British Comedy Guide

Beat it

Miranda. Image shows from L to R: Gary (Tom Ellis), Miranda (Miranda Hart). Copyright: BBC

A beat is a moment that propels the story forward and compels the viewer to take stock of what happens next.

Each scene may be comprised of several different beats - or just one. Some story beats are subtle, while others are obvious

If a scene doesn't contain a "beat", that is a good sign that it is merely padding, and it needs to be either rejigged and rewritten or cut!

Broadly, there are four different types of story beat that you will deploy across your storyline and script. These are:

1) Event beats

From Royal visits to birthday parties,...

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Published: Tuesday 26th March 2024

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