A professional screenwriter is ever learning and putting into practice what they have learned. Last year, I didn't know somethings in screenwriting as well as I do now. The beauty of being a screenwriter is commitment to daily learning.
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There are terms peculiar to filmmaking and scriptwriting that you should become familiar with. When asked about these terms you don't want to feel like a novice. Here are some of the essential terms:
- Character Arc: This is a track record of the character’s internal journey throughout the story.
- Character Development: It’s a process of creating, defining character’s backstory, physical traits, personality, and motivation.
- Plot: The sequence of events that make up the story.
- Dramatic Structure: The framework that ensures a story is organized with clear beginning, middle, and ending. An example is the Three-Act Structure (Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution).
- Start Late, Finish Early: It’s a rule that guides you to enter a scene late, cutting the unnecessary pleasantries, and exiting immediately the main point has been made. E.g. starting a scene mid-discussion on a cogent matter and cutting away on a key line of dialogue.
- On-the-Nose Dialogue: A must avoid mistake where characters say exactly what they are feeling or thinking (e.g "I am very sad because of you"). In real life, people rarely spell it out like that.
- Subtext: The meaning beneath the word. It is what a character is actually communicating without saying it directly. It is the perfect tool to replace on-the-nose dialogue.'
- Inciting Incident: The specific event that disrupts the protagonist’s world and kicks off the plot.
- Beats: Small units of measurement in a script. A story beat is a structural turning point, while a dialogue beat indicates a pause or a shift in emotion within a conversation.
- Show, don’t tell: The golden rule of visual storytelling. Instead of using dialogue to explain a character’s state (telling), use actions, imagery, and behavior to reveal it (showing).
Knowing these terms does not automatically keep you on track, but it will surely lead you there. Using these terms correctly in a professional setting immediately signals that you aren't just a writer, but a student who has mastered the craft of screenwriting.
What other terms do you know that are peculiar to screenwriting? Share with us in the comments!
©TOLU ELIZABETH (DIVINE MUSE)
Screenwriter, Poet, and storyteller.
I help filmmakers, brands and professionals craft narratives that sell through the power of storytelling.
