The Philosophical Scene

Again, the Big Picture: Required Scene #2 Again, final productions are graded on ten different areas – including four specific scene types. We have already covered the exposition scene. This week we move into studying the philosophical scene. The philosophical tends to be the most difficult to write, so let’s tackle this one early on in the process…

The Objective of the Philosophical Scene The objective of the philosophical scene is to move the audience beyond the realm of mere entertainment and to push them to think deeply and introspectively about an important, relevant idea. In other words, it is your opportunity to add substance to your story—which, in the end, is how you will leave a lasting impression on your audience because, ultimately, substance sticks and fluff fades.

Establishing The Philosophical Scene An effective philosophical scene will begin with a character taking a clear, coherent, and simple position on a philosophical issue that is relevant to the story. - usually this will be the protagonist, whom the audience already knows and trusts Philosophical issue = something that pertains to life’s largest of questions (e.g., Is there a god? Why are we here on this planet? What is my purpose in life? Why not kill myself?)

More on the Philosophical Scene But it will not be enough to merely establish a philosophical position through the use of a single character, because a mere position rarely warrants seriously contemplation. In order to move the audience, you must develop that position into a fully robust and dynamic idea with equally weighted, yet irreconcilable, pros and cons that the audience can grapple with.

Developing the Philosophical Position Developing the position into an idea requires two things: 1) sharp dialogue 2) the use of character foils

Dialogue and the Philosophical Scene It should go without saying, that complex, sophisticated ideas takes some explaining… Thus, the philosophical scene requires the most careful, deliberate, and developed use of dialogue. You are essentially shooting for the perfect marriage of sharp wit and poignant insight—packaged perfectly in an easy, natural prose.

Character Foils and the Philosophical Scene A character foil is a literary (or dramatic) tool in which the author (or playwright) uses one character to reflect—or mirror—something significant about, or related to, another character. Typically, “something significant” looks like a subtle personality trait, a well-hidden character flaw, or deep, dark secret or desire.

Character Foil An Abstract Example Example: “A” (minor character) spends the entire scene conversing with “B” (protagonist). Over the course of the scene, we learn nothing new about “A” and “A” never changes. But through their conversation, we learn something very important about “B” that has been puzzling us all along. Note two important points: 1) “A” is being used as a mere tool here—with no real reason for, or benefit from, being in this scene 2) we couldn’t have learned what we did about “B” if “B” was all by himself—in this way, “A” was necessary, but only in relation to developing and improving “B.”

And Thus… In order to develop the philosophical position (established with one character) into a fully robust and dynamic idea that the audience can ponder, you are going to have to converse that character with a character foil. And these two will engage in a conversation in which each character represents a specific side of the idea/argument. 3 characters = 3 sides; 4 characters = 4 sides; etc.

Reviewing the Philosophical Scene move the audience beyond entertainment and make them think substance sticks; fluff fades begin with a clear and coherent position taken by a protagonist move from a simple position  to a robust, dynamic idea through the use of: sharp dialogue = wit + insight + easy, natural prose character foil = mouthpiece/other side of the coin

Questions?