It’s great to study screenwriting books, read produced scripts, and watch videos of professional screenwriters talking about them. Still, the best education for screenwriters can be found in their most common practices: See a movie.
Of course, you need to know:
But when you click on it, the real secret of the sauce is right in front of you Play button.
5 things to learn while watching a movie
We’ll start from the moment you click play until the end of the movie.
1. Learn the introduction of the opening production company logo
“Who do I pitch my script to?”
This is one of the most common questions for new screenwriters. Most people initially want to approach the major studios:
- sony
- Warner Bros. Discovery Center
- disney
- Paramount
- universal
When you understand the inner workings of the film industry, you quickly discover that this approach is not how the entire process works. There is no individual or department within a major studio that handles unsolicited submissions. This is not the structure of development.
All the legwork is done by the production company. The major studios are there to provide funding and distribution.
Therefore, the most important factor for a screenwriter looking at a film is the production company involved in the development and production of the film, as it relates to the question of who you should pitch your script to. These companies can be found in the opening production company logo introduction.
You can see them before the credits roll:
- It begins with an introduction to the main studio logo (if applicable).
- Then we see the dealer company logo introduced.
- Next is an introduction to the logos of each production company.
Note: Sometimes, publisher and production company introductions are interchanged depending on the situation.
You’ll recognize some production and distribution companies, while others won’t. But these are the real movers and shakers, and you should try to connect with them.
When you watch smaller movies released on streaming platforms, the companies associated with those movies may also be more accessible.
2. The first scene
The first scene of the film is well worth studying. This is compelling people. Sets the tone of the film. It usually introduces the genre or at least previews upcoming elements of the genre.
Let’s take a look at the first scenes of a few iconic movies.
Inglourious Basterds
After watching this scene, you will be hooked. You understand tone, atmosphere and style. You are introduced to the villain. And then you get teased by one of the main characters.
jurassic park
You already know this movie is about a dinosaur park – the title alone gives it away. After watching this opening scene, you’ll know that these dinosaurs are going to be a force to be reckoned with. And this scene only provides us with an engaging teaser that compels us to keep watching.
clown
This engaging opening scene focuses less on the concept and more on the characters. The titular character is unsettling from the start. Then, in the accompanying scenes, we see what is considered a miserable life. He is a victim of the world around him. We wanted to see how this man became the villain of villains – the Joker.
The first scene in the script is important. It will engage the reader and compel them to read further. The old Hollywood screenwriting adage is that you have ten pages to hook your script readers. No, sometimes it’s just the first scene.
3. How often does the protagonist get into conflict?
Different types put characters into conflict at different times. Still, most of the time you’ll see feature films unfold conflicts as quickly as possible—or at least, the conflicts will be teased to keep the audience engaged.
The ordinary world of the characters will be briefly introduced. We get a glimpse into their daily lives before the conflict occurs. But now it’s time to make things happen.
You need to do this in your playbook too:
- Research movies that have a similar story type and tone to yours.
- The time code indicates how quickly the conceptual conflict affects the protagonist.
- Understand that an atmospheric slow-movie does not represent a best-seller in the script market.
- Briefly introduce your characters’ world, then throw them into the fire (conflict) so the cinematic journey can begin.
4. Look for twists, turns, plants and rewards
Examine how the film sets up plants and rewards through all actions of the story. Pay attention to how writers and filmmakers mislead you—offer subtle twists.
No matter what type of work you write, the entire script must have twists, turns, plants, and payoffs.
We’re not saying you need to turn your drama into an M. Night Shyamalan-level twist-fest. You just need to add some elements to your script that will keep your script readers guessing.
- Taking us down a familiar genre path, only to suddenly veer in another direction.
- Embedding subtle plot and character elements that pay off at the end.
- Take risks and give us things we didn’t know we wanted.
READ MORE: Script Splitting: ‘Weird Darling’ Screenwriters Talk The Power of Midpoint Twist
“The Febelmanns” (2022)
5. How did you feel at the end of the movie?
Catharsis is what we feel after watching a movie. When you walk out of the theater or stop watching a movie, you feel truly changed or affected.
Sometimes the catharsis you feel has nothing to do with you personally, but the movie is made so well that you somehow feel like you are in the shoes of the protagonist and feel their own catharsis by the end of the movie because they either:
- Overcame many difficulties and achieved the goal they had been striving for
- Feel some relief from their struggles in tragedy.
This is the magic of an amazing screenplay and film that leaves the reader or viewer truly moved, affected, and sometimes even changed –catharsis.
Any screenplay or movie can tell a good story with an interesting plot and compelling characters. But not every screenplay or film truly leaves a lasting mark on readers or viewers.
Watch the movie and see if there are those cathartic moments at the end. And then do your best to do the same in the script.
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Here’s a learning checklist you’ll want to review while watching the movie:
- Research open production and distribution company logo profiles to get an idea of who you should ask.
- Study the first scene of the movie to learn how to kick off the script.
- Study how quickly your protagonist is thrown into the fires of conflict to learn how to do the same with your own protagonist.
- Study how movies are filled with twists, turns, plants, and payoffs large and small throughout the film.
- Study your emotions at the end of the movie and learn from them how to affect readers and viewers at the end of the story.
Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
As a production writer, he participated in numerous studio meetings with companies such as Sony, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros., and numerous production and management companies. He previously had a development deal with Lionsgate and has had several writing assignments, including the miniseries power failurestarring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Hayley Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric LaSalle and Bruce · Starring Bucklina, and the thriller “Hunter” creed Starring Duane Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O’Sullivan, John Victor Allen and James Errico. Follow Ken on Twitter @ken电影
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