How to write a screenplay

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How to write
a screenplay.
Or tell a better story.
by Victor Piñeiro
[storystuff]

What’s your idea?
First things ﬁrst.

It should be awesome.
It should have a HOOK.
It should be HIGH CONCEPT.
Which really means...

high concept: adj. a story based on a striking and
easily communicable plot or idea
(Oxford English Dictionary)

Awesome ideas.
• A cop who has to kill robots might be a robot himself.
• During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a ma...

You need a PLOT
and a STORY.

Plot
• the hero WANTING something
• one event causing another

Story
• the hero NEEDING something
• revealing the hero’s character

Tell it to me in one line.
Okay, you’ve got your awesome idea.

Your one-line idea, or LOGLINE, should include or
suggest these three elements:
Someone (the hero) wants something (the go...

Awesome loglines
• An 8-year-old boy, who is accidentally left behind while his
family ﬂies to France for Christmas, has t...

If it helps, you can also describe the TONE of your movie
with an “X meets Y”, “X with Y” or “X in Y” one-liner.

Pocahontas In Space

blair witch meets Godzilla

hamlet with lions

jaws with other
creatures

Your idea in one word.
For bonus points, give me:
(This is your THEME.)

revenge.

family.

character.

Who’s your hero?
Okay, you have an idea.

What does heWANT?
What does he NEED?
To deﬁne your hero, ask:

A WANT is external.
A NEED is internal.

WANTS: Parents to Meet
NEEDS: Courage

WANTS: Money
NEEDS: Trust/Love

WANTS: Tomorrow
NEEDS: ToAppreciateToday

WANTS: To Defeat Doc Ock
NEEDS: Confidence

What’s his FLAW?
[What he NEEDS is related to his FLAW.]
One more question.

FEAR.

INDECISION..

SELF-DOUBT.

Who’s the adversary?
Okay, you’ve got a hero.
[Note: They might not be a villain.]

An adversary embodies the hero’s FLAW.
An adversary forces the hero to face his FLAW.

Adversary.

ADVERSARY.

ADVERSARY.

ADVERSARY.

Let’s talk STRUCTURE.
Idea? Check.
Hero? Check.
Adversary? Check.

Most ﬁlms (and many stories) have THREE ACTS.
Each ACT is made up of SEQUENCES.
Each SEQUENCE is made up of SCENES.
Each S...

MOVIE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE SCENE
SCENE SCENE SCENE SC...

Beat
• the smallest unit in a script/story
• an exchange of action & reaction

Scene
• a continuous action in a speciﬁc location
• functions as a mini-story
• has a protagonist with a goal
• the protag...

Sequence
• several scenes that build up to a bigger climax
• each sequence has a mini-goal
• sequences end in turning poin...

Act
• several sequences that build up to a climax
• the climax is a a major turning point

Stories also tend to have the following SIGNPOSTS.

A day in the life.
Show us what the hero’s world is like, introduce all the
main characters, introduce the hero’s ﬂaw(s).
...

The SPARK!
Something happens and the hero’s world is FLIPPED ON
ITS HEAD. This is where the HOOK comes in. You can
also co...

Do I Stay or Do I Go?
The hero must decide whether to embark on this
adventure (or take this new opportunity). 99% of the ...

Into the NewWorld
The hero (boldly) ventures into the new world, which is
the OPPOSITE of the world she’s lived in up to t...

What is love?
The new world often comes with a few new characters,
including the LOVE INTEREST. He usually represents
what...

MeltTheir Faces Off
Remember that awesome HOOK you thought up? Pay it
off here. The hero has fun with her new powers or
si...

Crossing the Rubicon
In other words, this is the POINT OF NO RETURN. The
hero must do something which she can’t undo, whic...

FalseVictory
The hero gets a moment of clarity, and everything seems
like it’s going to be okay – she’s going to prevail.....

Long Journey Into Night
Things go from bad to worse. The villains come back,
way more powerful than before. The hero’s los...

Rock Bottom
Things could not get worse. The villains seem
unstoppable. All hope is lost. The love interest ditched
the her...

From theAshes
...the hero realizes her ﬂaw, learns her lesson, and
formulates a plan to defeat the villain. Here’s where t...

Time to KickAss!
The hero faces the villain, who is at their strongest... and
WINS! By winning she has now CHANGED THE
WOR...

ACT ONE
Day In the Life
The SPARK!
Do I Stay or Do I Go?
Into the New World!
ACT TWO
What Is Love?
Melt Their Faces Off
Cr...

Focus on your outline.
The best advice I can give you at this point is:

Spend a lot of time working out the beats, scenes,
sequences and acts. Use the signposts to help guide
your story. Stories...

Checklist
✓ You have an awesome idea that’s easy to communicate.
✓ Your hero is awesome and likable.
✓ She wants something...

Rookie Mistakes
• Your hero is too passive.
• Your main character has too many friends.
• You have a few (or many) scenes ...

Read.
Finally, the best advice I can give you:

Start with these books.
• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
• Story by Robert McKee
• The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottie...

Visit these websites.
• http://johnaugust.com
• http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/
• http://www.gointothestory.com/
• ht...

Caveats!
These tips and guidelines are a collection of stuff I’ve found
useful as I’ve learned about storytelling and scre...

Who IAm
Hi – I’m Victor. I haven’t written an Oscar-winning screenplay, a
summer blockbuster or The Great American Novel.
...

Thanks!
Tyson Damman for the design.
James Hutchinson for the advice.
Will Simon for the edits.
Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escori...

How to write a screenplay

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