Hi all,
I'm currently writing a script where there is a reveal/twist, so to speak, towards the end of the story, and I am wondering whether I should write it in such a way that the moment of reveal in the script is also the moment the reader realises the twist? I basically have a scene where a character you believe to be Person A is killed, but it's actually Person B in disguise and you only find out a few minutes later when Person A finds the body... if that makes sense? The two options, as I see it, are:
1) I write it in such a way that the reader knows that Person B is disguised as Person A, and is then killed. This way the reality of the scene is clear to the reader, but there isn't nearly as much emotional impact for the reader themselves.
2) I write it in the way that the viewer would experience the film, so when the twist is meant to be unveiled to the viewer, it is only then unveiled also to the reader. Does that make sense?
Thoughts would be much appreciated!
3 people like this
I would write in a way that mimics the viewing experience.
1 person likes this
Read "Knives Out", Worked for Rian Johnson
Thanks guys. Dan MaxXx I'd love to watch it first haha but certainly will after! I'm guessing it's a case of revealing in the script as it is revealed on screen?
1 person likes this
You've still got to entertain the reader and this includes shocks at twists and reversals - it's all part of entertaining them. Treat them like a member of the audience.
A follow up question, if indeed you think option 2 is the way forward:
Let's say our two characters are Bob and Jim, and Bob is disguised as Jim, should I actually describe Bob as Jim in the action text even though it's not? Am I allowed to actually lie? Because the viewing experience (if it was a film) would sort of deceive you by not showing the character's face fully, but that seems much less deceptive than actually lying on page when you describe their actions e.g. "Bob opens the door" means Bob opens the door, it doesn't mean someone who appears to be Bob opens the door...
Does this make sense?
Sorry!
You want a classic final twist that nobody sees coming (first-time viewers, anyway)? The original "The Wicker Man" by Robin Hardy - the script was written by Anthony Shaffer (not sure if it's available online, though).
1 person likes this
I would write it for your readers the same way you want your viewers to experience it. That way your readers get the point for the viewers.
Guess this is a case of following the classic "Rule" of only write what the camera can see and the mic can record. If it is obvious that it is a disguise, make that clear. If it is a Mission impossible kinda disguise... then it is the person is question. (Maybe write a classy line where it is clear that in the scenes prior Bob was bob and only on this one Bob is Jim. (Plus you are always deceiving... the entire writing venture is about deceiving... nothing is real, people are reading and caring for fabricated people. All twists are about making people think something and present something else)
Guess a good one would be to read MI scripts. (Think the second one is the one where they use it the most)
It is okay to have a surprise twist but you never want to hide anything from someone who is evaluating your screenplay for consideration.
Hi Timothy,
Based on exactly what you said....I would definitely want my reader to think Person A was killed - just like a viewer would see and think. I would want my reader to be surprised when the REAL Person A discovers the body.Readers would like that - to be momentarily fooled, and then to be surprised when the REAL Person A discovers the body of the disguised person. They would think "wow...that was good. He even got one over on ME!"
Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Timothy!
I would say write in a way that satisfies the reader. I’ve had lots of experiences with film or television where I anticipated what would happen and the writer compelled me to want it to happen. So even if I saw it coming, it was still a thrilling experience.
1 person likes this
The writer's goal is to show the audience an intriguing tale by guiding them along a twisting & convoluted path. You will drop bread crumbs and an occasional red hearing along the way.to keep the interest high - there will be twists, turns, backtracks and reveals along the way. As journeys end draws neigh, there will often be a character/audience epiphany. What I like to call the Homer Simpson 'dope slap'.
If it does, you have a good twist...counting that the reader is not reading backwards :)...however, you should have hints to the twist through the story but have it wisely concealed 'till the end. If the twist comes out of nowhere, that's cheating.
1 person likes this
I sent a script to the Austin Film Festival years back and it got a great comment about the ending. (For context) In the script a person is walking into a room with a gun. We know she is going to be shot and killed. She knows she is going to be shot and killed. The person in the room intends to shot and kill her.
The reader said “I know what was about to happen. But it was still a surprise and shock when it happened. The entire time I was hoping she was going to get out of it”.
I think shock and surprise will always keep people reading. But it is far more important to be true to the story and not confusing. Some turns are so sharp they throw a reader out of the story.
I was in talks with a producer about this script. They wanted a happy ending. So I told them the happy ending and it felt fake and bolted on. It wasn’t true to the story. So twist away McDuff, but never twist for twist sake,