“Movies are short for moving pictures”

“Movies are short for moving pictures. I try to tell the story with character behavior and action. If I wanted to dramatize a story through dialogue, I would write a play.”

An observation from screenwriter Angelo Pizzo.

The fact is movies are primarily a visual medium. As we knock out a first draft (or any draft for that matter), it’s a good thing to remember that.

Write visually. Construct scenes that rely on “behavior” and “action.” Dialogue is important, yes, but for most movies we want to focus on the story’s visual aspects.

This extends to everything — from sweeping visual motifs to the articulation of what we’re seeing in the moment.

Practically speaking this can mean that as we approach writing a scene or laying out a sequence, we are constantly thinking of how to make what happens as visually interesting as possible.

It’s so easy to default to talking heads sitting in a room.

Challenge yourself. Put those scenes on their feet.

Remember: Moving. Pictures. Behavior. Action. And then dialogue.

“The Quest” has entered Week 20! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s a 24-week immersion in the screenwriting process and you can do it here — for free!

Today and every Monday through Friday for 10 weeks, I’ll use this slot to post something inspirational as GOYOQ participants pound out their first drafts.

For background on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” go here and here.

For all the previous weeks of Go On Your Own Quest posts, go here.

Join the GOYOQ Forums, a free online hub where you and other Quest participants can go to support each other and share your stories. Go here.

Comment Archive