We don’t know Noam Kroll’s work – sorry, Noam! – but we sure like the way he writes about working. We’re extra glad that he’s only giving 5 tips here cuz any more and our brains would most likely burst:
by Noam Kroll
Writing a screenplay is a balancing act, and while all the components need to work together in harmony, the one component that can really make or break the script (in my opinion) is the character. In other words, you could have the most beautifully written story arc, and perfect structure to your script, but if your lead character is dull and flat then everything else falls to pieces. Conversely though, you may have story that needs work and the general pacing may be off, but if your lead character is compelling, your audience will remain engaged in the film regardless of some of the flaws it may have. In ideal world, you want to find that balance I mentioned above, where all of the components are working together harmoniously, and one sure way to start out in the right direction is to first focus on writing layered characters with meaning and purpose.
Here are my top 5 tips for writing stronger characters into your screenplay:
John Flynn-York is a writer who’s been living LA for two years. He read scripts for Principato-Young Entertainment before starting his current job writing coverage for a production company with an open submission policy. We sat down with him and asked him Five Questions about his job:
1.) What does an agent do if a client is passionate about writing something the agent feels is un-commercial?