5 Best Types of Scenes (Writing Advice)

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I like the two bad options scenes because they push characters into growth, whether positive or negative.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Absolutely. Putting genuine pressure on a character leads to growth in almost every case

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

I call it rock and hard place.

[@truthspreader1996]

Is there such a thing as negative......growth? That sounds like an oxymoron.....

[@thomasdoubting]

Like when the mom in Rick and Morty in a "Sophie's choice" dilemma pick Summer instead of Morty, even before the villan is done talking‼️😂

[@RobertAlberti]

Clever misdirection scene - Indiana Jones faced with sword-swinging "boss" opponent simply shoots him.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Love it!

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

The funny thing is that this wasn't planned. Harrison Ford was sick, so they changed it.😅

[@BeeWhistler]

@@jesusromanpadro3853That is one of these least obscure film facts in history, my friend. But it is a particularly enjoyable one.

[@intergalactic92]

One of my favourite parts in the sequel is when he runs into two of them. He grins and reaches for his gun, only realise he doesn’t have it. "You can almost hear the director saying "not this time Harrison. This time you’ve got to fight them."

[@chriswest8389]

Or Toco from The G the B and the ugly. “ If your gonna shoot, shoot. Don’t talk “

[@IAmTheEagleHTM]

Brandon, how about a "good vs bad" video about subverting expectations?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hoping to do Bad vs Good Monologues soon, so I'll add subverting expectations to my list. Thanks!

[@mikehunt5106]

Last Jedi’s gonna be in there somewhere

[@IAmTheEagleHTM]

​@@mikehunt5106I had Game of Thrones in mind actually

[@j.munday7913]

I like scenes where the inconsequential throw-away line or random item becomes super important somehow. When you rewatch you notice it's everywhere suddenly. I don't know why but that's like catnip for me.

[@upg5147]

This is called Chekhov's Gun

[@briantrafford4871]

Wesley beating Vazzini in The Princess Bride using a clever (if improbable) third option in the poisoned cup scene is one of many great scenes in a truly great movie.

[@treasonouspigeonpeckers957]

Inconceivable

[@JohnBradford14]

Reminds me of the scene in Captain America where the Hydra Agent threw the kid in the water, and you think the chase is about to be interrupted by Steve saving the kid, but kid says "Don't worry, I can swim!" And everyone let out a chuckle because in the heat of the moment, we all forgot that children are able to swim, too.

[@Yearofthebows24]

One of my favorite scenes is in The Dark Knight when Batman is interrogating the Joker. Batman has always been able to extract information from whoever he wants. But he can't do it with the Joker. The Joker has nothing that Batman can threaten him with. As the scene goes on, you see Batman slowly start to lose it and the music just adds to the tension of the movie. Just to add insult to injury, the Joker throws in the misdirection and Batman still fails to get what he wants

[@AryaCyrus]

I don't know if you remember, but I once said it's unfair that you have so few followers. I just got happy to notice that you've passed the 100k. Although I think you still deserve more.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I've been very fortunate over the past year

[@lordfabulous6198]

I agree. He's my go-to writing advice KZbinr. Unlike the others, he isn't arrogant about his answers and gives examples for what he says, and keeps things nice and concise, unlike most that make there videos in 30+ minute length.

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

True, the short videos, and examples. 👌

[@Crystar500]

Good example for Scene type #5 from gaming: The ending of GTA V forces Franklin to choose between two tough choices which players CAN do, but the canonical ending is a third option where the main cast finds a solution to all of their issues by tying up loose ends.

[@rebel1717]

I love when a good guy reaches his limit and goes on a killing spree. A good example is Jim from 28 days later. He starts off as a decent man with high morals, as high as a survivor of a zombie apocalypse can get anyway. But after finding his parents dead in his home, enduring a long journey across England, watching Frank get infected then killed by soldiers, and finding out said soldiers intent to keep his final two friends, one of whom is his lover, as sex slaves, Jim uses guerrilla tactics and quick thinking to take out the entire mansion of soldiers. And when Jim finds the last soldier holding Selina hostage, with intent on escaping with her, Jim savagely yet slowly kills the final soldier in a manner that makes Serleena mistake Jim for one of the zombies.

[@dr.tafazzi]

That's the least entertaining character arc for me... So overdone, so wrong

[@Antares2]

My favorite scene is the plot twist that I ACTUALLY didn't see coming. The first time watching "The Sixth Sense" when the sleeping wife drops the wedding ring and the protagonist realizes he's a ghost. It truly caught me off guard, and that is rare as most "twists" are not well hidden. It's one of those rare twists that actually make you want to watch a movie (or read a book) another time, just to see how the twist matches up to the rest of it once you know about it. Later Shyamalan movies tried to recreate this with plot twists, but they were never as good at it (in fact they only got worse and worse as time progressed). Having a truly surprising AND satisfying twist is very hard, but a great pay-off when it works. I already knew the twist to Fight Club before watching the movie the first time, so I unfortunately never got that full experience on that movie.

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

Ever since I watched dune part two, I cannot escape dune no matter what I watch! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hahaha it's truly everywhere. I actually thought about using Dune for today's thumbnail but figured it would get lost in a sea of Dune thumbnails

[@galfisk]

It's dune a number on you.

[@grizzly_manbanimation8436]

I think one of my favorite types of scenes is where 2 characters who hate each other or just don’t particularly like each other are basically forced into a situation where they are forced to work together. Doesn’t always have to end with the characters becoming friends. I just like seeing characters like that come together. Whether it’s to help one out of a tight spot or survive. A good example of this is in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. When Harry and the gang along with Malfoy have to serve detention by going into the dark forest to investigate the death of one unicorn as well as a search and rescue for one that’s been injured. Malfoy and Harry are paired up together and have to travel through the woods alone. Not much happens in way of character growth but we do at least get to see Draco be the scared little coward that he is.

[@TMtheScratcher]

A good scene that comes to my mind is in Avatar the last Airbender, where Zuko has to help Aang escape from Zhaos Fortress. While Zuko knows all the time what he is doing, Aang gets only to see the true face of his hero in a moment of high tension, where he has to make a difficult decision rather quickly. And I love how the resolution ended with Aang giving Zuko a chance for becoming friends, but for Zuko it was still crystal clear what his goal is and that friendship is an obstacle instead of a solution.

[@ashwin_ramakrishnan]

Third option: Jon Snow killing Mance Rayder with an arrow. Stannis can't let Mance live as a king who won't kneel, but the wildlings will hate Jon for letting Mance burn alive. Jon killing Mance shows mercy, earns the respect of the wildlings, and doesn't qualify as an outright betrayal of Stannis.

[@michaelwong9411]

My favourite clever misdirection scene has to be Captain America saying "Hail Hydra" in the elevator in "Avengers: Endgame". The scene is built up to exactly emulate the buildup to an iconic scene from an earlier Captain America film, where he fights and defeats a bunch of Hydra operatives in an elevator. But just as the audience is expecting the first punch, Cap leans forward and whispers "Hail Hydra" and instantly convinces them that he's one of them, thus defusing the situation and letting him walk away without violence. We know he could have won that fight, but the directors wisely realized that he didn't need to.

[@phoenix0401]

Clever misdirection, Doc Holliday imitates Johnny Ringo’s gunplay exactly but with a shot glass.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Your favorite scene from a story? Let us know!

[@AlfredoGarcia-k3f]

Anything impactful. I’m a pretty simple guy, sure, but I just love those types of scenes! Also love your videos 😊

[@Coroplocs-Chameleon]

My favourite scene (as of recent memory) is... SPOILERS FOR DUNE PART TWO The scene where Paul rides the sandworm, it shows what Paul has learnt and it's a symbolism for coming of age.

[@SuperRamtin]

I think a great scene would be the final battle in Endgame. It's the conclution of a build up that has been going on for years and it worked both visually and in terms of writing.

[@lyemonade]

Honestly most of the scenes from across the spider-verse are very impactful, its hard to choose what i like the most: the cannon event scene, train chase betrayal, Gwen and her dad, Miles and his mother. I don’t know how its so good

[@brianedwards7142]

It's an old one but it never fails to bring me almost to tears. In Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca a bunch of drunk nazis commandier Sam's piano and start singing Party songs. Overcome with emotion Czech freedom fighter Victor Lazlo who is on the run from the Nazis shouts at the band to play La Marseillaise. With a nod from Rick the band begins to play and the whole crowd joins in, drowning out the Nazis segueing into the soundtrack orchestra. The Nazi commandant, who is present, orders the police chief to close the bar and the place is cleared and closed indefinitely. Lazlo is ordered to report to the police (where the commandant will be present) in the morning. I have a white cat (my covid kitty, adopted 2019 when the shelter was afraid they would have to close) called Monsieur Rick because he stood up like a meerkat and gave me sad eyes and looked just like Bogart in a white suit.

[@cae2212]

I like it when a book presents a obvious cool and almost over the top option to archive something and actually follows through with it. Basically the opposite of an cheap out. Examples would be six of crows where they find the tank and actually use it to smash through walls and escape prison all while screaming and euphoric. Arthur Conan Doyle also does this in his forgotten land where his team of protagonist is tasked with proving that Dinos still exist on a raised platform in America. Instead of ending it in one of these "we can't let the world know, it would be disastrous for these precious creatures" or one of these "all our evidence was unfortunately lost" scenario his protagonist take a full fledged pterodactyl back to London. I just feel like so many authors are afraid of sounding unrealistic or can't be bothered to consider the full scope of consequence for something extreme and shy away from following through

[@Someone-fn3ij]

"Let's talk about fight club" hah these "(never) talk about fight club" jokes genuinely never get old to me xD

[@ShinGallon]

It's impossible for me to narrow down my favorite scene ever, but one I particularly love recently is the end of S4E9 of the Netflix Castlevania series. The whole episode is basically one long fight scene, showing the culmination of season's worth of plot threads, and it ends with (spoilers) Trevor facing off against Death himself. Just before turning toward the fight, he calls out to Sypha and tells her "Remember, Treffor is a terrible name". This line is amazing for several reasons: It's not only a callback to a conversation they had in S2, but also it's Trevor letting Sypha know that A. He knows she's pregnant, and B. He's expecting to die and thus not be around for the "naming the baby" part. That line is a masterclass in subtext and saying things without saying them and I love it for that. That part just adds to the emotion of an already fantastic scene in a fantastic episode of a fantastic show, it's one of my favorite anythings ever. I'm a sucker for a "character thinking they're going to die so they're saying goodbye to their friends" scene.

[@darth_hylian]

Dang I didn't even catch that when I watched it or I've forgotten. That's genius. I don't like much anime but I love that show

[@PaulRWorthington]

The only thing I'll argue with is the "third choice option". It just shows that it wasn't actually a dilemma. Imagine if you're 24 example concluded with Jack Baugher, undecided between saving the terrorist or saving his friend, just shouting, "I'll do both!," and performing his own surgery on his friend to keep him alive. That's the equivalent of Peter Parker being able to just go ahead and save both Mary Jane and the bus. It means the Goblin did not actually challenge him.

[@Conserpov]

It was a bad example of third option. TVtropes have a number of better examples, though most involve self-harm

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

Gess that the less obvious the third option is, the better. As long that it makes sense.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

The Spiderverse Trilogy:

[@carlraetzsch]

Yes, it wasn’t really an example of a third option. National Treasure is full of third option scenes. Save Dr. Chase or escape with the Declaration? Option 3: slip a fake to Ian. Help the FBI or refuse? Option 3: jump into the harbor.

[@caedrewan]

The gradual reveal scene is such a good example, I've got a number of reveals that I can see the character having to react to in stages.

[@johnfernandez2751]

Gradual understanding scene from the end of The Usual Suspects.

[@kolbin20]

my favorite scene in any movie is definitely the bridge scene from spider man but the part with the citizens of new york.. still gives me chills

[@MtV7856-h5z]

Another great video thanks! I personally love scenes with characters bonding in character driven stories. like power rangers 2017 the campfire scene is wholesome for me

[@JohnnyWordSmith]

“Godspeed, Spider-Man” still haunts me

[@giantgrog]

Your content has impacted my writing immensely, I only wish more people knew about you because your job is outstanding.

[@IAmTheDoctor00]

Love your videos this is the first I had to skip certain parts of for spoilers but i really like your way of explaining this stuff. I really wish i had these lessons when i was in school and really interested in writing but didnt have all the right elements to make a good story.

[@nightfalltavion9936]

Yuyu hakusho when yusuke Urameshi unlocked the power of genkai. He tries desperately to bring out the power because his friends life is on the line but failed to do so. He lost his friend. In most media the character either gives up or goes into a rage bringing out the power but that's not what happened. Yusuke blames himself. His grief brings out the power. He doesn't care because it was too late, however, he doesn't give up. He still wins the fight. I don't think I could do the scene justice by explaining it but it's my favorite scene

[@LucasWiman]

I love the "two surprises" scene in 2001, where Dave and Frank are talking about deactivating HAL (minor surprise), then it pans back to show HAL looking at them talking (bigger surprise).

[@ClareBearBunny]

Could you do an episode on foreshadowing?

[@BenavolutionArt]

I'm certain he already has❤

[@TheOrganizedWriter]

Two bad options is fantastic. Especially if you have tried to write such scenes yourself.. Then you know it can be extremely hard to make them fit into the story, make the characters choice feel believable based on who you have made them to be, and the overall progression of the plot. Great respect to every writer who pulls this off making an engaging scene!

[@erakfishfishfish]

The funny thing about that third option example for Spider-Man is Batman Forever did the same thing 7 years earlier, just with Robin i stead of a tram full of people.

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

The two bad options is used a lot in The Walking Dead video game: who you save, who will you give the few food you have, ...

[@jesusromanpadro3853]

@silverharloe yes I know that in most cases, they choices don't change anything, but it does have some choices that can have some effects. Or at least some effects in us, the player. You can end up rescuing the girl alone without the rest of the group, depending on our relationship with them. Or the devastating final choice at the end.

[@BeeWhistler]

I like a “thought they turned evil but they were faking” reveal. There’s one in Legend but it’s a spoiler. I also like some from Lord of the Rings, some of which were never filmed or not filmed correctly… the Scouring of the Shire, Eówyn facing down the Witch King of Angmar, Frodo fleeing an facing the Nine ALONE at the Ford of Bruinen on Glorfindel’s horse, Merry and Pippin tricking an orc into carrying them away from the attack by Eómer’s men by acting like Gollum so he’d think one of them had the Ring. Sure would have been nice to see all of those on film instead of roughly just one and a half of them.

[@JackKirbyFan]

I think one of my favorite scenes in a movie is Batman Begins when Bruce meets the Ras Al Goul for the first time. It's a great scene that develops the characters and moves the plot forward. So well written (IMHO). Close second is It's a Wonderful LIfe when George Bailey rushes to the camera after visiting the cemetery realizing that this is not some fantasy - this is real and what's wonderful is that Jimmy Stewart doesn't say a word with the closeup but you know exactly what he is thinking.

[@Lifeonmarszps3]

My favorite scene comes from stormlight archive's book 2 :words of radiance. It's in a fight with high stakes in an gladiatorial arena type of place , and due to foul play you have a good character having to face against 4 at the same time and as the father of said character is begging to someone to help his son , a character which is powerful but only the readers knows it jumps in and the 2 make a spectacular comeback . PS read stormlight archive guys, its amazing

[@JR-gh5gc]

That book's just filled with traits we've just seen in this video. And a lot more. Seriously, Sanderson Is a genious of holding off secrets and revelations untill the perfect moment. Personally, 'I killed ***' from book 1 was so unexpected it hit me really hard. Scenes that drop bombs like that and putting off explanations really make the readers crave for answers and to commit to the story.

[@Lifeonmarszps3]

@@JR-gh5gc yeah even though they might be predictable at times, sanderson knows how to deliver them, cant wait for book 5 later this year

[@rickp4356]

Another banger. Thanks Brandon!

[@isabellagonzales7857]

The Prestige by Christopher Nolan does the surprise surprise twist so well. I watched that movie three times in one weekend when my boyfriend first showed me.

[@JustACactus616]

My personal favorite example of the third option from Toy Story 2: Death by shark or death by monkeys when Woody chooses Buzz Lightyear even though that wasn’t a given choice. Truly one of the scenes of all time

[@AlmostEthical]

I think my favourite scene is Arthur Jensen's monologue in Network. Ned Beatty was too much fun.

[@lindildeev5721]

Loki season 2 also has a "third solution" scene which follows a "surprise-surprise": in the sixth episode, after trying to improve the rings, Loki discovers that it's still not enough to hold all these branches together. He decides to go talk to He Who Remains and learns a horrible truth: he can't save the TVA unless he stops Sylvie. After thinking about it, Loki finally finds a third solution: since he's a god and he's got the power of controlling time, he decides to replace He Who Remains and becomes the god of Stories, saving both the time and his friends.

[@matthewharrison3813]

Two bad options can be really powerful, but often it just ends up feeling cheap. It's one to be really careful with.

[@GunbladeKnight]

One of my favorite surprise-surprise scenes comes from Fireball In the movie, a man's twin is put into a coma. Seeking revenge, he learns of an "anything goes" basketball tournament that his brother had joined and caused him to be put into a coma. The first surprise comes in the second game where people throw metal pipes into the court and, even though his team wins, one of his teammates gets stabbed through the chest and dies. The climax comes when they finally make it to the finals and he faces off against the champion, who put his brother into a coma. He ends up winning, but succumbs to his injuries after killing the former champion. After this, his brother conveniently wakes up and learns of his death, so he goes to get revenge. Only, instead of joining the underground basketball like you expect, he just shoots the organizers.

[@treasonouspigeonpeckers957]

Se7en had a great 2 bad options dilemma with David Mills. It was also part of the small surprise followed by a big surprise as I was expecting John Doe to do something else and David Mills surprised me with his action

[@DomtheWise314]

One of my favorite types of scenes is when there are multiple groups of people working on the same problem, but they then discover they have the same goal. This causes confusion, but eventually, they can work together. An example of this is near the end of (I think) both seasons 1 and 2 of Stranger Things when everyone realizes they are all working together to take down the Demogorgon/monsters. Also in Defenders when all four of them end up in the Chinese restaurant.

[@stevensandersauthor]

Excellent insights.

[@Jordan_Greenough]

The third option scene can be great but I personally prefer the two ugly options scenes. We know that in Spider-man Beyond the Spiderverse that Miles will have to eventually either save his dad or the mulitverse. In Across the Spiderverse, Miles says, "Spider-Man always does both!" As an audience member, I would probably be upset with Beyond the Spiderverse if Miles does save both? Idk that is just my opinion. Do you know of any great examples for the third option scene? P.S. Your videos are helping me a TON! Keep it up!

[@Achieme]

My favorite is the plot twist because of Transformers 3 say what you will about the films but the 3rd film raised stakes for not just that film but the other 2 Transformers films

[@maggot1111666]

2 bad options is a great scene...the dark knight comes to mind. my fav type of scene is less of a scene and more of plot, where the antagonist becomes an ally. not many great examples of this tbh. ghost in the shell 2017 is an example i know of, which executed it poorly. the hateful 8 is another which did it well but not fully because there is no clear protagonist or antagonist in that story. maybe this is a good video topic for you.

[@Pops_Gambit]

I don’t which scene you would classify this as but when Arya in Game Of Thrones was blind and about to fight that girl and she was clearly at a disadvantage but then Arya sliced the candle of the only flame of light in the room making it total darkness and evening the playing field. Not my favorite but just what I thought was a good example.

[@tedetienne7639]

You might be misrepresenting the “third-option” scene in Spider-Man. He chose a third option, but didn’t fully save either Mary Jane or the kids, but only managed to put himself in an unwinnable situation. Only when the regular folks of New York - unexpectedly won over by Spider-Man’s extended efforts at being a hero - stepped in was the crisis averted. So really, the scene started as a Third Choice scene, and resolved as a Clever Misdirection scene - one that emphasizes the movie’s theme of becoming a hero.

[@clement28300yip]

A marvelous third option scene occurs in Back To The Future III where Marty (as Clint Eastwood) has to make a choice whether or not to duel Mad Dog Tennen: duelling would very likely result in his own death; not duelling would tarnish the real Clint Eastwood's reputation forever. Marty ends up choosing a third way by 'duelling' Tennen without a gun, gets shot, turns out he had an 'improvised ballistic vest' hidden under his shirt, only feigning injury to spring a surprise attack on Tennen.

[@wizardgaming758]

That scene from 24 season 4 was some powerful storywriting. I can just imagine the scriptwriters trying to write it with trembling hands and fighting back the tears. Needless to say, I had goosebumps while watching it. Powerful stuff.

[@neurokodama]

I love when a character or a faction is presented as good, but in the end they are the bad guys. Or reversely.

[@m.p.2534]

In terms of surprise-surprise scenes, for me, the best execution of it comes from the video game Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. Perfect example. More precisely, near the end, we learn without a lot of surprise that the friendly Professor Sycamore was in fact Descole (the protagonist's violent archnemesis). Then come the real surprises ! Soon after, on the brink of death after saving a kid's life (the protagonist's apprentice), Descole reveals that he was in fact all along the protagonist's biological big brother and they were only separated because their parents were kidnapped for good. Since only one of the brothers could be adopted immediately after by the Layton family, the older brother lied to make sure his baby brother would be adopted by them. But it's not all, he finishes by mentionning their father is not only alive but also Bronev, an archeologist who became the leader of a murderous paramilitary organisation and the prequels' biggest villain... N.B. This was before I even heard of Star Wars, so I had never heard of the "I am your family member" trope before. Results : Big Bang of revelation surprises.

[@jasonhobbs2405]

Great video! Thanks

[@asquirrelplays]

somebody got a new camera! or lighting. Something changed. Looks good though! Also congrats on the 100k! I blinked and it went up another 18k. He's a star now!

[@Alantx77]

I dont know if it quite fits, but i feel the others (2001) fits perfectly with the first example, you should check the movie out if you haven't. I also think it fits with the gradual reveal, I just think the movie is brilliant.

[@t3amtomahawk]

One of my favorites is in Babylon 5: S3E6 Dust to Dust. [Spoilers for a 30 year old space opera] One of the ambassadors takes a drug that triggers telepathic ability and finds the one ambassador who helped bomb his homeworld. What results is the dramatic reveal, what we already knew but the character had not yet seen. In ends with a pivot which takes a huge step in the character arc

[@mauriciokenway9922]

The two bad options is great... One i can think of rn is phantom liberty's choice near the end, its f up and you dont know who to trust and all you can do is choose whatever outcome is less worst...

[@EpicTW]

A lesser known 3rd option scene that's better than the Spider-Man example: Red vs. Blue season 12 (back when RVB was good), the setup makes it seem like the freelancers are going to do all the fighting and leave the reds and blues to dick around like they always do, but the penultimate scene before the climax ends before Tucker comes up with the plan to save everyone and beat the mercenaries. Very satisfying to watch.

[@Murdoch584]

A bit late to the party, but one of the cleverest scenes comes at the end of Enemy of the State when SPOILER Will Smith takes Jon Voight to Tom Sizemore and plays them off against each other by referencing "the tape" which both of them want. The thing is they're talking about two entirely different tapes, but Voight and Sizemore's characters don't know that, so they're speaking at cross purposes without realizing it. And that's how Will Smith's character solves his dilemma.

[@EntertainmentTalker22]

i like the bad options as i love the tension i get and wonder what would've happened if they chose the other

[@racheltheradiant4675]

Hi Brandon, great video. Thank you. How's your next book coming along? Any details you can share?

[@swiftiemum38]

Could you do 'Losing stories' and how to make them not as shallow as a kiddy pool.

[@Kirkosism]

I still think the scene with Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken in True Romance is one of the mostly wonderfully crafted and acted scenes I've ever seen, and it kind of fits for a mention here. Clifford (Dennis) is faced with the choice of betraying his son and likely being murdered horribly anyway, or to hold out for as long as possible and be tortured to death, but instead, he thinks of a third option, which is to insult Vincenzo (Christopher) so profoundly, that he kills Clifford quickly instead, (shame he left the evidence for Clarence's whereabouts on the fridge though ... fool! :/ )

[@JollyGreenComics]

Great video

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks!

[@Antares2]

In general, my favorite scenes (and stories as a whole) is when protagonists as well as antagonists are being smart. I despise stories that rely on incompetence to create tension. The classic horror movie trope of having everyone split up and walk alone when they know there is a scary threat out there, for example. It is so boring.

[@grinder7311]

I have to disagree on Number 5, especially with the given example. To me it feels like a cheap way out of the terrible options dilemma. It diminishes the impact of the dilemma. It feels like the writer is not brave enough to have the character face a consequence and so just resets the situation. And for the spiderman example this even more true. Because in the original comic story, wich this scene is based of, he also tries to save both and he fails. Accidentally killing his girlfriend in the process.

[@lopolik]

great video, I love that you show examples from ''24'' I think it's one of the best shows of all time.

[@staretimecomics]

Prince and the Pauper, when Goofy breaks Donald and pauper Mickey out of jail. It's a killer scene.

[@phoenix0401]

What is your favorite “third option” scene?

[@Turance]

Hi Brandon, have you ever used the movie The Guardian (with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher) for good plot devices or great character build ups? The first time I saw that movie I was blown away by the characters.

[@AnotherDuck]

If Spider Man isn't your favourite example, which is? My favourite gradual plot twist reveal is in The Usual Suspects. It's as much of a twist as in Fight Club, but I think it hits harder since it changes the story not just for the main character, but for _everyone,_ audience included.

[@canaanarinda]

Hey GREAT video! 👏🙏🏻 May I recommend you also watch "Sherlock" ft Benedict Cumberbatch! It could add some great examples for later

[@mah2418]

I think two option is way more realstic and has more impact.

[@JohnBradford14]

I. LOVE. TRAINING. MONTAGES.

[@ludovico6890]

Best scene in a movie? That's tough to choose. I might go to The Godfather again, just because it's on the top of my head. When Michael decides to kill Solozzo and convinces Sonny and Tom that it's the right course of action. Sonny wants to go to war and refuse the truce, Tom thinks they need time and they must negotiate with the Turk. Michael understands that Solozzo is lying and must be killed, but thinks they must accept the meeting in order to do so. Actually I'm going to watch it right now.

[@Name_InProgress]

I like to call the 4th type of scene, The "Pick your Poison" scene

[@InformantNet]

Your regional accent is so distinct.

[@thevanishingsaxon663]

Check out The Prestige by Christopher Nolan if you haven't already.

[@krashcash]

How do *you* learn how to write? Maybe it's a bit meta but I think it would make a very interesting video.

[@11cabadger]

Am I correct in thinking #5 The Third Option is Kirk's Kobayashi Maru maneuver? I did think TV Kirk was smart and clever. Then I saw the 2009 movie; Spock calls him out for cheating. Initially, I thought "What a jerk!" (I really got aggravated with Abrams & Quinto for ruining my beloved Spock). It pulled me out of the movie for a while. Don't we want our dialogue to maintain a suspension of Reality? Isn't that one of the differences between writing a novel and writing a screenplay? Or am I missing something? (Sorry, but it's one of my flaws).

[@kempiro]

The two bad option scene is tricky though. 'Cause both options need to weigh about the same, or there will be a clear terrible answer and a clear less terrible answer. I gave up on 24 long before the fourth season, but if I'd been watching that scene, for me, there is no choice. The friend is already being operated on, his freakin' wife is watching, and the "terrorist" may or *may not* actually help anyone with the info he has. We have a known good, and an unknown possibly helpful thing. The known good wins. Period. If I were watching this scene and saw what our buddy Jack did, I'd be dnfing that show then and there.

[@HumanAki]

He keeps talking abou Fight Club....and now I am, too, crap! 😆

[@OrangeHand]

How could you make a list like this and not include the scene where a character delivers a bunch of heavy-handed exposition??? 😉

[@scarfergg]

Hey, Brandon... I know this sounds stupid, but can you give me advice about deciding events date that happened in a story? Sometimes I'm stuck deciding about the date and time in my stories...

[@axelwulf6220]

Grand Torino had a third Suprise Clint dies in the end, perhaps his first one in his entire career

[@DanB.0]

👍

[@thomasdoubting]

Swedish childrens book Loranga, Masarin och Dartanjang II: The cool layabout dad Loranga suspecte there friend, Gustav The Thief, of robbing there house last time he was over. So Loranga phone the prison demanding his stuff back! "But" he ads "you can ceep grandpa Dartanjang's old sports trophies." 😮

[@Vanithokus]

"#5 Third Option" OH-UM ITS A SETUP

[@Lifeonmarszps3]

Hey brandon have you ever read The way of kings? And if yes what did you think about it?

[@silverharloe]

If Spidey didn't save both the train and MJ, that scene could have been an example of a type 4 (two bad options) scene instead of a type 5 (third option) scene. Doesn't that imply every type 4 scene is a potential type 5 scene if only the characters were smarter or more capable? (Or, put less charitably, it's a type 4 scene because the characters are too weak or stupid to find or execute the third option)? (And, honestly, when I saw the scene the first time, I thought Spidey saving everyone was a magical plot exit from him having to do any moral thinking at all)

[@johncenter4858]

I don't think that Jack Bauer knows what a dilemma is.

[@capj1347]

You can't talk about Fight Club bro.

[@Jarry807]

why can't u talk about fight club?

[@Mykal06]

Repent and believe the gospel! Jesus died for our sins and rose 3 days later so we could be forgiven of our sins and be gifted with everlasting life! Put your faith in Him and follow Him! Life is short, think about this. Please make the right choice today!

[@Affenzunge]

I wouldn't really say that killing the traitor was a surprise😅 that was super cliched