The Power of Cause & Effect Screenwriting
When writing a screenplay, one of the most important rules to master is the art of cause and effect screenwriting.
In screenwriting it’s essential to remember that:
Everything happens because of something else.
Writing is about making things happen because something else just happened.
Cause and effect.
It’s how life works, and it’s how screenwriting works.
Cause and Effect Screenwriting
As in our previous post on Macro to Micro reversals, this cause and effect action occurs at every level of the screenplay.
Act Three only happens because of Act Two. Sequence D only happens because of Sequence C. One scene only happens because of the previous scene, and one action in a scene only happens because of the previous action in that scene.
On the macro level it’s pretty obvious that one act or sequence leads to another, but what about on the micro level?
One great tip when writing scenes is to make things happen only because something else has just happened, rather than just writing it “straight” with no kinks in the road while getting there.
For example, in the scene in Little Miss Sunshine when the family get pulled over by a cop with Grandpa’s body in the back of the van, Michael Arndt could’ve just written the scene like this:
1. The family drive. 2. They get pulled by the cop. 3. He tells them a rear brake light isn’t working.
Instead, he made the family get pulled over through cause and effect screenwriting and wrote the scene like this:
1. The family drive. 2. They’re cut up by another driver. 3. Richard (Greg Kinnear) sounds the horn. 4. The horn won’t turn off. 4. They get pulled by the cop because their horn’s sounding.
Before Sunrise starts with a couple arguing on a train. Celine (Julie Delpy) is trying to read her book. The couple’s argument becomes so intrusive, she leaves for another section of the train and sits down opposite Jesse (Ethan Hawke).
Rather than just opening the script with Celine and Jesse meeting because they’re already sitting in the same section of the train, Richard Linklater gives their meeting a cause and effect, giving their random meeting on a train an even greater sense of irony and fate.
Whether it’s one sequence leading to another or one action leading to another within a scene, always utilize cause and effect screenwriting where possible.
It’ll tighten your scenes, make the script feel more organic and, ultimately, make it more likely to be bought.
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