No filmmaker can lift the veil for you like Michael Sarnoski. The Milwaukee-born writer-director’s two films to date—2021’s pig and new wonders A Quiet Place: Day One—Everyone has a synopsis that suggests levity.
pig It tells the story of a man who goes on a mission to recover a missing pig. first dayMeanwhile, the film tells the story of a woman determined to get a piece of her favorite pizza during an alien invasion.
In both cases, Sarnowski takes those hilarious-sounding premises and turns them into devastatingly emotional portraits of people at their most human. It’s a great lesson for budding screenwriters: Even the simplest story ideas can contain deep poignancy, and a great storyline can tie them all together.
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“That’s obviously something I’m fascinated by — finding the depth of humanity in things that are sometimes almost silly,” I made this observation to the director this week on Script Apart, my podcast about the secrets of great first drafts. , he said with a smile.
“I think part of it is, this is what we love in life, right? We like to be surprised that when you really focus on something, you can find beauty in almost anything,” Sarnoski said. “I think in movies there’s often a tendency to make it bigger and more dramatic because that’s what’s going on. I’m sure for some people it’s not going to be them. vibe, but I like that, let’s try to refocus on some things that you wouldn’t normally focus on and find connections there.
I was floored by this. In my writing, I often find myself overcomplicating the central idea of a story in an attempt to excite the reader as much as possible.
Chatting with Sarnoski and studying his work reminded us that, as writers, the tasks you give your protagonists can be straightforward — or even, as the filmmaker points out, sound “silly.” What matters is the execution of your idea—find poignant moments in your character’s journey, no matter how simple that journey is.
So if the script you’re writing right now feels confusing, consider borrowing a page from this filmmaker’s book. Who knows, you might even get the next one A Quiet Place: Day One in your hand.
Listen to the full Script Apart interview above, powered by ScreenCraft, WeScreenplay and Final Draft.
Read more: 22 synopses for this year’s Sundance Film Festival (and why they’re on the festival’s radar)
