• ​​​As Mike Nichols says, ​every scene is a fight, ​a ​seduction or a negotiation.
• A scene is a contest of sorts: the audience needs to be invested in what happens next
• A scene is a moment where something changes.
• Get in late and get out early – only give the audience the information they absolutely need.
• Exposition is only compelling if it contains new details about a character​. ​
• Start ​writing indispensable moments to help ​determine ​which scenes must be in your ​film.
• Write from a place ​that moves you, and then make it entertaining and accessible to an audience.

Ask these questions of a scene:​

• Does it advance the plot?
• Does it​ advance the journey of a character​?​
• Does it advance a shift or change in a key relationship​?​
• ​Does it advance certain thematic ideas​ about the shape of the world​​​?​