One Super Easy Thing to Make You a Better Writer

Watching movies can really help boost your writing skills by offering a visual masterclass in storytelling, character development, and structure that you can actively analyze and incorporate into your work.

In today’s episode, we share five important areas a screenwriter should pay attention to while watching a film to become a better writer.  

 Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Creator/Executive Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller

Transcript

0:11

Hello, my name is Sandy Adamidis, the social media director for the Page International Screenwriting Awards and your host for the Writers Hangout, a podcast that celebrates the many From inspiration to the first draft, revising, getting the project made, and everything in between. We'll talk to the best and the brightest in the entertainment industry, and create a space where you can hang out, learn from the pros, and have fun. Hey writers, it's Sandy coming to you from Studio City, the crown jewel of the San Fernando Valley and home to the Brady Bunch House on Dilling Street, which is right around the corner from me. Although the interior scenes were shot on a sound stage, the Holmes exterior became iconic And remains recognizable today. Every time I drive by, visitors are in front of the property snapping selfies. In fact, one night I was driving Eve Plum, no. Eve was driving me home and I said, Hey, on my way home is. The Brady Bunch House and she said, I thought it was Encino, and I was like, Nope, studio City. So we drove by. It was dark. She took a very quick look and then dropped me off writers. I wanted to talk to you about a really fun and easy way to improve as a screenwriter. I am not gonna pitch you a workshop class, tutorial, lecture, or a book. Boring boring. I'm going to tell you to watch a movie. Yes. Watching a movie curled up on your couch with a bowl of popcorn is a legit and excellent way to learn how to write movies. But how do you watch a movie and become a better writer? Easy. First, you watch for enjoyment. Get immersed in the story until the lights come up. Then go back and observe the five. Following things, which I will go through one by one to help you develop better writing skills. Nothing hard here. Number one, pick a movie easy, right? Pick a movie you already enjoy or one similar to the genre you want to write in. again, you will watch the movie twice the first time for entertainment and the second time with purpose studying the craft of screenwriting. Also, grab a notebook, jot down dialogue, and anything that stands out to you, something you'd like to emulate in your own writing. when you watch the movie for a second time, that's up to you whether to do it right away or a few days later. But don't let too much time pass. You wanna keep the momentum going so you can start writing as soon as possible. Number two, do not hit forward through the credits. Watch and study them. The opening production company logos, Those are the heavy hitters who you want, unless you go the indie route to make your movie like Warner Brothers, paramount, Disney, universal. Sony, Columbia, And there are also production companies like Amblin, Marvel Studios, bad Robot, bloom House. What is the difference between a studio and a production company? Production companies do all the legwork. The major studios are there to, fund it, and distribute it all over the world. This is how they usually break down when they come up on the screen. First comes the major studio logo intro. Then you'll see the distributor company and then those are followed by various production company logos. It takes a village folks. Number three. This is just moving right along, isn't it? Number three. analyze the first scene. The first scene sets the tone of the movie. It informs the audience of the genre, or at least hints at what is ahead, It should capture your attention. That's the oldest rule in the book. Let's take a look at a couple of first scenes in three movies. the Godfather, you cannot get more iconic than the Godfather. The Godfather is based on the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo And was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. What happens in the opening scene of The Godfather? A man, Bora comes to the Godfather, Don Corleone. Marlon Brando for advice. Boro tells the Godfather how his daughter's boyfriend, along with some friends, brutally beat her. Boro wants justice against the men who beat his daughter and got away with it. He went to the police first. The Godfather refuses But then agrees to grant him his favor in return for a future favor, IE debt, establishing the iconic offer. He can't refuse concept. There is so much in this first scene. We quickly learn that people come to the Don Corleone for help with these sorts of problems. Don Corleone is a man of great power and principle, someone who shows mercy and also has the potential to be merciless. We see how this world operates, and it examines themes like failures of the American dream and mafia power struggles, key characters and the atmosphere are brilliantly established. The new year brings new writing goals, and like many of you out there, I am committed to finishing my novel that I've been working on for years. We all know that the details you jot down when you start can quickly become fuzzy when days, weeks, and even months. Pass between writing sessions. I wish I had Noum our sponsor, which is a fantastic writing tool that quickly turns chaos into clear well organized stories when I started writing. Whether you write directly on Noum Or upload an existing draft, your characters and setting details. Timeline events and plot pacing are automatically pulled from your story to view at a glance and in real time. Noum catches the problems you might miss on your own Plot Tangles pacing issues. Continuity errors, even character logic slips. Noum isn't another AI content generator. It never writes for you or learns from your work. This is a privacy first tool that leaves your voice untouched and never shares your data. Instead, Noum keeps you in control through every stage of your writing process. It is your text editor, character files, continuity checker, and more in one organized lightning fast platform. You can even use Noum to share your work securely with beta readers and keep track of their comments. Don't wait until your draft is finished. Get the most out of your writing this year with Noum. Try Noum Pro today and get your first month free at noum dot. So with Code Hangout, that's. N-O-V-E-L-I-U-M-O with code Hangout, N-O-V-E-L-I-U-M dot. So with code Hangout. Next. let's take a look at 1980 ones, Raiders of the Lost Arc. Raiders was directed by Steven Spielberg with a screenplay by Lawrence Kazin, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. The adventure starts in South America in 1936, where Indiana Jones and his trustee guide explore mysterious ruins with traps to find a golden idol, and then they bravely escape a huge rolling boulder. Right away we see that Indie's brave and clever. He has flaws, but he is inspiring. Now I'm gonna wrap up with a cute movie, adventures in Babysitting, a 1987 movie written by Dave Simkins, Who sold the script on spec? Remember, this is the eighties with Chris Columbus directing the opening scene of Adventures in babysitting shows. Chris Elizabeth shoe adorable lip sinking and dancing to the crystals. and then he kissed me. She's singing the song in her bedroom. using a bed post as a microphone. This scene sets the vibe that the movie is fun, and the protagonist is young, spirited and relatable, and the energy just hits you that there's an unpredictable night ahead. Number four, notice how quickly the movie's protagonist is thrown into conflict, Different genres introduce conflict among characters at different points. However, most of the time feature films start the conflict as quickly as possible, or at least tease it to keep you engaged. Characters in horror movies, I'd say they face conflict very early, often within the first five to 10 minutes. and the opening scene typically includes introductions to the main characters and the setting before presenting the horror elements. In comedy a. I'd say it's the same as horror Characters usually face conflict very early with an inciting incident Often occurring within the first five to 10 minutes. The quick introduction of conflicts is crucial for setting up the comedic premise and advancing the plot with dramas. I'd say you have about. 15 minutes or so. But there are so many variables with dramas. Dramas can blend with other genres, thrillers, romance, action, and your style could be slow burning or nonstop tension. number five, and my last one, study, the twists, the turns, the plants, and most important how the payoffs are played. On your second watch of your movie, the setups, twists, and playoffs are obvious. Grab your notebook, write them all down. And note how and when the writer pays them off, get a feel for how it's done. Watch how the writer misdirects you now, a misdirection is what it sounds like, distracting the audience to mislead them, preventing them from getting onto something until the rider. Reveals the truth. Think of the sixth sense, the usual suspects. psycho. Now, I am not saying you need to turn your drama into a M night. Shaalan twister. But you do need to pepper your script with elements that keep the reader guessing. Audience love to guess. They love to think they're one step ahead, and most of all, they love surprises. So writers. This is my simple, handy dandy checklist for watching movies to boost your writing skills. I'll put up some sort of a graph on our Instagram account for the Writer's Hangout, and you can look at it, print it out. I would love if you would print it out now. Did I miss anything? Do you have anything to add that you do? As part of your research or as part of learning your craft, watching movies and seeing what you like and don't like and how they do it. Did I miss something in there? Please let me know At. The Writers Hangout podcast@gmail.com. I'd love to hear what you think of this episode, and again, if you have any tips I can share. You can also let me know if you'd like me to cover any subject. We've got some really fun, fun, fun guests coming up. I can't wait to share that with you. Let me see if I can give you a hint. Oh, one of the guests. Here's my hint. 9 1, 2, 1 oh. Okay. That's my hint. Writers. I'm really glad we get to do this and that every week you show up because if you didn't, I'd just be talking to my cat, Sophie, Joe. and that's a wrap for the Writer's Hangout. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Your positive feedback will help us keep the show going so we can continue bringing you more future episodes. Remember, keep writing. The world needs your stories. The Writers Hangout is sponsored by the Page International Screenwriting Awards, with executive producer Kristen Overn, Sandy Adamides, and myself, Terry Sampson. And our music is composed by Ethan Stoller. Alexa, you are gaslighting me,