BAFTA's Six Super Screenwriting Tips

by Kevin Casey on October 19, 2013

Our friends across the pond at BAFTA have posted an amazing short video series called "How I Write." In three, 7-minute videos, screenwriting all-stars David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel), Hossein Amini (Drive, Snow White and the Huntsman), Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), Tony Gilroy (The Bourne series, Michael Clayton), Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually), and Peter Morgan (The Queen, Rush) dish on the three stages of screenwriting: Preparation, The First Draft, and Rewriting. In less time than it takes to watch an episode of "Breaking Bad" you will learn about:

1. Cards. Chances are, you're not Mozart; so brainstorm your ideas outside your head!

2. Rituals. Meditation, walking, gardening, shopping—this takes on different forms for different writers.

3. Addition. Remember that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men? The more you add or excavate in your first draft, the more you'll learn what your script is really about.

4. Page 85. Marathon runners have The Wall. Screenwriters have Page 85.

5. Script Notes. Seeing the problem beyond the solutions being offered.

6. Protecting Your Script. You're going to get different feedback from a lot of different people, so you need to know how to negotiate the outside world with the story you want to tell.

Check out our event video, How to Get Your Script Read.