A huge part of what makes a great movie compelling is that you don't know what's

going to happen but want to find out.

But then again, why is it that you've watched your favorite movie a dozen time

although you know what's going to happen.

These movies keep the tension regardless.

You're glued to your seat and can't help but want to follow

the story even for a fifth time.

This time, tension works in a very different way, though.

When you’re watching a movie for the first time, tension is to a large

degree created by what we don't know.

We anticipate what's going to happen and tension is created

by the uncertainty about whether that's actually going to happen.

But when we’re watching a movie repeatedly, tension is

created quite differently.

Because this time we already know what happened.

Crucially, we already know what we felt when we saw it the first time.

And so, what we anticipate is not the curse of events, but it's the repetition

of this sensation, of that feeling.

It's the certainty of what we're going to feel that creates the tension.

Just observe how often you'll say something like: wait,

now comes the best part.

Music works this way too.

You can hear a piece for the one hundredth of time and it still

creates tension, sometimes even more when you're waiting for that

climactic moment to finally arrive.

So, what does your audience anticipate?

And how can you amplify that?