After thinking about it for a moment, I realized that she was right. A lot of action movies, while technically and visually impressive, are pretty downright boring story-wise. A professor of mine once said, "Fight scenes put the story on hold until they're through." So how does one craft a good action sequence without falling into that same trap? Since a few of my stories have had action scenes in them, I watched some of my favorite violent movies to see what the masters did right. Here's what I came up with:
1. The battle can't be the only focus of the scene. It's a broad and vague rule, but pretty damn essential. Remember the amazing final bare-knuckle boxing match in the movie Snatch? Some of the greatest, and most hilarious, things happening in the scene are going on outside of the ring. You have two sides backing each fighter, and both have alternate plans for Brad Pitt's character. Both sides are wondering (and fearing) what exactly Mikey the Pikey is up to in that ring. The result of the battle affects all of the characters in the room, and even a ton more offscreen. If the scene had just been about Brad Pitt fighting a scary-looking boxer, it definitely would have still been cool, but not nearly as memorable.
The rule doesn't just apply to movies, either. Author Bruce Jones once did a run of The Incredible Hulk comics, and crafted an epic showdown between the Hulk and archvillain Abomination. The battle itself was amazing, with the two monsters chucking crushed semi trucks at each other and trying to beat one another senseless with an uprooted tree trunk. Hulk's line: "Did I... ever think... ABOUT THAT!?" still gets me to this day. Yet amazing as the fight itself was, it was only a small part of what was going on. Abomination's ex-wife was involved, as well as a sniper perched high up on a helicopter, a nefarious super-secret shadow organization hell-bent on getting Hulk blood, and the mysterious Mr. Blue trying to aid Bruce Banner from afar. The remains one of my favorite comic book battles ever, and to boot Jones also utilized rule number two...
2. The battle has to come from somewhere, so set it up properly. Just the other weekend, I was watching a popular animated action film that was made a few years back. While my eyeballs were definitely treated to a visual feast, the movie ended with me ultimately unimpressed. Many cans o' whupass were opened... but why, exactly? The only real lead-up I got was the main character saying something like, "Brace yourself... I can sense now that there is a battle coming." or something of similar ilk. Okay, cool, there's a battle coming. But again, why? What are the heroes and villains risking their lives over? If the readers or audience aren't clear on the reason, they aren't going to be fully behind the scuffle.
Again, Bruce Jones rocked this aspect in the Hulk comic. The readers could understand EXACTLY why Hulk and Abomination would want to beat the living hell out of each other. I was once working next to someone reading the comic, and I heard her go, "Oh daaaamn..." while reading the build-up to the fight. I'm sure this would have been music to Jones' ears had he been present.
3. Keep the pace. I'm a firm believer of this rule, and it really applies to all aspects of your writing. Escalate the pace throughout your story, and your action scenes. I hate it when a book or movie starts off great, then slowly dwindles away into a disappointment. The prisoner transport/semi truck chase scene in The Dark Knight is a perfect example of brilliant pacing; it builds and builds and never lets up. Block out the beats in your mind or in an outline, and have a trusted friend read it. Watch their reactions as much as you listen to what they have to say. Body language can be very revealing; if the readers or audience seemed coiled in upon themselves, that's a good sign.
4. Important action scenes must have equally intense consequences. I always find it hilarious when two characters in a movie or TV show get into a scuffle, beating the crap out of each other, and the only thing they have to show for it is a torn shirt, rumbled tie or slightly bloody lip. If you've ever been in a fight or seen one, you'll know that fists leave... you know... MARKS. Cracked cheek bones and swollen eye sockets aren't uncommon. Similarly, a battle scene that you write should have a lasting impression on your script or story. So two characters pummel each other, something interrupts them, and then the villain shouts something like, "Watch your back! Next time you're dead. DEAD!" What's the point? Many hours, words, pages, and efforts have gone into that scene for what purpose? Before you launch into constructing a fight scene, think first what you want the result of that battle to be. If there is no major consequence, then consider saving yourself the effort and skipping the scene altogether. Think of the show "Dexter" for example. The main character's actions -- and kills -- have consequences that ripple across several seasons. Nothing in the show is done without an earth-shaking consequence following it.
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Anyway, try out these guidelines and see if they work for your stories. I hope they do wonders!
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Earlier this week, my cousin recommended the show "Californication" to me, which I had been meaning to see for a while now. He's right: you must watch it. Beautiful writing and performances. I finished the first season in a few days (having watched it online on Netflix), deliriously happy that I had gotten a chance to watch the show. I'm literally afraid to watch the second season, in fear that it won't live up to the great heights that the first one set.
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