LESSON X.
Scenes.
Whenever a picture is taken of new surroundings and background it becomes a new scene. Each new scene must be shown in your Scenario and numbered consecutively.
The same stage settings are often used several times with different action. See Scenes 1-3-5-7-9-45-50-52 of sample Scenario.
Brevity is essential when writing your scenes. Do not endeavor to depict a scene. In scene I, you will note we mention “Teddy’s Rooms,” but we do not describe them. We leave that for the Director to do when arranging the scene.
Make all your scenes as simple as possible. All the details in connection with the scenes can be taken care of much better by the Director.
The novice sees moving pictures only in a superficial way and fails to examine carefully the manner in which they are presented on the screen. Many inexperienced writers are under the impression that a certain number of scenes are required for a thousand feet of film, and proceed to write accordingly. The number of scenes should be gauged by the length of the play. Time should be spent in gauging the length of your various scenes to see that none of them contain too much action and mechanical play.
Study the play as to its technical presentation, forget the plot, for the time, and interest yourself in the dramatic technique.
The producer often must divide and subdivide some of your scenes into several scenes, which require cut backs, and, naturally, causes trouble in matching up the broken parts perfectly. Therefore, do not have long acting scenes, and avoid narrativeness, which we find characteristic among amateur writers. Briefness and clearness are the principal things to follow; leave nothing to be guessed at or inferred by the producer or spectators.