What Makes an Obligatory Scene?
When writing a script or screenplay there are so many different formulas and requirements that are standard for fiction storytelling. For example, you might have heard of the obligatory scene which comes at the inciting incident and is set up. Okay, so the inciting incident sets up the obligatory scene, great — but what is an obligatory scene and what makes an obligatory scene?
What is an Obligatory Scene?
The obligatory scene is the climax of your film. That’s it! It’s the scene that your entire story is working up to. It’s the scene that your story is about – and for which if you don’t have it, you don’t have yourself a story.
Every obligatory scene is set up by the inciting incident of the story. So you have an incident that takes place and which leads into the climax of the story which is OBLIGATED for you to have a story — known as the obligatory scene.
What Makes up an Obligatory Scene?
The obligatory scene is a key event or decision that represents the climax of your story. It could be a discovery, or it could be a revelation. Perhaps it’s solving a puzzle or finding a dead body or learning new information that leads to a great realization.
Whatever the main climax of your story is, that is your obligatory scene. It must take place in order for your story to well, continue down from a climax to a resolution point.
For example, your obligatory scene for a murder mystery might be identifying a murder. The elements that lead up to your obligatory scene, the inciting incident is likely that a murder scene is found with a dead body included.
Everything in between, all the clues that come into play in order to bring your audience to the discovery of the murder are what make up your obligatory scene.
How to Determine Your Obligatory Scene
Determining your obligatory scene is all about knowing the conventions behind your genre. Different genre types have different expectations or obligatory scenes.
Remember, the obligatory scene is the obligation of your story, it’s basically the climax that your audience expects based on the genre of your story.
The Story’s Genre
To determine your obligatory scene, you must decide on what kind of story you’re writing, what the genre is and what similar stories have in common to yours. Watch movies of similar genres to help you learn what they have in common, how their stories play out and what the climax and conventions are for the genre.
Then, refine your conventions to make a list of your obligatory scenes. These are the important settings, roles, and conventions that are common for your genre. These are important to your story!
What makes an obligatory scene? The genre of your story and the conventions are behind the obligatory scene of your story. It’s the discovery, understanding, realization or missing link that represents the climax of your story.