by
Donald L. Vasicek
Film is a visual medium. Keep yourself aware of “sitting”
scenes. The dialogue has to be very powerful, or viewers
will become bored. You don’t want that. When writing
characters, show them in action scenes in order to show
more of who they are. For example, show Brad Pitt swinging
over the support bar. Show Tom Cruise pushing Meryl Streep
in a swing. Show Meryl Streep, barefoot, smiling, and her
hair streaming in the air.
This way, viewers see Brad Pitt as daring. They see Tom
Cruise as sensitive, like perceiving Meryl Streep as his
mother. And Meryl Streep is enjoying herself like a young
woman in love.
The fine point of screenwriting is show, show, show. Telling
is boring. Showing opens a larger and more exciting world for
viewers. Film is a visual medium.
