Justin Kuritzkes is the screenwriter behind this year’s hit movies challengerThis critically acclaimed sports drama is set in the cutthroat world of professional tennis and is directed by Luca Guadagnino.
After Kuritzkes watched his first tennis match (between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, no less), normatively wrote, challenger making Kuritzkes a writer of sharp, character-driven narratives.
The film follows a complex and beautiful love triangle between three star players, showcasing Kuritzkes’ ability to balance high-stakes action with nuanced character development.
In a recent interview with ScreenCraft, Kuritzkes shared his approach to writing, delving into how he crafts well-developed characters and compelling narratives.
Understand the stakes of establishing character dynamics
Tennis is one of the most dramatic sports, not least because of the conflicts between people or the possibility of interesting rivalries. The court is essentially a stage where each player individually develops his or her skills.
While watching his first match a few years ago, Kuritzkes wondered how the tennis fan experience would be enhanced if viewers also understood the interpersonal drama behind the scenes.
This is the breaking point challengerhe said. His curiosity about possible conflicts off the field led him to develop Tassie (Zendaya), Art (McFest) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor).
“I always knew the structure of the movie was that we would be thrown into this game and these guys would look at each other like something very serious and profound was going on between them,” he said. “Then we’ll gradually figure out how we got here.”
Kuritzkes said he discovered a lot about the characters himself while writing, but nonetheless, he kept asking himself one question.
“How does that change the stakes?” he said. “How does that change our understanding of what we’re watching? How does it change our view of the relationships between all these people?
While everyone is obviously playing tennis and hoping to win, the bets challenger Also directly related to their love triangle.
“Whenever the distance between two people changes, the distance between the other person also changes,” he said. “And the angle changes. It’s this brutal geometry that they’re in.
It’s fascinating to hear how Kuritzkes visualizes these relationships and their drama as literal triangles with distances and angles. Maybe you can try other shapes!
Read more: 3 Ways to Add Conflict to Your Story
“Challenger” (2024)
drama without dialogue
We all know the adage: “Show, don’t tell.” For Kuritzkes, this is entirely literal, as much of the characters’ drama plays out silently on a tennis court. But this doesn’t work without a solid foundation.
Through the flashbacks Kuritzkes weaves into the story, viewers learn how these characters met, what motivates them, and what conflicts separate and bring them together. Viewers can see the obstacles they face, their failures and triumphs, and how these things impact their interactions.
Kuritzkes said he wanted to end up feeling like you already know a secret. The audience understands the non-verbal communication that occurs at key moments (including one important moment with the ball and racket).
Rather than just a tennis match, these scenes unfold like non-verbal arguments, with characters vying for the upper hand on the court and in their relationships.
When there are only scenes between Tashi and Art or just Tashi and Patrick, knowing the backstories of these characters also allows the audience to be in the “third person” position of the triangle. Understanding conflict is a great way to inject drama without having to do anything directly in the scene – the audience just has that perspective.
As a writer, having a good grasp of subtext will make this possible. what is character real Communicate when they do or say something?
It’s also important to ensure that character actions and narrative are aligned with key themes – the script should focus on that message, and every scene should serve that message in some way.
In this case, the film can be read as three characters who most fully understand each other while playing tennis at the highest level, and how each pursues this elusive connection in their own way. Every scene is about tennis, but every scene is also about their connection.
Read more: How to inspire crazy characters with real emotions
“Challenger” (2024)
What did Kuritskes learn? challenger (You can too)
Kuritzkes has previously written plays and novels challengerbut this was his first exploration of the script format. The producers made sure he was on set every day doing rewrites. This experience gave him a new appreciation for the subsequent filmmaking process.
Okay, but we’re not here yet. What else did he learn?
For Kuritzkes, onomatopoeia is indispensable.
Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound or is formed from a sound associated with an action or object. (Think “bang”, “honk”, “meow”.) challenger In the world of tennis, the sound of hitting the ball (the “thump”) is constant.
But he goes further.
“I realized early on that the tennis court was going to be a kind of time machine,” he said. “These guys have spent their entire lives on pitches that look the same. The way we transition between one time period and another is usually by the ball going through the net.
This means that on the page, Kuritzkes uses THWACK instead of CUT TO or SMASH CUT TO in scene transitions.
He didn’t just do it to cherish tennis or his writing. Instead, he had a clear visual motivation for using this in his script, and it directly connected to the world.
He said he wasn’t sure how it would work in practice, but something unique and vibrant on the page would definitely draw readers in immediately.
Giving your script your personal touch can be a hugely important thing that helps show off your personality as a writer. But make sure you understand the basics first, and don’t go too far that distracts from the story!
“Challenger” (2024)
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Kuritzkes’ final advice? Write about movies you want to see, write about things that interest you.
“If you’re really honest with yourself every step of the way in writing whether you can still see that movie on the page,” he says, “then chances are, at the end, you’re going to get something that no one else can see. thing.
Read more: 9 Tips for Finding Your Screenwriter’s Authentic Voice
