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Parts of a scene: BEATS

 BEATS 

 

Scenes themselves may be divided into units of action called beats. The word beat may come from bit, meaning "a small part." Stanislavski used the term "unit of action" for what we commonly call a beat today. In any case, a beat has its own dramatic shape, with an underlying conflict and a rising action leading to a crisis. Beats, like scenes, do not have much resolution, since they must lead us on into the next beat in order to continue the flow of the scene.

 



Each beat contains an objective, an action, a conflict, and an obstacle. 
Each beat can be broken down into a series of moments.




 

Felner, Mira. Free to Act. Allyn & Bacon, 2004.
Benedetti, Robert. The Actor In You. Pearson Higher Ed, 2015.

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