Repeat scenes

Repeated Scenes.

Scenes that, for whatever reason, directors keep using. At first interesting, even powerful, these scenes have lost the charge originally intended.

1. Jogging.

A character jogging, or biking along an empty, early morning street, is a time suck that allows the story to move on off-screen. The jogger returns to find his home ransacked, his wife and/or girlfriend gone, kidnapped whatever. Then there's the character who meets the jogger on the road to deliver an important message.

"Hey, Rick your home's been ransacked and your wife is gone!"

2. Chop Sticks.

a few main players have just ordered take-out off the menu from, "Wong's Hut" and are now enjoying fried rice straight out of the containers they've been delivered in. Gross. Important conversation is supposed to be taking place but I can't get past the fact that everyone is eating with chopsticks.

3. Five Abreast

3 to five guys walking shoulder to shoulder along the sidewalk or, better yet, the deserted street directly toward the camera. It's supposed to show solidarity. We're coming to get you badassness, alpha maleness. It's cool if the actors are cool. But it's old.

4. Using Only Part of the Song.

I saw this done with Gimme Shelter, All Along The Watchtower, and others. Filmmaker's who mine the best parts of a tune for it edgy qualities and then fade it out are just being lazy.

5. Wet Streets.

Wet streets that reflect light for an otherworldly, sci-fi glow is great under the right circumstances. but ask yourself, does your story really need wet, light-reflecting streets? Thank you, Ridley Scott.