Screenwriting – Secrets of the professional

‘How to write a screenplay’ is a question that plagues all aspiring screenwriters. Here are some effective techniques from the pros to help you write your screenplay effortlessly.

Most aspiring screenwriters start writing their screenplay the moment they have a vague outline of a story.

Unfortunately, this can be a kiss of death for your script. Why?

Because you’ll be creating such a maze of confusion and rewrites that eventually you’ll just give up. So how do you really write a movie script on a solid foundation?

This is how a professional screenwriter will start screenwriting technique #1. #1:

By testing your story idea with these Five Critical Questions:

1. What happens in the first 30 pages of my script?

2. What happens at the end of 30 pages that spins the story in a completely different direction and how does Hero’s life get thrown out of balance?

3. What happens in the next 60 pages after the hero’s life loses balance?

4. What happens at the bottom of page 60 and how does the hero plunge into a bigger problem?

5. How is the problem resolved/or not resolved?

Suppose your idea is: Bob is the son of a famous movie star and is trying to get out of his father’s shadow. He fights and finally by helping others he gets recognition.

Now ask these five questions:

What happens in the first 30 pages of my script?

Bob, the son of a famous movie star, falls deeply in love with a beautiful girl at his college. Bob finally feels that he has met a girl who understands his problem with being the son of a movie celebrity.

What happens at the end of 30 pages that spins the story in a completely different direction and throws Hero’s life out of balance?

Bob discovers that his girlfriend befriended him to get a break in movies. When Bob refuses to help, she points out that Bob is nothing without his father and will remain so for the rest of his life.

What happens in the next 60 pages after the hero’s life is thrown out of balance?

Bob changes his name and goes to a small town and starts helping drug addicts get out of addiction. His dedication and work manage to save many lives and he spreads word of mouth and creates the largest drug recovery company.

What happens at the bottom of page 60 and how does the hero plunge into a bigger problem?

His famous father, who always distanced himself from Bob, now comes to Bob’s town and announces in the media that the whole idea was his and that he pumped money into helping his son build this organization. Bob later discovers that his father will be running in the election the following year.

How is the problem solved / or not?

Hundreds of real people that Bob saved are recording videos and flooding the internet to tell the world how Bob single-handedly created this organization to help them. Big organizations are also coming to support Bob by telling the media how Bob’s father is trying to steal credit from his own son to win the upcoming election. Bob discovers that one of the reporters is his ex-girlfriend. She apologizes to him and tells him that she misunderstood him because she never tried to understand herself.

Can you see the difference? How the story is taking shape, building a strong line of dramatic action. And more importantly, these questions get you thinking about screenwriting milestones to keep you on track.

Now you can change the milestones, come up with different situations, and keep doing it until you’ve gotten to something you really like. Eliminate any confusion from the start and save months while keeping script quality high. This is one of the techniques of how to write a movie script.