Screenwriting: Subtext and Reversals.

In screenwriting we have been talking about subtext and how it can effect dialogue and actions.  The exercise where you write things as obviously as possible before rewriting looks like a really handy tip that I will need to keep in mind as I write my screenplays in the future.

I actually had a lot of fun with this exercise and I enjoyed building the subtext into the characters conversations subtlety. 

We have also been looking at reversals.  In screenwriting a reversal is a reversal of expectation.  It is the result of an active choice, the character must make a decision opting for a different option than the outcome wanted when they first entered the scene.  A reversal doesn't mean that a character doesn't achieve their goal- just that they might go about it in an unusual way, or act unexpectedly.


Reversals keep the audience guessing as to what is going to happen next, pull them into the story and keep them engaged. 

According to studentfilmakers.com, this is how you create a scene reversal:

• Introduce a character with a clear scene goal.
• Create a set of expectations in viewers’ minds as to
  how the goal will be accomplished.
• Introduce complications, conflict, or interactions.
• List several ways the audience expects a character
  to achieve a goal and have the character fail at each
  attempt.
• During the character’s last attempt to accomplish the
  goal, have the character do something unexpected and
  succeed. This usually involves something being in the
  scene that the audience does not yet know about.

When constructing reversals, look at your character’s scene goal first and whether or not they succeed or fail. Then ask yourself how they can accomplish that goal outcome in an unexpected way.

http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/news/how-to/17-Scene-Reversal-Ideas.shtml