There's no such thing as a lost cause, or a dead end. Through persistence, attitude, and creativity, there's always an escape route.
Make the audience wonder what's going on by putting them in the same position as the protagonist.
Every scene should be able to answer three questions: "Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?
When the three branches of government have failed to represent the citizenry and the mass of the media has failed to represent the citizenry, then the citizenry better represent the citizenry.
One person may need (or want) more leisure, another more work; one more adventure, another more security, and so on. It is this diversity that makes a country, indeed a state, a city, a church, or a family, healthy. 'One-size-fits-all,' and that size determined by the State has a name, and that name is 'slavery. '
Forget narrative, backstory, characterisation, exposition, all of that. Just make the audience want to know what happens next.
The main question in drama, the way I was taught, is always, 'What does the protagonist want?' That's what drama is. It comes down to that. It's not about theme, it's not about ideas, it's not about setting, but what the protagonist wants.
Why do humans exist? A major part of the answer: because Pikaia Gracilens survived the Burgess decimation.
If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused, and didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. . . if I felt that I belonged someplace, you know then. . .
How much harm does a company have to do before we question its right to exist?
Is so interesting, is that when you're blindfolded and you're talking to somebody the conversation goes to places that it would never go if you could see the other person's reaction. You start talking about very intimate things. It's such an interesting experience.