script in 20 years so I'm not hip to how they work these days.
You know, I think I wrote a few montage scenes in some of my old scripts and did the thing were I didn't delineate scenes or block off beats. It would have looked something like this: CUE MONTAGE: We see Homer typing at his laptop, getting frustrated, going outside, smoking some cigarettes, reluctantly waking up the next day, frowning at the laptop, going outside to smoke some more cigarettes, tossing his laptop across the room, crying in the corner, waking up, flipping both middle fingers at his laptop, sitting in therapy (the therapist looks bored), waking up, sighing deeply, typing tentatively, smiling a little, going outside, not smoking cigarettes, smiling at dinner with some friends, waking up, whistling dixie, typing like a madman. And so forth
