A review of scene and sequence concepts

Abstract

This research aims to review the concepts of scenes and sequences from the teachings of masters in screenwriting. This objective stems from a descriptive methodological perspective: we propose to study some elements of the communication process of cinema and television narrative through scenes and sequences, defining both concepts and applying these notions to a particular audiovisual text through case analysis. Analysis will confirm that experts refer to the term scene for different realities, generating confusion among audiovisual narrative scholars. We propose a distinction of the term scene into two different concepts: the scene and the narrative scene, which, in fact, are two different parts. As far as the sequence notion is concerned, there is enough consensus regarding its constitutive nature, although there are interesting nuances among authors, some of whom emphasize the relevance of the central conflict, whilst others emphasize the completeness of the event in the sequence. Employing the case method, the theoretical notions studied here are applied to a Pilot episode of Breaking Bad, in order to contribute to the elucidation of the concepts, the object of this investigation, and verify the coherence of the proposal.