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Week 3 Day 4 – Visual Reveals — BREAKING BAD
1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights into what makes this scene great from a writing perspective.
2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of how you will use reveals in your script.
3. Rethink or create a Visual Reveal scene for your script using your new insights and rewrite the scene.
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3 Replies
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William Whelan – Visual reveals
What I learned from doing this assignment is to make scenes of my screenplay fascinating using visual reveals.
Scene arc: Speeding camper runs over pants, camper crashes, Walter escapes from camper, police sirens heard in distance, Walter gives video confession.
Situation: Walter trying to escape from police in chem lab camper.
Conflict: Escape vs. capture.
Entertainment value: Constant action and suspense.
Moving the story forward: Suspense of what will be Walter’s fate.
Setup/payoffs: Walter is trying to escape; Walter gives video confession.
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- What makes this scene great? Constant
action and suspense.- How 9 pieces of new info are
revealed. Visually.- How each reveal is demanded.
Each reveal answers a question but also leads to another question.- How some reveals answer
questions and create questions at the same time. The reveal of Walter
driving in underwear reveals the pants are his but asks the question why he
is driving a speeding camper. Reveal the van is an illegal drug lab but
asks who is he running from, Crash of camper reveals a toxic chemical spill
but asks the question of Walter’s involvement. Walter retrieving the gun
reveals he is culpable but asks the question will he escape. The sirens
reveal the cops are closing in but ask the question if Walter can extricate
himself from his predicament. Walter’s video confession answers the
question he will give himself up but asks the question what will be his
fate. - What makes this scene great? Constant
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Visual Reveals – BREAKING BAD
The scene opens with a pair of pants falling from the sky onto a desert road. RV runs over them. Walter White wearing nothing but a gas mask and white underwear is driving the RV. A few dead bodies are rolling around in the back seat. The RV crashes. Walter jumps out and gets sick.
Without much dialogue this scene is masterful because of the reveals:
-Walter driving in underwear keys us in that the falling pants are his.
-We question why he is speeding out of control in the RV and it’s revealed that it is an illegal drug lab.
-What has he left? A toxic chemical spill. We figure that out by his gas mask.
-Walter retrieves his gun showing he’s guilty of something and we wonder if he’ll get away.
– Sirens are heard reveal the cops are close and we wonder what will happen to him.
– Walter confesses on video- we are unsure of his fate.
What I Iearned from doing this assignment is to bring action and tension into my script using visual reveals.
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This scene from “Breaking Bad” creates tension, intrigue, and engagement through a series of visual reveals. The scene arc transitions from an RV on the run to Walter White making a desperate video, with constant visual elements demanding attention and raising questions.
The entertainment value is derived from the constant visual reveals that not only answer questions but also create new ones. The reveals include the enigmatic sight of pants flying through the air, the RV crashing through the desert, Walter driving in his underwear with a gas mask, a slumped-over unconscious passenger in a gas mask, dead bodies and chemicals in the back, and the RV crashing into a sand bank. Each reveal moves the story forward and introduces new conflicts, keeping the audience hooked.
The setups and payoffs are strategically crafted, such as the flying pants belonging to the underwear-clad Walter. The urgency of the situation is emphasized by the sound of sirens approaching, pressuring Walter to urgently make a video confession. Some payoffs, like the reason for running and the significance of the dead bodies, unfold later in the series, adding layers to the narrative.
The scene is engaging on multiple levels, utilizing surprise, twists, and rising tension. Tension is built through each reveal, from the initial urgency of running to the climax of Walter’s video confession, leaving viewers both satisfied and hungry for more information about the desperate protagonist. All these visual elements effectively introduce Walter White as a criminal on the run and sets the stage for the series’ unfolding drama.
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