Preparation, Aftermath

Showing the preparation and the aftermath of an important scene.  A famous screenwriting saying goes: “Tell your audience how you’re going to do it and, afterwards, show them how you’ve done it.”

Preparation could be anything from discussion of the heist plans before a caper or the protagonist steeling herself for a gymnastics trial. In this case, the Aftermath would be the party after the caper or the protagonist, let’s say he/she failed, facing the disappointment of his/her coach.

Preparation and Aftermath are essential tools because it delineates which scenes the storyteller considers to be important. 

We don’t want to jump right into a climactic scene; we want anticipation, we want to be with the characters at those moments. And, similarly, we want to see how much this climactic scene has changed them or their surroundings. Thus, by using Preparation and Aftermath, you can “milk” the power of your scenes.

The long briefing for the Osama Bin Ladin raid in Zero Dark Thirty is an example of a Preparation scene. The somewhat muted celebration after the team comes from the operation is an example of an Aftermath scene.

In King’s Speech, King George and Logue warming up to the climactic speech is a Preparation scene. The uproarious success of the speech as the crowds salute King George is an Aftermath scene.

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