How to Write a Screenplay

18 STEPS TO A COMPLETED SCREENPLAY

STEP 2

Ask Two Questions.

Several smaller questions will come up and will be answered along the way in your story, but try to come up with THE questions that loom over the entire movie.

In the film Munich, the questions that sum up the film might be:

Will he kill all of the terrorists on the list?

Will killing all of the terrorists on the list bring satisfaction to him, his country or the world?

Notice that these two questions are of a very different nature.  The first question speaks to the world of the story: goals and action.  By the end of the movie, it’s very easy to know if the first question is satisfied.  The second question speaks more to the idea or to the theme of the story.

Let’s call these the Story Question and the Theme Question.  The Story Question is about the goal and whether or not the goal is achieved.  The Theme Question is about the overall meaning of your story.

For instance, When Harry Met Sally has the same Story Question as every romantic comedy: “Will the boy get the girl?”  Or “Will they end up together?”  However, the question that sets this story apart from every other Rom Com is the Theme Question: “Can men and women ever be just friends?”

Answering these two questions gives you the basic outline your story. 

Which one of these questions is more important?  It depends.

If your strongest skill as a writer is building action-filled stories that have clear momentum from Point A to Point B, then maybe you already have a clear story question in mind.  Then ask yourself, “What is my theme question?”

If you have a story or concept that is deeply meaningful and replete with theme and symbolism, then make sure that you can underpin those ideas with a strong and specific story question.  Your story question will always contain the main goal of the story.  Clarifying it will bring your story into clear focus.

Suppose you are telling a story set in the world of wrestling.  You may have a great theme question: “Is it important enough to push yourself to accomplish great feats in sports if it costs you friendship or strains family relationships?”  However, if your story question is sort of vague like “Will Trent do well in wrestling competitions?” then your story might lose focus.  Ask yourself a more specific story question with a finite and tangible end/goal: “Will Trent win the gold in the 2008 Olympics?”

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