Free Screenwriting Resource: Guide to Watching Movies
I came up with this screenwriting mantra several years ago: Watch Movies. Read Scripts. Write Pages.
Why watch movies?
Because to be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.
But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.
Movies must be in your lifeblood — and the best way to do that is to watch them.
As part of my effort to get folks to watch movies, I have solicited the help of GITS readers to provide guest posts featuring background and analysis of must-see movies. So far, here is what we have:
The master plan: To have archives for movies for every decade from the 1930s-2010s. Then hopefully the same thing for genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller, Western.
Watch Movies. Absolutely critical in learning the craft of screenwriting.
Go here to access links to all of the select group of Free Screenwriting Resources from Go Into The Story.
Each day in August, I’m going to highlight a screenwriting resource available on the blog. Why? Because with over 15,000 posts and 70+ archive topics, I want to make sure readers are aware of the many, many assets available here for reading and research. And they are all free!