January’s Buzz:

HOW TO INCREASE THE TENSION
(Copyright 2007)
by
Kathryn McCullough

The key to keeping a reader or audience riveted by your plot is to make sure that the action is tense. Events that unfold easily and scenes that offer little beyond information are far from the stuff of gripping drama. Here are some suggestions for hiking up the tension in your screenplay:

1. A ticking clock. This can be as momentous as the hero’s desperate need to escape from a locked room before a bomb explodes or as minor as a mother trying to get her son dressed before the school bus comes. In either case, there is pressure on a character to achieve his or her goal before the time is up, and this in turn adds tension.

2. Rush. Have one character in the scene be in a hurry, but due to a more general time pressure than the ticking clock. For example, if the hero is trying to apologize to his girlfriend while she is scrambling to get ready for work, then this conversation is a lot more difficult than if it took place over a relaxed breakfast. The tension in this type of scene tends to be more emotional or mental than physical.

3. Ticking bomb. Unlike the ticking clock, where the characters are aware of the time pressure, a ticking bomb is something known only to the audience. If we see a gangster plant a bomb in a car, or know the villain is hiding around the corner, this creates suspense, as we wait for the truth to be discovered before it is too late. Again, this concept can apply to any genre of film, not just thrillers. In IN GOOD COMPANY, for instance, we know that Topher Grace is dating Dennis Quaid’s daughter, but Quaid’s character is in the dark, and we wait, tensely, for him to find out.

4. A necessary trade-off. If a character has to sacrifice something by committing an act, this adds tension to his decision process and to the action. The classic example of this is the hostage situation in a crime drama. Does the hero shoot and risk killing the hostage, or not shoot and chance letting the villain get away? Another familiar example is in relationship stories where the hero is about to declare his love for the heroine just as he learns that she loves someone else. Does he risk humiliation by stating his feelings anyway? Or does he sacrifice his own happiness by keeping mum?

5. Mystery. Think of the heroine venturing down a dark corridor or the detective peering into a sinister alley. When a character pursues a course of action to which the outcome is uncertain, this creates a sense of unease in the audience, which translates to tension.

6. Difficulty speaking. This can be either emotional or physical. Someone may be so grief-stricken, angry or embarrassed that speech is nearly impossible, or two characters may have to whisper in order to prevent being overheard. In either case, the difficulty presented by the situation increases the tension in what would otherwise be just an average conversation.

7. Reversal of expectations (for the worse). If the result of a character’s actions lead to the opposite of what he hoped for, this creates tension, as we wonder what he will do next. For instance, a man may propose to his long-time girlfriend, only to have her turn him down. What does he do now? This device is often used to create comic tension. In MEET THE PARENTS, every attempt by Ben Stiller to fix the problems he’s caused results in a worse situation and escalates the tension in the film.

8. Challenging Environment. Simply the addition of some external element will often increase the tension in a script. Thunderstorms make the completion of some outdoor activity more challenging than sunshine would. A city with narrow, crowded streets results in a tenser chase scene than a pursuit down an empty highway. A large, darkened and decrepit house is spookier than a cozy, sunny cottage. A dinner scene where the heroine is surrounded by hostile in-laws is a lot tenser than a party with old friends.

9. Things are going too well. Ironically, tension can arise during a scene or sequence in which everything seems to be going perfectly. The key word here is “seems.” Audiences are attuned to the basic rules of drama and know that when things are going too well, it generally means that this is merely the calm before the storm. If the two romantic leads happily hook up halfway into the movie, we know some monkey wrench to their relationship is around the corner. If the cop catches the villain early on in the film, we recognize that this is not the end of the story, and we wait tensely for the other shoe to drop.

10. Increase in conflict. Heightening the conflict between two or more characters is one of the most fundamental ways to add tension to a scene or sequence. There are many ways to increase conflict, and I will discuss some of them in the next essay.