Scene Breakdown

How to read a movie scene?

The movie script has a distinct format from a stage play or a graphic novel. All movie scenes consist of the very same elements. And you, an actor, are supposed to know how to read it and what each of the specific elements means. Otherwise, you'll only be able to analyze the scene through the dialogue, and you might miss the bigger picture and essential clues that indicate what is expected. 

Scene Heading 

The scene heading would always be left aligned and start with  either:

• INT. - scene is interior 

• EXT. - scene is exterior 

• I/E or INT./EXT. - scene takes place both in an interior and exterior, often when the camera is tracking characters as they walk

Right after the indication that the scene takes place indoors or outdoors, the scene heading specifies the location, for example:

• KITCHEN

• JOHN'S ROOM

• SPACE SHIP

• FOREST

After the location, the scene heading has a dash symbol "-" followed by the time when the scene takes place:

• - MAGIC - has nothing to do with spells., This is short for "Magic Hour" - which means Sunset

• - SUNRISE - means precisely what it says, early morning

• - NIGHT 

• - DAY

• - LATER - means that some time has passed, but the location didn't change

Action 

The action line is always left aligned and follows the scene heading. This is simply the description of the scene. It is always written in the present tense. New characters, non-speaking characters, and props are emphasized with CAPITALIZATION, while emotions are sometimes emphasized with an underline. When a new character is introduced to the script in the action line are given their description in parentheses, for example:

• ANNA (21) - a girl named Anna who is 21 years old

• ALEX (8, male, blonde, cheeky) - a cheeky 8-year-old blonde boy named Alex 

When the production goes through the script, they map all the characters and props. Making those vital script elements in uppercase makes it easier for the production department to catch everything. For example, imagine a BASEBALL FIELD scene, but the BAT and BALL were missing from the props, and the production didn't have an appropriate location booked for shooting. Those seem like a small detail, but - the script is like a receipt, not only for actors but for everyone involved in the process of cooking the movie. 

Character

The character names are always in CAPITAL LETTERS and centred on the page (formally 3.5" from the left margin). You would see it written in two ways:

• NAME  - if the previous character that was speaking was different

• NAME (CONT'D)  - if the dialogue is a continuation of the prior page or an interruption

Character Cue (Extension)

Sometimes right after the character name, there'll be another element called EXTENSION. This indicates that the dialogue is:

• (V.O.) - Voice Over, that is the voice of a narrator, not in the same room

• (O.S.) or (O.C.) - Off Screen or Off Camera - the character that speaks is in the room, but not visible to the camera

• (SHOPKEEPER) - if the character name got revealed, for example, a character previously named SHOPKEEPER would now be known as JOHN because he introduced himself.

Parenthetical (Personal Direction)

Parenthetical is an additional instruction the screenwriter provides right below the character name on how the dialogue has to be played. Common parentheticals include:

• (continuing) - used if the character had a dialogue, then had an action, and then again has a dialogue

• (interrupting) - used when the character interrupts the other character in the scene

• (sarcastic) - setting the tone of the dialogue, which can also be shouting, whispering etc.

• (beat) - used to pause a dialogue, emphasize a specific moment in the scene

• (to ... ) - used to indicate that the character speaks to a specific character in a group scene

Dialogue

The dialogue is indented 2.5" from the left margin, and each line has 30-35 characters. It never has CAPS, bold or italics, but it's quite common to see parts of the sentence that should to be emphasized with an underscore. Some specific things you might see in the dialogue are:

• (MORE) - at the bottom of the page indicates that the dialogue is continued on the next page

• -- - when you see two hypens at the end of the dialogue, it means that the  next character interrupted the previous one

• ...  - when you see the ellipsis at the end of the dialogue of the character, it means that the speech trails off, but if you see it at the beginning of the dialogue, it means that the character finishes the sentence started by the previous character.

• "Mary had a little lamb"- when you see a quotation in a dialogue, this means the character sings or recites

• C - I - A - this is how the C.I.A. acronym would be written in a movie script dialogue. It is written this way for the same reason why numbers are always spelled out - to maintain the one-minute per script page rule.

• Dual dialogue - when two characters speak over each other, for example, in a heated quarrel. 

Transition

The transition in a script is an instruction that the camera's location or time changes. While this is mostly an editing note, for the actor it can give valuable information about the nature of the narration and the character of the scene. Every transition apart from one (FADE OUT) ends in a colon, and every transition is on the right apart from one (FADE IN:). Here are some of the common transitions you'll find in the script, starting with the most common ones:

• FADE IN: - always on the left.

• FADE OUT or FADE TO BLACK (old scripts) - screen getting darker

• FADE TO: - a transition that is a combination of FADE OUT and FADE IN:

• CUT TO: - a transition that indicates the end of the contiguous scene, more dynamic than FADE TO: as there's no dark screen between

• MATCH CUT: - indicates that the two scenes match, it's an instruction that there's a continuity between the takes

• TIME CUT: or - transitions indicating a passage of time in the same location

• JUMP CUT: a transition where the position of the camera stays the same, but the location of people or objects moves indicating a passage of time

• FREEZE CUT: a transition that freezes the frame, usually combined with a Voice Over and narration to emphasize some emotional moment

• DISSOLVE TO: - indicating some dream sequence

• WIPE CUT: - think of a wiper in a car moving over the windscreen. This is precisely how this transition looks like, one take is wiped with the other

• IRIS IN: and IRIS OUT: - very archaic transitions from the silent movies era. It is a circle opening or closing, now used for a comedic effect

Shot

In the script, the shot will look very much like a scene heading, but instead of starting a scene, it will move the focus in the scene. Those elements are usually added later in the script rewriting process to give the director particular guidance for narration. It's unlikely to see those, but if you see this, it means you're most likely reading the final reversion of the script or a script written by the director. Some examples in order of those that would affect the scene interpretation and your acting:

• CLOSE UP ON ...  - indicating that the focus will be on the face of the actor, the actor will have to limit the movement of the head in this shot (Michael Caine)

• EXTREME CLOSE UP ON ... - indicating that the whole focus will be on one part of your face, an eye, the corner of the mouth, sweat on the forehead etc.

• MEDIUM CLOSE UP ON ... - indicating a shot from the shoulders up, this is really what you use in self-tape

• ANGLE ON ... - indicating a shot from with the same setting as before but focusing on different object or character

• FULL SHOT - indicating that your whole body - including shoes will be visible - don't wear those comfy sneakers (Michael Caine)

• MEDIUM SHOT - You'll be visible waist up, so you might have an opportunity to use some gestures

• TWO SHOT or THREE SHOT - a shot where two or three actors are visible, you need to pay more attention to blocking and interaction with each other

• DOLLY ZOOM IN - The actor remains in focus, but the world outside gets bigger, showing a dramatic panic effect.

• DOLLY ZOOM OUT - The actor remains in focus, but the outside gets smaller giving a bit of a focusing on-thoughts effect.

• ZOOM IN - Smooth transition from a long shot to a close shot. For example, you're walking in the crowd and the camera is zooming in on you

• ZOOM OUT - Smooth transition from a close shot to a long shot. For example, you're walking in a mall, and suddenly you feel lost among the whole crowd

• DOLLY IN - The camera moves toward the subject

• DOLLY OUT - The camera moves away from the subject 

• ISOLATE - tight focus on the subject

• ... POV -  short for "point of view", this is a shot that as it shot was through the eyes of a specific character. 

• COWBOY SHOT - You'll be shown from the hips up, unless you're playing a shooting scene in a western unlikely to be seen

• WIDE SHOT or LONG SHOT  - a camera shot made from a considerable distance

• PAN  - a camera movement from left to right or from right to left between subjects without stopping

• ESTABLISHING - just a shot of the location, specifying where the action takes place, not affecting you

• INSERT - a shot focusing on something integral to the scene, something not otherwise easily visible otherwise, a gun, a stain of blood on the sneaker 

How to analyze a movie scene?

Once you've read the scene, you should have a mental picture of what is happening. There's no single correct way to analyze the scene, and each actor does it differently, even here in British Columbia. Depending on the acting school you attend, you'll find at least 3 different methods. Below is the compilation of learnings from  Tricities Film Studio, YVAS The Seven, Story Institute's G.R.E.A.T. O.P.E.R.A, and some of the scene breakdown instructions on Stanislavski's Technique learned from Actor In You. Each one of those approaches emphasizes a slightly different set of points. Pick and choose what works best for you for a specific scene. If you live close to Vancouver, use the opportunity to attend classes and learn those analysis techniques firsthand from experienced fellow actors that will guide you through the process.

Contextual breakdown

Scenes are not happening in the void. They're part of a bigger picture, a whole script, even if it is just a single scene, that is part of the audition. Usually, there's some back story or a character description associated with the provided sides. All of those provide substantial information that would let you make appropriate choices and are required to reconstruct the character most truthfully. Even if you just have the scene, you should try identifying or guessing the given circumstances: 

• WHO - you should identify who is the character in the scene, what is the age of the character, what is the relationship of the character to other characters in the scene, and what is the occupation or level of education or personal culture of the specific character - you can identify all of that based on the style of the language used in the script. A good test that screenwriters do is they hide the name of the character in the script and read the dialogue. If they can identify the character based purely on the pattern of the speech, it means that they did put enough hints into the voice, that they no longer sound like the screenwriter, but they have their own identity. As an actor, you should aim to uncover this identity.

• WHERE - you can identify where the scene occurs by reading the location descriptions. The same dialogue would have different dynamics if the place is public and different when it takes place in your own living room. What if your character is constrained in a small cell or in a field? Does your character have any specific relationship if the specific place, does the character feel safe or uncomfortable? This could impact the set of gestures you use in the scene and the range of emotions you'll express. 

• WHEN - what is the time of day or time of the year when the scene takes place? Is this a science fiction movie, with alien creatures walking around or maybe a historical drama where characters walk around in fancy outfits and behave according to the rules of etiquette? If the scene happens in the morning, right before you had your coffee, you should be a bit less sleepy. If the scene happens during winter, maybe it's a specific time of the year. This is specifically important if you happen to film a Christmas movie right in the middle of the summer, not that it happens often (wink). Even when you know the time keep it for yourself, do not indicate

Character breakdown

In the character breakdown, you have to recognize and identify the specific arc of the character in the scene. By the arc, we understand the change within the character during the scene.

• STATE - what happened before the scene, how the character feels right at the beginning, sometimes referred to as pre-conditions or assertions.

• GOAL - what does the character intend to achieve, what is the character fighting for or what does they hope to achieve in the scene?

• CONFLICT - what are the different goals of the characters, and how do they clash with each other?

• OBSTACLES - what are the problems the character needs to overcome to achieve the goal?

• TACTICS - what does the character decide to do to achieve the goal in the scene, and what the character learns during that process?

• STAKES - what will happen if the character wins or loses in achieving their goal? 

• RESULT - what is the scene's outcome? Does the character win or lose in their goal?

Structural breakdown

Theoretically, the scene breaks further into a series of beats - those are specific smaller units of action that cannot be divided further. At a minimum, the scene should have at least 3 parts consisting of one or more beats each. The opening part (rise) states the problem or the conflict between the characters, the middle part (crisis) is where the conflict evolves up to a turning point, and the final part is where the scene resolves (release).

• Identify beats in the scene, and figure out which beat is the turning point in the scene that defined its outcome.

• Identify the actions of characters in each beat. A small gesture, touching a photo of someone that passed away, might have a more significant emotional impact on the meaning of the beat than any words spoken. Have you considered what could be an emotional gesture as defined by Michael Chekhov?

• Identify the character objectives in each beat - objectives define the reason why the character does specific actions or voices a particular sentence. The objective has to be singular, immediate and personal.

• Consider if there is a subtext (a hidden agenda) in each beat, a character that is saying "yes" might be thinking "no way", and define what your character thinks in each beat even when there are only actions or the character remains static. As Michael Caine said, even when an actor is not talking, has a lot of things to say but decides not to voice them out.

Emotional breakdown

Once you have identified the context, the character's arc and the scene's structure, you have to go to the next level. There's no truthful performance unless you do the proper emotional preparation. Knowing all of the circumstances, you should either:

• Find a situation from your past experience that resembles the scene and use substitution (early Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg)

• Create a mental model of the character with all the known circumstances and put yourself into the character's body, living the moment in the character's life  (late Stanislavski, Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner)

• Identify the required energy sources, the combination of various acting notes you intend to play and plant the necessary imagined memories that would trigger appropriate physical and emotional responses (Murisa Harba)

Regardless of which method of acting you're using, the script is the only source of truth. You have to remain honest to the story. You have to figure out the gaps and things that were not told. You have to figure out yourself based on your experience, knowledge of the context, and strong choices showing your artistry. That freedom of interpretation makes all actors and those that perform music different from each other. Make your own strong choices.

Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part

The book by Michael Shurtleff is what The Seven takes inspiration from.