Inneresting 55
issue 55
June 11th, 2021
Not just what happens, but how quickly it happens
Allied Productions gives a quick breakdown of different ways we sense storytelling pace when watching a story, from narrative structure to the duration of individual moments.
Lessons from the Screenplay talks about different types of pacing by examining Christopher Nolan’s films to understand how to use crosscuts to build tension and how Before Sunrise carefully structures seemingly meandering conversations.
Shahnaz Dulaimy invites you to step outside of writer-brain with this blog post on how an editor thinks about the rhythm of a scene.
You can also take a look at this list of influential long takes to see how an uninterrupted moment can add narrative charge.
More on setting the pace from Scriptnotes
For a look at some of the times John and Craig have discussed pacing in screenplays, check out Two Things at the Same Time about simultaneous action and tension, or The Calm One, which breaks down the importance of slower, calm beats between set pieces.
Pacing Yourself
Instead of barrelling through one draft after another, Taika Waititi’s process involves leaving a draft in a drawer and trying not to think about it to let the best parts of the story surface.
But what’s the difference between thoughtful creative pacing and procrastination? Tim Urban shares some thoughts what procrastination feels like.
Highland How To: Picking Up the Pace
Highland 2 can help you shut down your perfectionist impulses or lizard-brain web surfing with Write Sprints.
Open your script, set a timer, and write! When the timer ends, you’re rewarded with a pleasant chime, your total word count for the session, and a sense of accomplishment.
You’ll also get a link so you can share your sprint on Twitter with the hashtag #writesprint.
To find out more about how Highland 2 can help you get words on the page, check out our Knowledge Base!
Other Cool Things
If you’re having trouble finding your pointer, someone from this site will be glad to help you.
Sophie Zhang blew the whistle on Facebook ignoring millions of people allowing their personal accounts to be used by bot farms to create fake engagement.
Alain de Botton explains how to get through rejection.
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
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