I found this article with tips from Brian Koppelman on how to write a screenplay. For those who are unfamiliar with Koppelman's work, he wrote the screenplay for the movie Rounders starring Matt Damon, he wrote, produced, and directed the movie Knockaround Guys, he wrote the movie Ocean's Thirteen, co-directed the movie Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas, and is the writer and showrunner for the Showtime series Billions. That resume certainly provides the credibility to offer thoughts on writing screenplays. It's worth reading the whole piece, but I will spotlight a few items that stood out to me.
- All screenwriting books are BS. Watch movies. Read screenplays. How ironic that a full-screen pop-up appeared on the website with a landing page asking for my name and email address to receive a free ebook titled How to Write a Screenplay (During Quarantine). It is interesting to read a screenplay for a movie you enjoy to see exactly how it was written before it was put on film.
- "Write what you know" works, but it's limiting. Write what fascinates you. Write what you can't stop thinking about. This makes sense from the standpoint of the motivation to keep going. If you start out with an obsession, you won't need any help pushing along when the going gets tough.
- The moment your screenplay leaves your hands it becomes a commodity. So while it's with you, treat it like a piece of art. What a great distinction.
- Of the many supposed rules of writing, the only one that's legit is "write every day." I saved my favorite one for last. #Teamstreak
Are you considering writing a screenplay Brandon?