This is the third year I’m judging for Shriekfest. It’s a lot of fun and I enjoy reading scripts from writers all over the world. There have been some great scripts, and I can definitely tell you a good story really stands out.
One of the things I’ve seen constantly drag scripts down is the pace of the story. This is the speed at which things happen in the story – simply put when things happen rapidly the story has a fast pace; when they happen slowly it’s a slow pace.
Some stories vary the pace: at times it’s fast and at times slow. This builds engagement because it builds excitement, gives the audience a chance to catch their breath, then builds again.
What do I mean by things happening? Probably the best way to explain it is at the core of drama is conflict. You know: two dogs, one bone. Someone wants something. Someone else wants the same thing. They fight (figuratively or literally) for the prize and there can only be one winner.
Every scene needs some form of conflict. Think of the scene as a mini-story. it has a beginning, a middle and end. The scene doesn’t necessarily begin with the start of the conflict (there can be prior action); I’d say it can be the middle and end (resolution). You just need to clearly establish what the conflict is, and that it’s resolved. This resolution should propel you to the next conflict.
It sounds easy. Pulling it off is admittedly hard. In many of the scripts I see, there’s not really a lot happening. People talk. They make breakfast. They talk some more. They may go places. Things are happening but they’re not happening. When there isn’t enough conflict in a scene, it falls flat and it’s tough to keep reading. Sometimes there may be a gem that’ll keep me reading and possibly finish the script, but that’s rare (more on that in another post).
When Pace is Rough
In the first few drafts of a script, I think the pacing can be a little rough. As the script goes through revision and gets polished, the pacing evens out. You have to show up and do the work, though: it’s easy to muddle through some drafts thinking you’re putting everything you got into the script and just be going through the motions.
This shows. You’d be surprised how much it shows; you could tell me it’s the fifteenth draft of your work and it’ll show that the effort isn’t there. I didn’t see it early in my writing journey. I see it now. And I know at times I did it myself.
Most of the problems with pace fall into these categories:
Too Slow on the Draw: it feels like nothing happens in the first 10-15 pages of the script. This is 10-15 minutes of screen time. It’s important to grab my attention because depending on the length of your script, this can be a significant portion of your first act.
What Have We Gotten Into: the script takes off like a rocket with things happening on every page. And it stays this way for as far as I read in the script. Some major revelation is on every page; occasionally two or even three reveals come on each page. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s exhausting and it’s so fast the audience can’t follow. Fast paced scripts can work, but if you go too fast it’s easy to miss important details.
Uneven: there’s a difference between an uneven pace and a logically varied pace. Logically varied pace makes sense: there’s tension, build release and it follows a pattern. The writer has a sense for what needs to go quickly and when to slow it down – like a good Lyft driver. When it’s uneven there are jackrabbit starts and screeching halts, sometimes hitting brick walls.
Flame Out: The script starts strong, but toward the end loses steam. The writer seems fatigued and it shows. It’s like the engine shut down and the script is slowing to a crawl, if not an outright halt. For me, this could actually be forgivable depending on how far we got before things puttered out.
What’s The Right Pace?
I know some of you are thinking what’s the right pace for my story? Like so many things in art it depends. Some stories benefit from a slow pace that takes its time. Others benefit from a faster pace, bringing the audience on a thrill ride. And others vary the pace to keep the audience interested.
I think it’s important to consider the type of story you’re writing. A James Cameron style action scifi slugfest needs a really quick pace. A Lovecraftean horror needs to take its time to slowly build the horror to the big reveal. A comedy like Booksmart benefits from a varied pace. (It’s pretty fast, but at times things slow down for the emotion to sink in)
Pace is important. Keep in mind the type of story you want to tell and think long and hard about how quickly it needs to be told.