---
title: Scene Construction
description: Scene construction is the process of building individual narrative units within a screenplay. Learners will understand how to establish conflict, manage pacing, determine entry and exit points, and ensure every scene drives the overall story forward.
category: literature-writing
subcategory: creative-writing
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/scene-construction
---

# Scene Construction

Scene construction is the process of building individual narrative units within a screenplay. Learners will understand how to establish conflict, manage pacing, determine entry and exit points, and ensure every scene drives the overall story forward.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 1 Websites

## Books

### 1. Scene & Structure

**Author:** Jack M. Bickham

The only widely used book devoted entirely to scene mechanics (goal, conflict, disaster, sequel) and pacing via scene/sequel rhythm. Jack Bickham's guide to building stories scene by scene: the goal-conflict-disaster scene pattern, reaction sequels, and how linking scenes and sequels controls pacing. It is written for fiction, but its cause-and-effect scene mechanics carry over directly to screenplays.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898799066?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** scene-structure, scene-and-sequel, pacing, fiction-writing, plotting

### 2. Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach

**Author:** Paul Joseph Gulino

Paul Gulino's study of feature screenplays as a series of roughly eight 10–15 minute sequences, each with its own tension and resolution, analysed through films such as Toy Story and Chinatown, so writers can plan and diagnose long-form structure.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826415687?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, screenwriting

## Podcasts

### 1. Scriptnotes Ep. 450: Only the Interesting Scenes

**Author:** John August, Craig Mazin

August and Mazin argue that every scene in a screenplay must be actively interesting, diagnose common excuses for dead scenes (moving characters, delivering exposition, setups), and give techniques for reworking or cutting scenes during revision.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://johnaugust.com/2020/only-the-interesting-scenes

**Tags:** screenwriting, scene-construction, rewriting, exposition, screenplay-structure

### 2. Scriptnotes Ep. 79: Rigorous, Structured Daydreaming (How to Write a Scene)

**Author:** John August, Craig Mazin

John August and Craig Mazin work through August's step-by-step method for writing a single scene: what it must accomplish, whether it can be cut, who is in it, where it happens, its surprise, length, entry point, and scribble draft.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://johnaugust.com/2013/rigorous-structured-daydreaming

**Tags:** screenwriting, scene-construction, writing-process, screenplay-drafting

## Websites

### 1. scriptmag.com

Script Magazine is an online publication for screenwriters featuring craft-focused articles, interviews with industry professionals, and practical resources like sample scripts and market news to help you write, develop, and pitch your projects.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://scriptmag.com

**Tags:** websites, personal-development, communication

---

*This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge*

*Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).*

View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/scene-construction