By WILLIAM C. MARTELL | SCRIPT MAGAZINE
Every scene in your script should have conflict… that way we can explore character. Screenwriting is dramatic writing. It’s about people with really big problems which will be solved through emotionally charged action or dialogue scenes. If Rocky was the #1 rated contender taking on the champ it’s not much of a movie. No conflict!
You can either have an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances (think The Matrix) or an extraordinary man in ordinary circumstances (think Superman). If your character starts out as an extraordinary man (Men in Black) in extraordinary circumstances (all of them aliens) it’s a story about a guy doing what he normally does – and that’s kind of boring. No conflict, and we *need* conflict to explore character.
