Wanna Write a Screenplay?  Here’s how you start…

A superb screenplay tells a satisfying, emotionally engaging story with characters who feel like real people even tho they’re not – sometimes they’re not even human. 

It will deliver everything you expect in unexpected ways.  It will feel cohesive and assured – and you’ll easily be able to identify the genre.  But here’s the serious bit - superb screenplays don’t just happen by accident – they start as an engaging and hooky idea that is then fully explored and developed into a story with solid bones. Many new screenwriters are often soooo excited about launching into snappy dialogue they start writing their screenplay before they’ve got the basic story bones right. Newsflash! Writing a screenplay is hard work and it’s even harder if the writer jumps in before they’ve worked out the story.

One of two things tend to happen:

1) The writer runs out of steam about half way through and gives up because they get stuck and don’t know what to do next.

2) The writer continues to forge on in what they hope is the right direction before collapsing exhausted on top of their

bloated 200 page epic. (By the way - no one wants to read a bloated 200 page epic.)

I really don’t want either of those things to happen to you!

So before you start in on that screenplay, let’s get the main elements of your story in place by thinking about and answering the following questions. 

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Establish the Key Story Elements

Where is the story set? What genre do you think your story falls into? You may or may not know immediately but if you’re struggling with this - ask yourself the following questions…

What other films do I want my screenplay be like? 

How do you want people to feel when they’re reading your screenplay?

Which time period? (1950s? Present Day? Near Future?)

Who is the PROTAGONIST? That is, who is the story primarily about? (If it’s about two main characters, write them both down. If it’s about a group of people e.g. a team – write that down.)

What’s your Protagonist’s BIG PROBLEM in this story?

What is your Protagonist’s main goal in your story?

Who or what is causing your protagonist problems? (Who or what is the main ANTAGONIST? There will possibly be more than one antagonist but think about what antagonistic forces could also make your character’s life more difficult?)

What is the story about on a basic level? (I.e. what is the PREMISE?)

What’s the CORE CONFLICT in your story? The core conflict in a story needs to be simple and tangible. In short – someone wants something but someone or something else is preventing them from having it

What’s at STAKE for your protagonist in this story?

Another way of looking at stakes is to ask – what happens if the protagonist doesn’t achieve their goal? If your answer is – not much – then the stakes in your story are too low.

What do you think the story is about on a deeper level? (This is the THEME – not the premise)

What truth about humanity are you exploring in your screenplay?

Truly, by getting this stuff sorted out before you start writing you are doing yourself a big favour.

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