If you've ever struggled with scenes that feel rushed, boring, or underdeveloped, we've got a simple framework that could help you pinpoint the issue.
You need to find the balance between three elements: action, dialogue, and visual storytelling.
Most writers lean too heavily into one and neglect the others, which creates scenes that lack depth and won't keep viewers engaged.
We were inspired by editor Alyssa Matesic's advice to writers in the video below, but retooled some of her advice for screenwriters.
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Strong Action
Action is the most obvious leg of this three-legged stool. It's what allows audiences to see characters in motion and understand how the plot is progressing. Without enough action, scenes become static and boring.
Every scene needs conflict to survive. Action is one of the primary ways to create and show that conflict.
In screenwriting, the description/action lines are where you establish the setting, describe character movements, and guide the visuals.
Without strong action lines, your scenes become talking heads in a void. We don't know where characters are, what they're doing, or how they're physically responding to the drama unfolding around them.
But overloading your script with dense paragraphs of action description creates the opposite problem. Large blocks of text eliminate the sense of pace that occurs when we move from shot to shot in a film.
Keep action lines to 1-3 sentences per block, and use white space strategically.
Be visual and specific without being verbose. "Bob storms out" is better than a paragraph explaining his emotional state. Show us what we'd see on screen.
Love ActuallyCredit: Universal Pictures
Realistic Dialogue
Dialogue is what brings characters to life on the page and makes them feel like real people. It's how we understand their personalities, their relationships, and what's at stake in any given moment.
Dialogue should convey story information while advancing the plot and deepening our understanding of the characters.
The best dialogue employs subtext, where characters discuss something without directly addressing the underlying meaning.
A common mistake is relying too heavily on dialogue to carry a scene. Pages of uninterrupted conversation, no matter how clever, eventually become exhausting to read. I once had a producer complain to me that she didn't care for writers who relied on pages of cutesy dialogue without moving the story forward using action or visuals. To her, it felt like filler.
Without action beats breaking up the exchanges or visual storytelling showing us what's happening, dialogue starts to feel like it's happening in a void.
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Visual Storytelling
This is where screenwriting differs from other forms of writing. Film is a visual medium.
In this case, we're not talking about scene descriptions or action (which were discussed above). Visual storytelling here means the moments you can convey through an image, whether it's a story beat or the emotions of characters. This is important to learn because the most gut-wrenching beats can happen without any dialogue (see The Graduate ending).
Screenwriters convey a character's internal life through external behavior. It can be something like writing a lingering look, a trembling hand, the avoidance of eye contact, or the way a character bristles at a touch.
A character's physical behavior can contradict their dialogue. Someone says, "I'm fine," while we watch them grip the table so hard their knuckles turn white... is really saying something else.
The challenge is learning when to let visuals do the work. If a character's devastation is clear from their actions, you don't need them to announce, "I'm devastated." Show, don't tell is a cliché, but it's important for a reason.
Nearly every scene should include some visual storytelling, but too much will slow down your pace. A scene dominated entirely by reaction and wordless moments can become disorienting, and it's also not very realistic.
Unless, we suppose, your characters are communicating telepathically and the viewers aren't privy to that conversation. But that's not very filmic.
Finding the Balance
The most effective screenplay scenes use all three elements. Some scenes will lean more heavily on dialogue, others on visuals, but the balance is what keeps pages turning.
As our article on balancing dialogue and action explains, it's the interplay between these elements that creates a strong scene.
- If your scene feels static or boring, add more action beats or conflict. Get your characters moving and doing things, not just talking.
- If your scene feels thin or rushed, slow down and let moments breathe. Add dialogue exchanges that reveal character, or visual beats that show emotional responses.
- If your scene feels on-the-nose, look for places you can show, rather than tell.
Every scene should ask: What are we seeing? What are we hearing? What's happening beneath the surface? When you can answer all three questions, you've found the balance.
And ask yourself constantly, "Can this be shown and not just said?"
