By Tom Vaughan in Action Lines — Dec 3, 2024

The first line of the scene is the first image.

The first line of every scene is special. It has a purpose. This purpose is especially important as there is so much friction for the reader in the transition from one scene to another.

Random lines from a random (very good) screenplay.

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The first line of every scene is special. It has a purpose. This purpose is especially important as there is so much friction for the reader in the transition from one scene to another.

They have to reorient themselves. The time, the location. New characters.

You must direct on the page.

When the reader is done, you want them to feel like they just saw your movie.

Who do you think directed that movie?

You did, of course.

So, you need to envision the movie first and then share it.

That is your mission for the screenplay: to evoke the emotional experience of seeing that movie on screen.

And that means images. Because that is what a movie is.

Images.

If the reader doesn't see an image in their mind, they are not seeing a movie.

Which means we screwed up.

The first line of the scene is not the time to dawdle.

Don't get flowery here. Simple and direct is better.

I've read a lot of writers who will go into great detail about a character before ever telling us what we see. Look at this.

At first glance, it seems specific. We get Drew's age at 36, the kind of smile he has (that he is not showing right now), and even those piercing eyes (I don't mind the liberties taken there at all.)

But the lack of context here means we're really not sure WHAT we're seeing.

We know it's Drew, but what is Drew doing? What is around him? What do we actually SEE?

Our visualization is lost as we wait for some kind of image to grab onto and stabilize us.

We don't get that until the second paragraph, which feels like a long, wide shot. But because we had no definitive image in our mind before that, the wide shot feels like a contradiction rather than an edit.

The writer does not feel in control here.

Don't break the chain of images.

Movies are one image after another. When a scene ends, it ends on an image. It then transitions to the next scene, which starts with an image.

So when we watch a movie, we are always watching SOMETHING. Something is always filling up the screen.

When we write a screenplay, we want the reader to always visualize something in their mind just like they would if they were watching the movie.

This tends to happen naturally within a scene as one physical action leads to the next, as long as we keep up with the spatial relationships.

But transitions are trickier.

In transitions, the reader STOPS seeing something as the scene ends.

They are now waiting for the next image. If you don't provide it, something feels wrong and disjointed.

So, establish the first image.

Visually orient us as soon as possible. And keep in mind readers often skip the scene heading and go straight to the first action.

This puts even more weight on the first action line in a scene.

The longer you wait to solidify an image, the more variables you introduce that can push the reader in the wrong direction.

You think they're seeing one thing; they're seeing something else.

It can be disorienting for the reader because they're not seeing the movie and want to.

The longer they go without seeing the movie, the less trust they have in you.

See here how simply flipping the paragraphs makes everything easier to visualize:

Simple is fine. There are no points for long, compound sentences.

Wendy stands at the door.
Kate sits behind the wheel.
Janet slides on Julie's wedding ring.
Carl stands motionless in the shower. Hot water cascades over him.
Lisa and Dan stand shoulder-to-shoulder, peering out the window.
Kristy loads the rifle.

This is clear, simple language that visually stabilizes us immediately.

Nothing flowery, no showing off. We are just getting the reader as visually comfortable as possible for whatever comes next.

After the reader is stabilized, you can get into more detail. That first image is the base we work from.

Of course, sometimes you want flowery! Just make it intentional and know what you are sacrificing and what you are gaining.

The key here is that the reader never wonders, "What is going on? What am I seeing?"

We don't allow them to get lost. The image is right in front of them. They are always watching a movie.

Edit out or edit in.

You are directing this movie and, therefore, choosing the edit. Your description follows the same strategy as any edit, depending on the needs of the story.

You can start the scene wide and then move closer in like this:

You can also do the opposite and start close and move out wide, like this:

In both cases, the action lines duplicate a very basic visual edit and it's up to you to decide what is needed by what story the scene is telling.

Why is she so excited about chicken fried steak? I don't know!

Either way, the reader has an image immediately, and the flow of images goes from there.

First lines from Glass Onion.

Studios send out screenplay PDFs for award season. I am not sure why. Do many WGA members casually read these scripts?

But I am glad they send them out.

I grabbed the PDF for Glass Onion by Rian Johnson just to look at some of the first lines to each scene. Never mind the scene heading. Here is a random sampling.

A hand knocks
The courier's van with CONNECTICUT plates at the curb.
Claire awkwardly puts the large box on the kitchen island. (An ADVERB? Good God, Johnson, what are you doing!)
Lionel leans back, twirling the invite.
Tables set up on a front terrace.
The "Glass Onion" neon sign glows in a dive bar.
The light sweeps over Andi's crumpled form on the steps.

Just simple, clear images, all of them.