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We’ve framed the top of the scene and filled the middle of it. Now we need to close the frame.

CUTTING A SCENE

The actual act of cutting a scene is generally pretty straightforward: You stop talking about that thing and you start talking about this other thing. Use phrases like “meanwhile”, “we cut to”, and “two days later” to make the transition explicit and then move straight to banging your next scene.

The interesting question, however, is knowing when to cut. And, once again, we’re going to discover that this is more of an art than a science.

FINISHING THE AGENDA: If the agenda of a scene is defined by a question, a really obvious place to cut is the point where that question has been answered.

This line of thinking, however, can also be a trap if you think that’s the only way to end a scene: Some of the most interesting agendas develop over multiple scenes before being resolved. Other conflicts literally can’t be resolved until some other event has occurred. Staying mired in a scene which has reached an impasse is a quick exercise in boredom, so you’ll want to identify other moments when it’s time to move on.

THE SECOND LULL: The Smallville RPG offers this advice:

There’s an ebb and flow to a scene, with the dialogue coming hot and fast, the dice getting broken out, gloating and cheering and tense confrontations. And then sometimes things start to drag. That’s okay; your players may need to absorb what’s happening and figure out which direction they’re going next. Give them that moment, because a good pivot makes for a great scene. Things will pick up again right after and proceed onwards. The trick is to cut before the scene hits that second lull. One pivot makes for a good scene; two pivots makes for a muddy mess. If things start slowing down again, it’s time to move on.

Not much I can add to that.

ON THE EXIT: If all the PCs leave, that’s a pretty clear-cut signal that the scene is over. But often even a single lead leaving (whether that’s a PC or NPC) can be a good point to cut the scnee.

Until We Sink is a storytelling game which says that every scene ends “as soon as two characters have left the patio”. That’s not a bad rule of thumb: The exit of the first lead makes it clear that the scene is coming to an end, but still gives everybody else a chance to wrap up. When the second lead leaves, it’s a sign that interest in the scene is waning fast and it’s probably time for a change.

FLEE: When the bad guy gets away or the heroes are forced to retreat. This is a specific type of character exit, but it deserves a special call-out. The key thing about this sort of scene ending is that it specifically doesn’t resolve the agenda: A key lead is making the decision to run away from the scene instead of dealing with that situation.

Combat is an obvious example of this, but it can also take the form of Billy running out of the house when you confront him the syringe you found in his room. Or Susan waking up in the middle of the night and sneaking out of bed after sleeping with Roger.

A NEW BANG: Sometimes, instead of going to a new scene, you can bring the new scene to them. If the current scene seems to have hit a lull, hit back with a new bang: The doors of the inn burst open and a team of assassins pours into the room. Betty gets a phone call with dire news. One of the NPCs says, “This might be a bad time to mention this, but…”

CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION

On that note, when one scene ends it’s time for a new scene to begin. All conversations are loops and it’s time to close this one: If the current scene has been happening in “now time”, then it’s time to up-shift to abstract time or cut hard to the next bang.

Go to Part 5: Advanced Techniques

The Art of Pacing – Part 3: Filling the Frame The Art of Pacing – Part 5: Advanced Techniques The Art of Pacing: Prepping Bangs