Screenwriting 101: How To Write Narrative Descriptions In A Screenplay

One of the most critical elements of writing a screenplay is the action lines or (narrative descriptions). If you've already watched the last video on how to create scene headings then make sure to check this out now.
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[@m.williams.actor7]

This has truly been a pleasure hearing how well you broke this down. It doesn't seem as intimidating after this video and for that, I truly say thank you!

[@JayCarver]

You're welcome and consider joining the mailing list for more tips and advice. I'm in the process of creating some online screenwriting courses as well that does a deeper dive!

[@jeremykemp3782]

He didn't break it down, its the original screen play

[@zumjidangana1209]

This is truly good, it's good to know that you cannot write what you can't see or convey just a feeling of someone.

[@Pheidias_Tom]

I've looked at several videos about writing action lines, and yours is by far the most informative. Thank you!

[@JayCarver]

You're very welcome!

[@bakhshishsingh2711]

This has truly been a pleasure hearing how well you broke this down. It doesn't seem as intimidating after this video and for that, I truly say thank you!

[@JayCarver]

It's definitely not! Glad you are motivated to get started!

[@michaelsix9684]

these videos are really great, so clear and easy to follow

[@JayCarver]

Glad you like them!

[@alyasoliman1986]

Thank you very much Jay, this was super helpful and you explained everything so clearly and simply.

[@JayCarver]

Glad it helped!

[@jblackcomedy]

Yo, just wanted to say this is an excellent example of well written & formatted action lines. I give almost all of my script consulting clients the “active voice” note, & also drawing attention to the actual FORMAT of the words with all caps / bold / italics / underline. Very well done, & I’ll definitely recommend your content to people in the future!

[@JayCarver]

Hey man thanks and glad you liked it!

[@BrianEason_DoingitwithGod]

Man you don’t know how much this video has helped me. Thank you Sir.

[@JayCarver]

Glad it helped!

[@zumjidangana1209]

Thanks a lot man

[@laikacons]

Thank you so much for doing this! I needed the refresher before I start writing scripts again

[@JayCarver]

No problem and good luck!!!

[@JehovahJamz]

Thank you

[@JayCarver]

Welcome!

[@everydaystoriesanimated2318]

Great Content, KEEP DOING IT.. 😀👌🙏‼️

[@JayCarver]

Everyday Stories Animated Thanks!!! Will do!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@writerziya]

Hi, Carver, If the description of a stage must necessarily be long, what should we do? So how do we shorten the long description if we know that shortening it will spoil the story? Doesn't that hurt the story? I want to send you the opening scene of a screenplay! Wondering how to shorten it. and I want to learn. Is this possible?

[@JayCarver]

Remember to only write what the camera sees. Get to the point and move on to the next line of action or dialogue. If there are multiple points in a scene that's important for the viewer then break it up. Remember, this isn't a novel, so we don't need a long drawn out explanation of everything in the scene and described in flowery prose. Always remember the point of the screenplay is to sell the story. Not impress the reader with long drawn out descriptions of scenes. Look at the screenplays from a lot of the fantasy movies "Lord of the rings, Avatar, etc) and see how they do it.

[@SpeakingOfNirvana]

Thank you Jay, really helpful mate!

[@JayCarver]

Glad it helped!!

[@jimhutchinson5762]

Thanks, you explained that so well.

[@VirtualWorlds]

Thanks for the great advice! You got a new sub m8! =) Keep going. Gonna go over your other content now dude! =)

[@JayCarver]

Awesome thanks and welcome!

[@malinkor]

Thank you man, I’ve learned some good lessons in this video. Subbed 👍🏻keep it up.

[@JayCarver]

Thanks glad it helped!

[@funnyciscoleon]

Thanks for the video. This is very informative. Keep em coming (that’s what she said OS).

[@JayCarver]

Hahaha thanks will do!

[@sylvano2010]

the limo doors are tinted, so they can't see inside. I see a mistake." so, we can't see inside, "is not necessary" Correct me if I'm wrong? Anyone? Thanks

[@JayCarver]

Yea they probably could have left that part out -- but as it reads now, I sort of envisioned the gang bangers literally acting those words out. Literally trying to get a glimpse inside regardless of the tint and not being able to.

[@shaunaksoni7595]

How does this not have more views!!

[@JayCarver]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@shaunaksoni7595]

@@JayCarver subbed

[@JayCarver]

@@shaunaksoni7595 thanks!

[@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu]

Neat! Cheers !!!

[@bakhshishsingh2711]

JAY ! In the action Lines OS may be in (OS) better? because it i always written in Dialogues ?

[@JayCarver]

It's normally written under the character's name in wrylies, but like I said before there's no one way of writing a screenplay. Just needs to be clear and interesting.

[@esonefilms]

Great video.🙂👍

[@JayCarver]

Thanks!

[@seyoumeigziabeher9348]

Looking at this Logan script I know a lot of teachers who would have made me scratch out much of that action line. Such as US border part and writing camera angles in the script. The major problem I have is that everyone and every book tells you a different way to write a script. Soon as you do it that way it gets rejected. That is very frustrating with all of these schools of screenwriting thought not knowing which one is accurate. Such as bold on your setting line

[@JayCarver]

I know exactly what you mean. And that's why teachers are teaching and the guys who wrote the script are actually living their dream as working writers. The only real rule in screenwriting is that your story can't be boring. As long as you write clearly and tell an engaging story -- nothing else matters ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@BigDaddyJinx]

There's a very old saying that is appropriate in this case, and Jay alluded to it himself: "Those who can - do. Those who can't - teach." Make of that what you will.

[@EastVanGuy7]

Very good and understandable. I'm struggling writing a basic scene with showing the audience rather than telling the audience.

[@JayCarver]

Thanks! As far as showing and not telling just keep in mind that verbs are a writer's best friend :) It takes practice, but something I tend to do is write the scene without any dialogue first as best you can then come back and add the dialogue. It forces you to use visual writing versus exposition and dialogue from the very start.

[@radicalreadsi7923]

I swear I revisit this video to refresh my memory after a good writing hiatus 😂

[@JayCarver]

Haha that’s good to hear!

[@shadethedon8351]

Hey man can you clarify « what is a BEAT » maybe by telling me what is NOT a beat, what IS a beat and give an example for both ( pardon my english i’m french ) i would highly appreciate, thanks man.

[@BigDaddyJinx]

@shadethedon8351 Think of a beat as a moment in time. What you see/hear before the next beat. Sometimes you'll see in scripts the parenthetical "(beat)" - that signifies a moment of pause before the next line of dialogue or action. Using an ellipsis ". . ." accomplishes the same effect, but not everyone reads an ellipsis and actually pauses so some use the actual word "(beat)" to denote where a pause should be. Example: JOHN I'm doing a thing. (beat) And now I'm doing another thing. In action lines it would read something like this: The Torino comes to a screeching halt just shy of the cliff's edge, the motor still growling. (beat) Dust cascades over the hood like brown snowfall. (beat) The backup lights kick in and the rear of the Torino rises up like a shark about to eat its next meal as the car races backwards towards John and Dave. The key to using beats, in my opinion, is to use them sparingly and I mean MAYBE 3 in total in your entire screenplay. Get familiar with breaks "- -" and ellipsis ". . ." instead if you're trying to convey an interruption or a pause in the dialogue/action. They accomplish the same effect and make you look less amateurish. For the most part, whether in action or dialogue, the actors are gonna act the way they feel the scene should be played out for full effect, with or without you denoting a pause. Using "(beat)" you're pretty much telling an actor what to do and they hate that. That's the director's job, not yours. You can imply it and suggest it, but that's about it. Now if you're asking about beats in general...then a beat is pretty much the same, but think of each entry as it's own beat. So in my Torino chase example, there are 3 beats. In my JOHN example, there are 2 beats. Beats are more considered in action/description lines moreso than anything. Again, think of every entry you make as its own beat in a rhythm. Here's an example with beats smashed together: John pushes Dave out of the path of the rushing Torino. John manages to jump out of its path just in the nick of time. Dave gets up and starts running towards the fallen John as he sees the Torino fishtail for another pass. In that description, there are 3 beats. Here it's just one run-on line really. John pushes Dave to safety - one beat. John himself escapes the Torino - one beat. Dave running back to John - one beat. If you are keeping all the action in this case confined to one shot, you can keep the beats clumped together as the audience will be seeing all those beats play out in the frame. If the plan is to induce 3 separate shots from a director (so you're telling them to use different angles without actually using angle shots in the screenplay), then the 3 beats should be on their own lines, generally speaking. Like Jay inferred, consider each beat a "shot" on its own. What you'd like to see on screen in that moment in time in your story. Another example: As he's running frantically to John, Dave pulls out his HANDGUN. John is still shaking off the cobwebs from his fall. Dave draws back the slide, and cocks the gun, aiming it sideways at the oncoming Torino as he pushes his body to the limit. He squeezes off TWO ROUNDS in the direction of the car. Missed. He UNLOADS the rest of the magazine, hoping for a miracle. Two shots make it into the WINDSHIELD of the car. The Torino careens sideways and loses control, flipping over onto its side. 5 beats. Each, ideally, would hope to be its own shot in the film. As a writer, you're steering the view of the audience and yes, giving direction, but ultimately it will still be up to a director to direct. Your job is to write what they'll see and with any luck, they'll see what you see. I hope that helps. Good luck.

[@shadethedon8351]

@@BigDaddyJinx hold on are you telling me that beats are like change in subject in conversations ? Cause if it is it totally make sense ? It is like action (beat1) other action (beat2) ?

[@BigDaddyJinx]

@@shadethedon8351 Hmm. Well kind of. You're in the right church of thought, but maybe not the right pew. Think of a beat exactly how you would musically. Up beat. Down beat. One. Two. Action. Another action. Another action. OR...if part of one longer action, but multiple mini-beats. So one beat of action, but it has 2 or 3 mini-beats wrapped in it. So not so much changing a subject, but close. You're changing a focus for sure. Still the same subject, but the next topic in line. Like a paragraph in a chapter of a book. A fight, ANY fight, plays out like paragraphs in chapters in a book. You chirp. You beak. You show hands. You take off your coat and glasses. You roll your rings back. You flex your fingers. You ball up your fists. You dance around. You edge in closer. Then you throw hands. Each gesture is a beat...a paragraph in that chapter. This is that. Think of each beat in much the same way. Each scene is a chapter of a book. Each chapter has paragraphs detailing what's happening (see/hear/etc.). Those are beats. So not so much changing a subject, but changing the focus within the subject. If that makes sense.

[@shadethedon8351]

@@BigDaddyJinx I never read any " FICTION " books in my entire life maybe that's why what is intuitive for other is hard to grasp for me.. I'm gonna buy one of each Game of thrones, harry potter, lord of the rings to start maybe that will help i would love to start with kids story like tale or maybe simpler than novels like short stories maybe.. But the way you put it really start the fire within me to read cause if scene are the basics of story then maybe eating chapters is what i need .. Also i think i get what you just said here is just would like you to confirm " So not so much changing a subject, but close. You're changing a focus for sure. Still the same subject, but the next topic in line. Like a paragraph in a chapter of a book. " Are you saying that the subject is the goal thus not changing but that the change i was refering to are more like change of tactics but still related to that goal ? also scene have their own goals and each is related attached to the " STORY " overall goal ? Last question, can " 1 " scene have multiple conflict in it ? By that i mean multiple beginning middle and end or every scene and at the end of the climax (resolution) and everytime we start again introduction conflict resolution it is always a new scene ? Thanks man you are really helpful right now

[@BigDaddyJinx]

​@@shadethedon8351 A beat in the sense you described could indeed be seen as a change of tactic, sure. Loosely though. Don't think of it as a static concept. Think of it more fluid than that. All stories require a certain structure to be properly conveyed and comprehended, absolutely...but the job of a writer is to simply ferry a reader from one side of the river to the other. We don't all get off at the same dock. All roads will lead us to the same end, as we're not writing a Choose Your Own Adventure piece...but one does have to bear in mind that the journey is where we can get creative, not the destination. The destination (ending) never changes. We know where our story starts, and where it ends. Neither changes at any time. What happens in between those times (shoreline to shoreline in my boat analogy) is what matters. So if your beat is a tactic change, that's fine. As long as it makes sense. And yes, each scene is its own story beat. So each scene should have a goal, and that is to advance the story/plot. Be it an action piece, or a montage, or some dialogue, or some exposition. Each scene is its own story in a sense. You are coaxing your reader/viewer through it so you need to let them know why they are there. What are they getting from that scene? Is it just two characters talking, or is it two characters interacting with their environment, and how does that serve your story to include it? In a roundabout way, yes, your scenes should all point in the direction of the end of your story eventually. Your aim is to get them there step by step. No one ever wrote a one scene story that had the beginning, middle, and end all in one scene. They need to be guideposts leading you to the ending. Each scene a rung on the ladder from bottom to top. As for whether or not one scene can have multiple conflicts...well, not really. Let's say that your one scene has multiple "conflicts". Does it really? It still all comes down to a choice made, which is still one conflict in what you perceive as multiple "conflicts". A choice needs to be made and that still only counts as one conflict. The choice made. Also, and this should go without saying, you don't want to overwhelm your reader/audience with too much input. The scene should have a walk-in, a beat, then a walk-out - just meaning it should have a clear reason to exist and the reader should know why they are there. If you add or try to add multiple "conflicts" in one scene, it's too much and the reader will become annoyed, or confused, and neither ends well. I suppose if I were to use another analogy, I'd say think of it as a bowl of soup fresh from the stove. Now you can just dig right in and bring the bowl to your yap and swallow the contents, but you risk burning your mouth and your throat. That's bad. Alternatively, you could wait 20 minutes and then start dipping your spoon, but then you risk it getting too cold and ruining the flavor. That's bad. You need to sip it. One spoon (scene) at a time. Savor it. Experience it. Enjoy it. Make people around you want the soup you're eating. Fresh from the stove, you tend to blow on it first to cool it, meaning you're taking your time and setting it up. Maybe you're using crackers, or dipping some breads into it to pad it out a bit. Same with your story (Act I). It starts slow and cooled before consumed. You're setting everything up. Midway, when it's cooling off and you no longer need to blow on it first or you no longer need breads, you can now move at a brisker pace. Same with your story (Act II). You're consuming more, quicker. You now have the taste in your mouth and want more. Then as it's almost starting to get too cold to consume and you're thinking about slapping it in the microwave to reheat it, you rapidly smash that spoon into your yap OR you just grab the bowl and consume the rest like a drink. Same with your story (Act III). The conclusion. The end. The big finish. The destination isn't as important as the journey. Remember that. There's a dozen ways to get to the next town over from yourself, and they all take you to the same place, but each route is different and has their own ups and downs, goods and bads. Take your reader/audience on a scenic route to the destination you want to get them to. Not all scenes need conflict (despite what some may say), but every scene should at least serve the story in some appreciable manner. If you can remove that scene entirely does it impact the story at all? If no, then you likely don't need it and shouldn't include it. If yes, then you keep it and build from it. Always try and be sure that your scene serves the story you're trying to tell SOMEHOW. Even in a nuanced manner, that still counts. If it's just two people yapping in a diner about nothing in particular, then you're just padding your story to fill a word count. Try to avoid that. If they're talking about a moment that happened (reflection) or is about to happen (observation/planning), that at least serves the story. Above all other things, and if I haven't already said it...don't overthink it. Any of it. Create and then refine. Don't spend too much time thinking about how to craft it all. Put something on paper, and then take the edges off, and then polish it. Too much time overthinking or over-analyzing it means less time creating it. Good luck.

[@bakhshishsingh2711]

You Indutry Experts always teach that the more white space on page is better. BUT BUT when I write screen play without dialogues- the white space is LEAST [MINIMUM] ;what is this contradiction Please talk a little?

[@JayCarver]

All I have to say about it is at the 1:12 mark. Do whatever works best for your story.