You’ve probably heard the saying “Film is a visual medium.”

It’s true.

What you SEE on that screen usually carries much more weight than the dialogue.  In every scene, one of the dramatic choices you make is the visuals.

It’s so much easier to have a character tell us what is happening, but that usually has far less impact of a really good visual.  Since having emotional impact is one of the goals of screenwriting, we want to master the art of showing and even more importantly, showing with meaning.

Here’s some visuals to consider.  As you read the examples, think about the visuals you use in your script.

1.  VISUALS THAT HAVE MEANING

Moulin Rouge — Nicole Kidman falls off the swing at the conclusion of the first big song delivers a strong meaning – she’s so ill that she faints during a performance.

Evita — The opening funeral of Evita’s father.  His real family arrives in a luxurious coach wearing nice clothes. But Evita and her mother arrive on the public bus in poor clothing.  Evita is a small girl and runs to the casket to see her father.  Men chase her away.  The message is that she is illegitimate.

Bad Santa — At the end of the bar sits a man in a Santa Clause uniform — sobbing and drinking himself into a coma. Without a word said, the visual says that this guy is willing to violate everything that Santa Clause stands for.

2.  VISUALS THAT ARE METAPHORS

Remember The Titans — Denzel Washington takes the players on a late night run and they end up in a field … at Gettysburg…  where 50,000 soldiers died in the fight over black and white.   Gettysburg is a metaphor for what they have been doing to each other.  He uses it to ask them to change their behavior and honor each other.

As Good As It Gets — Jack Nicholson hates the neighbor’s dog about as much as he hates the neighbor (and everyone else, too). At the midpoint, Jack must take care of the dog. So the dog becomes the metaphor for Jack’s acceptance of others. As they  develop a relationship, Jack becomes more tolerant of people and actually becomes friends with his neighbor.

Field of Dreams — In this movie, baseball is a metaphor for life. The field is a metaphor for taking risks and going for your dream.

3.  VISUALS THAT REVEAL KEY INFORMATION

Conspiracy Theory — After saying he doesn’t know her, Mel Gibson takes Julia Roberts into the escape room below his apartment and Julia sees his wall plastered with pictures of her.  In one visual, she realizes that he has been stalking her for years.

Basic Instinct — The movie ends with Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas on the bed.  When Michael says something about having kids someday, Sharon reaches over the side of the bed. Michael retracts the statement and Sharon retracts her arm. The camera tilts down to show an ice pick on the floor. Without words, we know that his life is in serious jeopardy.

Ever After — At the end, the Stepmother and wicked sister get called before the court to explain their actions.  The Queen asks if anyone will speak for them.  When no one says anything, Cinderella steps out, saying she will speak for the two women.  By her dress and manner, we know she is now royalty and the women who abused her so long are toast!

ONE CAUTION

Like dialogue, character, plot, and many other, visuals are one of the tools you can use to tell a story dramatically.

Writers either do very little visuals or they create such complex visuals that you have to reread the scene three times to really get it.

The caution?   Don’t fall in love with your visuals and forget that they are there to serve the story.   Like any other dramatic tool, if it doesn’t work for the story, use something else that works better.

QUESTIONS TO CREATE VISUALS

With any scene, ask these questions and see what answers
you get:

1. What meaning do I want to deliver in this scene?
2. What visuals could deliver that meaning?
3. What metaphors could represent that meaning?
4. What is it like?
5. What information could we reveal through the visuals and what visuals could possibly reveal that info?

Many times, asking these questions will deliver 10, 20, 30 or more answers and then you can pick the best ones. Every scene has the opportunity for visuals.  Often, it is just a matter of asking the right question and allowing your imagination to do its job.

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Hal Croasmun is a writer/producer in Los Angeles. http://www.screenwritingu.com/screenwriting-articles