For better or worse a film is often talked about in a condensed form. “It was fun” is a review you can expect from a mother. “It was scary” from a child. “It was alright” from most men and so on and so forth. Reducing things down to the simplest unit is just what people do. The world is large and complex and our feeble little brains need to simplify things we don’t really care too much about.
Sure, film types may go deeper but the general public doesn’t have the time or inclination to delve into the meaning and nuance of every scene. They talk in cliffs notes and usually the biggest cliffs note is “That one scene where…” Such as in There’s Something About Mary when Cameron Diaz’s character asks “Is that hair gel?” Or when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator gives a thumbs up as it descends into molten metal.
Genre
The one scene applies to all genres of film but is most powerful in horror. That one scene can get people excited, can get the film word of mouth. It’s free PR after the film releases and, if it’s memorable enough, entered into the annals of horror history.
This also works with screenplays. A strong and unique scene will stick in people’s heads. When they’re doing the washing up, in it pops. Trying to get to sleep, there it is. That one scene can burn your script into someone’s memory.
In The Blair Witch Project a character merely standing in a corner or snot running down a woman’s face got people talking. In The Babadook a white face with black mouth and eyes rushes the screen. How many people saw that when they closed their eyes that night? And the best, in my opinion, in modern horror: The Conjuring and a simple clap of hands. You know something is coming, you even expect a jump scare but when those hands appear and clap… they still get you. Simple, effective and memorable.
Shorts
In a short the whole thing tends to be built around that one scene. It’s usually being the ending where we get a scare. There is some wiggle room but if you’re not causing an exclamation near the end of your horror short, you may have problems. And if you don’t have that one scene at all, you probably don’t have a horror short.
Don’t Let Them Forget
When it comes to your own work, what is that one scene? Where do you push boundaries or simply wedge a scene in the reader’s mind so that even days later they still can’t forget it? It doesn’t have to be extremely graphic or even involve physical harm at all. Making sure you have that one scene to get people talking and most importantly, to get your script remembered, will pay dividends. Shock, amaze maybe even sicken. Just make sure they won’t forget.