Visual Storytelling

Sight and Sound

Storytelling in film demands two of ours senses: sight and sound.

Sound is everything from dialogue to music and effects. (More on use of sound and music cues in your screenplay later.)

Sight is everything that the audience sees when they watch the film. As we’ve discussed, it’s why description and narrative matter in your script.

Metaphors Be With You

One important yet subtle aspect of your description in narrative is the use of visual metaphors that resonate with an audience. “Isn’t that the director’s job?” you might ask. And you would not be wrong. It is!

But, as the screenwriter, it’s also yours!

Imagine All the People

Specific images stay with us long after the film has ended. They serve to give the story additional information and emotional content. The best images become representative of what’s memorable or appealing about a film.

For example, Tom Cruise in Ray-Bans for “Risky Business.”

Or the ruby red slippers in “The Wizard of Oz.”

The best visual metaphors recur throughout a plot and add meaning for the audience as the images repeat.

Thematic Metaphors