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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46880
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If I've understood this it is a screenplay featuring, at this point, three characters; the characters proposing opposing options and the third character they are trying to win over?

That being the case, the indications of who is 'winning' will come from the third party not the two proposers. The scenes are likely to be more interesting if the third party is undecided or swithering between the two opposing propositions.

How you stage that is likely to depend on the relative dominance of the characters, is anyone 'chairing' this discussion? Can the third party 'conduct' the discussion or is he a passive audience to this battle or the proposers?

It seems as though if you are going to spend so much screen-time on this dispute, or series of disputes, that the third party's opinion carries a lot of weight, so they have a great deal of power. You may need to demonstrate how much the 3rd party understands their own power. Are they merely receiving information or is are they asking and probing? Do they wait until the discussion is over to deliver their 'verdict' or do they play the opposers off against each other?

It seems likely that you can only show which way this lug-of-war is going is by having the 3rd party be very active in the discussion. That way they can use their words and intonation, their body language, their hand gestures and their eye contact to convey to the audience how which way their thoughts are leaning. Do they bring Proposer 1 into the conversation and turn a shoulder to Proposer 2? Do they hold up a hand to stop Proposer 2 interjecting? Are there moments where they share a look with one of the proposers that shows they think the other is off his rocker, do they roll their eyes in exasperation with them both?

How much does the 3rd party just express their own view clearly: 'Proposer 1, I'm really not convinced by your suggested action, Proposer 2's idea would avoid the problems of the whimwams fargling the obslots, don't you think?'

Does the third party try to bring everyone into agreement, or is it enough that they cast their vote one way of another? In other words, as they sway from preferring one option over the other, do they try and bring the opposing proposer with them? Does the 3rd party positively contribute to analysing the pros and cons of the propositions, do they have any element to contribute themselves?

There are so many tools you can use to show how the wheel spins and where the ball is likely to come to rest, just about the only thing that wouldn't work is the 3rd party sitting like a dummy as the two proposers argue over their head and then turn to them for a final verdict. Make them part of the conversation.

Original score: 5