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you must try to find a new and unique way to look at a
situation or struggle. For instance, the horror film The
Lost Boys used vampires to retell the story of Peter
Pan. The film Forbidden Planet was a science-fiction
take on William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
One of the most common romantic plots is boy meets
girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back again. Yet, there
are still fresh, new romance films made each year. How
could you tell that story in a new way? You could set
your story in a different historical period— in the past
or the future. It could be boy meets boy, or girl meets
girl. What if the two protagonists fight on different
sides in a war and supposed to be sworn enemies, yet
fall in love? At its heart, West Side Story is a reworking
of Romeo and Juliet.
Start with an age-old story and then allow your
imagination to take it in a brand new direction. There
are lots of books which can help you learn more
about building a strong plot. The Hero’s Journey by
Joseph Campbell and Poetics by Aristotle are great
places to start.Before you start writing
Read
Before you start to write your first screenplay, you
should take the time to read some screenplays. Doing
this will allow you to study the form and structure of
screenplays for films that you know and like. However,
it can also be useful to read screenplays for films that
you didn’t enjoy to see if you can determine why they
didn’t connect with you.
As you read the screenplays, study what worked
and what didn’t work. Choose some stories that are
driven by dialogue and others that are more focused
on action. Consider what message the writer wanted
to convey through the screenplay and whether it is
explicit or implicit.
It can be a useful exercise to have your own take on
what worked for those screenplays. Choose a scene and
think about how you could write it in a different way to
achieve the same goal.
The Internet Movie Script Database (https://www.
imsdb.com/) is a fabulous free resource with screenplays
from all genres and an ideal place to start your research.Watch
As well as reading screenplays, it would help if you
also watched films. Choose one of your favorites and
write an outline for it. An outline is a writer’s blue-
print for their screenplay. It may be in the form of
bullet points or short paragraphs for each scene, sum-
marizing the essential plot points, action and dialogue
as necessary.
Map how the plot is structured and how the charac-
ters develop. Traditionally films have often followed
a three-act formula. Act One introduces the characters
and establishes the setting for the story. It also in-
cludes an inciting incident that sets the tale underway
and ends with a turning point, which leads to Act Two.
In Act Two, the protagonist pursues their goal, leading
to another turning point at the end of the Act, which
suggests that they will fail in their quest. In Act Three,
the protagonist will face a climactic do or die battle
leading to the story’s resolution.
Study how characters learn from their experiences
and are changed by them. What journeys do the
characters go on, both physically and emotionally?
The loner may have to learn how to trust others and
work with them. An arrogant man may learn humility.
A timid person comes to believe in themselves and
stand up against their foe. If a film character tells you
their weakness or worst fear, you can guarantee it will
be a challenge they have to overcome before the end
credits roll.Write with passion
Writing a screenplay is rarely a quick process. You
will be spending a lot of time crafting your story and
molding your characters, so write about something
which inspires you. Find a topic you feel strongly
about and base your screenplay around that. If you are
passionate about the story you want to tell, then others
will be as well.
You could use your story to raise awareness of an
issue that is important to you. Alternatively, you may
choose to set your story in a community you want to
highlight, so that message is less explicit.
You may also choose to write about a subject which
you are keen to learn more about. The research forWhat makes a Screenplay Strong
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