Below are examples of one-slide Scene Analyses. Follow the detailed specifications in our syllabus (below these examples), but feel free to invent your own layouts. Simpler is better if you can find useful ways to simplify.
Again, take plenty of time exploring options for what the characters intend and feel before arranging your slide. I recommend that you watch the scene as many as seven or eight time to get a feel for the whole scene. Don’t try to analyze every line of dialogue. Seek the big choices based on our criteria for:
- How the scene serves the story (the writer’s job), and..
- How characters’ objectives and emotions affect the staging (actors’ and directors’ jobs).
Assignment: Scene Analyses from Classic Films (one slide per scene).
Essential info for each scene:
- Characters, Objectives, Emotions, and Actions
- Placement in story (on a timeline, with time notes)
- Role in story: its “core”, “dramatic situation”, or “basic joke”
- Display a “fortune graph” for the protagonist
- List any important events
- Note at least one irony
Optional info:
- Name any recognizeable “character types”
- Who “drives the scene”?
- Screenshots or small drawings
- Any other storytelling strategies worth pointing out
More Examples:
