ABSTRACT
Critical to understanding the overall human dynamic of drama are small component units called dramatic beats . The word “beat” applied to lm is widely misunderstood, for it has nothing to do with rhythm, nor is it a unit of pause or rest, as screenplay usage often suggests. A beat is in fact a moment in drama producing an irreversible change of awareness in one or more characters. It starts from a character attempting to get, do, or accomplish something. For example,
Let’s convert this ten-second action into dramatic terminology:
1. Phil’s goal or objective is to see how his novel ends.
