Tension

Definition

Tension is the emotional strain or anxiety that keeps an audience engaged and invested in a story, often arising from conflicts, stakes, and unresolved situations. It plays a crucial role in maintaining interest and driving the narrative forward by creating anticipation and uncertainty about the outcome of characters' actions.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Tension is essential in the three-act structure, where it typically peaks at key plot points to heighten emotional engagement.
2. Balancing multiple storylines can create complex layers of tension, as audiences may feel divided loyalties between characters or plots.
3. In horror and suspense genres, tension is crafted through pacing and atmosphere, often leading to jump scares or climactic revelations.
4. Drama and character-driven stories rely on personal stakes to generate tension, making characters' internal struggles as compelling as external conflicts.
5. Addressing structural issues can enhance tension by ensuring that conflicts remain unresolved until critical moments, keeping audiences on edge.

Review Questions

• How does tension contribute to the effectiveness of a three-act structure in storytelling?
  • Tension plays a vital role in the three-act structure by building suspense through escalating conflicts. In Act One, it sets up the stakes and introduces conflicts. By Act Two, tension rises as characters confront these challenges, leading to pivotal plot points that serve as climaxes. This emotional engagement keeps the audience invested until the resolution in Act Three, where all threads come together.
• Discuss how balancing multiple storylines can create varying levels of tension throughout a narrative.
  • Balancing multiple storylines allows for different types of tension to emerge simultaneously, enriching the narrative experience. Each storyline can introduce unique conflicts and stakes that affect audience emotions differently. For instance, while one character faces life-threatening danger, another might deal with personal betrayal, creating a complex web of tension that keeps viewers guessing about how these arcs will intersect and resolve.
• Evaluate the techniques used in horror screenwriting to manipulate tension and maintain audience engagement.
  • In horror screenwriting, creators often manipulate tension through pacing, atmosphere, and character decisions. Techniques such as building suspense with slow reveals, using sound to create unease, and placing characters in dire situations all contribute to heightened tension. The strategic use of silence followed by sudden action can provoke strong emotional reactions, ensuring audiences remain engaged while anticipating scares or twists.

Related terms

Conflict:

A struggle between opposing forces, often serving as the driving force of the narrative and a source of tension.

Suspense:

The feeling of excitement or anxious uncertainty about what may happen next, closely tied to tension but often focused on specific moments in the story.

Stakes: The consequences or risks involved in a character's choices that can elevate tension by highlighting what is at stake for them.