Secrets of Writing: Scenes

Now that we understand polarity, we can talk about scenes. Scenes are the smallest component of the story, after panels. They are like miniature stories within the story. And they should follow the same basic formula of story structure. A>B

A is the hero of the scene. B is the conflict/villain standing in the way. C is the Grail.

If we look at the one act comic strip as an example. We see that one character is usually talking to another character. Character A wants something, be it information, attention, money, etc. Character B is always going to resist in some way. The punchline of a comic strip is how they resist. Usually it’s with some joke that has a negative effect on character A. So we see polarity in action. Comic strips almost always start positive and end negative because humor is usually found in pain.

A scene should follow the rules of the one act story. The ending should have some kind of punchline at the end. A pay off. This gives the scene it’s own premise, which gives it weight.

The average scene in a comic takes up one or two pages. The one page scene is a good size because you can set up a tight series of panels to get to a quick punch at the end. But when you need a long scene you can add pages or panels until you accomplish the length you want.

A scene in a book or a movie can take a few pages (or a few minutes) but remember that the length of a scene controls the energy of the story flow. A short scene is punchy. If it’s too short it won’t have much impact. If it’s too long it can bore the audience or make them lose their attention to what the scene is about. Focus is your critical element. You need to focus on what the scene is about and not be distracted with being cute or showing off something that is not part of that scene. Remember that a scene has to have a point, just like a story. And the ending of the scene has to deliver the story something to move it forward.

When you try to put more than one scene on a page you need to make sure they are compatible. The Audience should have a sense that this next scene is somehow linked to the events of the storyline in a logical progression from the last scene. Otherwise it’s rather jarring to make a jump from one into something completely different in tone and pace.

Another thing to remember when doing one page scenes (in comics) is that even numbered pages are what you see when you turn a page, odd numbered pages are the page you have to turn. Therefore, the last panel on an odd numbered page can be used to set up a surprise when the reader turns the page. The only thing that can screw you up are the advertisements. You may have to find out where they normally get placed or ask that the ads don’t effect something you’ve set up. They can usually play around with the ads to accommodate the needs of your story.

The panel count to a scene should be based on the type of actions taking place. The kinetic principle holds that the shorter the scene, the faster the pace. If you want to slow things down, add more panels and make scenes longer. By the same token, double page spreads are very static to look at, even when they are action shots. A choreographed series of panels showing action cinematically flows in a more exciting manner.

REMEMBER: Scenes are like miniature stories. Make them end with a pay off.

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