10 screenwriting lessons from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
By Steve Lam
Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Lesson 8: Emotional Throughline in Scenes
All the action scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have emotion behind them. One prime example would be the “Nebula vs. Gamora” sequence. It was definitely action-packed, entertaining, but the real goal wasn’t about Nebula trying to kill Gamora. It was Nebula trying to eradicate her feelings of loneliness and abandonment.
Scenes don’t always have physical goals. Writers need to make sure their scenes have an emotional payoff. Make sure there’s a setup, so when the payoff arrives, the audience is given a reveal—new information that fleshes out the characters even more.