ABSTRACT
A screenplay is a film unfolding on paper. A story told for the screen; a story told to be seen; and, like all drama, a story told in scenes. The surface action is the external pattern of change, the events we see happen up on the screen. The deep action—also known as the character arc—is the internal pattern of change that is occurring in the character in response to external events. A screenwriter’s job is making change; articulating the surface and deep action is just the beginning. If a screenwriter is in a writing group or a class, he/she needs to collect the scenes and read them aloud; each writer needs to identify the precise moment of change. It is important to note that some scenes do not contain a moment of change. Sometimes a scene is for atmosphere, mood, or it establishes a situation. Sometimes a character is simply being or doing, absorbing the events that have happened.
