How to play a chase scene for drama?

Because when I hear "chase scene", I just think of like cartoony sequences, which isn't suited for my story. Can you please give me some advice?

IIRC, chase scenes are fairly common in the horror genre, especially Slashers, and unless it's a comedy film, they tend to be played seriously. Such chases give the audience anticipation and fear as they wait to see if the chasee will outrun the killer or not and if they fail to outrun the, then they will get slaughtered. So, making the chaser a clear threat with stakes would audience anxiously anticipate as the chase ensues.

I do also recall that they're common in the action drama as well when you have the protagonist running away from enemies and more often than not, doing some parkcore and/or fighting back along the way. Maybe not exactly played for drama but it's not played for comedy either.

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Nov 27th 2023 at 3:22:11 AM

Make the stakes feel real. Instead of goofy antics, have it be stressful and show the character really in danger of being caught. Make them trip up and get stuck, or put the fight into some narrow space where they can't hide, or make them just barely faster. And make sure the audience knows that there'll be consequences if they're caught.

Choose believable stakes. Unless you're one of like three authors alive, no one believes the protagonist's car is going to be blown up and they'll die halfway through the story. But their friend might, or they may be too late to stop the bad guy, or their car might be totalled, or they might get in trouble with the police, or they may miss their chance to get the macguffin, or whatever.

Edited by ECD on Nov 27th 2023 at 7:42:51 AM

Or have the chase without the protagonist involved in it.

For example, the ones in the car realizes that they ones chasing aren't actually after the (Insert Protagonist here) but something in their possession. May it be an object or info or something but at least it doesn't involve the innocent protagonist.

So depending on how well they know the Protag, they may try and shove them out from the car when taking a sharp turn, assume command of the vehicle and drive off to continue the chase.

This would put the car and the driver to be in the "death"-danger territory and the stakes goes straight up to the roof, since these people can die during this and they don't know it yet.

They may actually do so in a crash, but unbeknownst to the villains, the one in the car actually managed to smuggle down the important macguffin into the protagonist's pocket while shoving them out the car, making sure that even if they lose, the villains won't win either.

It is only discovered to the readers when the protagonist gets up, saddened over having been thrown aside like that, and then discovers the thing the other character tried to keep from the villain's hands in one of his own pockets.

Just as an idea.

A lot of other people have given good answers, but I wanted to add something in addition to these other aspects. Focus on the physical toll the chase takes on the person being pursued. Their legs ache from moving so fast, perhaps in a way they aren't used to. Their sides are in agony from their rapid breathing, and air seems like a precious resource that is snatched away as soon as it comes in.

Add that physical discomfort to the fact that they are fleeing something/someone that means them great harm, and it becomes even more tense, as the reader wonders just how much longer can the protagonist keep this up?

Another good way is to make the antagonist just damn relentless, which can work whether they're in vehicles or on foot. There's just something inherently kind of freaky about a character who just keeps coming no matter how hard you try to get away. It makes it feel like it's just a matter of time before they catch up, as nothing seems to slow them down or distract them.

Or have the pursued person just fail to escape. Or land into some other trouble (e.g being overrun by a car).

I might add some terms that put it into the unheimlich. something that is a little surreal but not goofy if it makes sense. Maybe tie it into the chased' state of mind (which would likely be stressed the f out).

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Nov 28th 2023 at 4:27:26 AM

Go watch The French Connection for a prime example here. It's the Trope Codifier for chase scenes and its pivotal example is soaked in drama! The whole movie builds up narrative tension to the point where, when the protagonist finally chases the antagonist at the movie's high point, it becomes an external realization of just how far off the deep end the protagonist has gone.

I think chase scenes are more tense or exciting than dramatic. I suggest reading chase scenes in books if you want to write one. I think in a book a slow chase might be easier to do then a fast one. A guy running though allys and jumping over fruit carts looks exciting in movies, but I am not sure how long it would take up in a book.