At the scene/sequence level character selection focuses on which of the “cast” members selected at the story level will be included in a particular scene. The majority of scenes in a narrative should involve major characters, although it doesn’t always need to be the protagonist. There may be scenes, for example, that involve the antagonist interacting with other characters.
Each scene should establish a purpose, goal, or intention for the character that is central to that scene. For example, a mystery story might contain a scene which begins with the protagonist finding an unidentified body. The intention of the protagonist in that scene might be to figure out the cause of death or alternately, the identity of the victim. To heighten the dramatic tension, the intentions of the protagonist might be thwarted by the actions of another character, an accident, a natural event (e.g. severe rain storm), or something similar. By the end of the scene the protagonist either achieves the intention, has been blocked, or been diverted to pursuing another intention in the next scene.
The number of major characters in a scene should generally be limited to three, as having more characters makes it difficult for the audience to follow the interactions between characters. If more than three major characters are in the same scene, the extras should be relegated to the background. Minor characters or walk-on and placeholder characters may be used to provide information, create obstacles, and generally aid or thwart the intentions of the character central to the scene.