What Truly Makes a Screenplay Great (And Why It Matters)

What do you think of when you imagine a great screenplay? I’m sure many of the “greats” like Casablanca, Chinatown, or Pulp Fiction pop into your head right away, but recognizing a great script is just the first step. Truly understanding why they’re great is much harder, and writing your own is even more of a challenge. Of course, you can always run down the superficial checklist when watching a movie, and it can give you a pretty good idea of whether the film is well-written or not (you usually do this without even thinking about it): Is the movie unique? Is it creative? Are the characters interesting? But asking these questions doesn’t provide any insight into how the writer got there, which is the only way you’ll ever be able to improve your stories. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper look at what actually makes a screenplay great, how you can apply these lessons to your own scripts, and why carefully crafting an amazing screenplay matters now more than ever.

Include the Core Elements

Focus on the core elements! I’m talking about the primary keys to every amazing screenplay: strong story structure, compelling characters, the character’s struggle between want and need, immersive dialogue, and a clear theme and emotional resonance. These elements exist for a reason and stand to be the common denominators for all great scripts throughout history. Obviously, the culture around films is changing constantly, and the types of movies that are being made shift to reflect that. But whether the latest trend is elevated horror or cheesy sex comedies, they all still aim to include these five keys in one way or another. 

• Strong Story Structure

Strong story structure matters because all films are made for an audience. People have to be able to sit down, follow your script, and come away with something. A good structure with proper pacing ensures that the audience is able to fully immerse themselves in the story, become close to the characters, and remain interested in the outcome throughout the entire process. 

• Compelling Characters

Compelling characters matter for the same reason. The audience is spending the next several hours with these people, so whether they’re morally good or the devil incarnate, they have to be interesting. Their goals must be intriguing, their personalities must be fascinating, and their conflicts must evoke an emotional response. If the audience isn’t invested in the characters, they’re not going to care about whatever happens to them for the rest of the film.

• The Difference Between Want and Need

The difference between want (external goal) and need (internal goal) is another aspect that must be properly balanced throughout your script. Every single human on Earth is constantly having an internal battle between their wants and needs, and the attempt to balance them naturally becomes a conflict in their lives. Including this in your script makes the story more relatable, provides depth to your characters, and gives the audience a little more to think about.

• Immersive Dialogue

Dialogue is another aspect of a script that’s absolutely necessary in making it stand out. Many people will say that dialogue has to be “authentic”, but that’s far from the truth. If you watch any movie ever, you’ll be able to recognize that nobody in the real world ever talks like this. What you actually need is for your dialogue to be immersive in relation to whatever world you’ve set your story in. This means making it unique to your writing style, intriguing to the audience, and borderline unpredictable in the final product. But like I said before, the balance is where things get tricky. It can’t be too reflective of the common world, because then people would have no reason to see your movie. It can’t be too unique either, because then the audience might be put off and tune out. All in all, what the audience really needs is to care about what each character is going to say next. And if that dialogue helps push forward the plot, then even better.

• Clear Themes and Emotional Resonance

The themes and emotional resonance of a story are usually what stick with the audience the most and have the longest-lasting impact, so it’s important to emphasize these throughout your script. Ultimately, the themes are what tie all the elements of a film together, and their ability to resonate with an audience regarding aspects of the world at large provides significance to your story. If you’re able to achieve this subtly, but not invisibly, then you’re on your way to substantially improving your scripts.

Utilizes These Important Techniques

While creativity is by far the most important trait when writing, one must never forget the technicalities. Taking advantage of important tips like showing without telling, writing with visuals in mind, and utilizing the economy of words may seem simple, but they make all the difference in ensuring that your script is efficient and will translate as well as possible onto the big screen.

• Show, Don’t Tell

Never underestimate your audience. They want to be able to take away aspects of your story for themselves, so don’t feel the need to walk them through everything explicitly. If your character is undergoing significant shifts in morality, try to depict this through their actions. If you want your plot to have a twist in it, don’t have the characters discuss what occurred in great detail. With a good enough script, the audience will understand what’s going on just fine without being told. Hell, figuring out what’s going on is half the fun, so don’t take that away from them.

• Writing with Visuals in Mind

I know I keep mentioning this in my blogs, but I’m going to say it again: FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM. If you want to write something solely focused on vocabulary, then write a book. But if you want to write scripts, you MUST MUST MUST think about it as a film. People go to the movies to enjoy an art form that combines all their senses (the primary one being sight). So take advantage of this! Write what the character sees, allow plots to develop visually, and describe the settings in great detail. Doing so will allow whoever reads your script to visualize it as a film more clearly, and in doing so, will allow for a greater translation to the big screen.

• Economy of Words

As someone who overwrites, this is constantly a hard pill to swallow. But at the end of the day, films are made on a budget, and people don’t have unlimited attention spans, so saying the most while writing the least is especially important in screenwriting. You don’t want to ramble, you don’t want to get caught up in tangents, and you don’t want to exhaust your audience with overrunning scenes. Just focus on your overall goal and find the most efficient way to get that across (without sacrificing the integrity or quality of your script along the way).

Include What the Pros Are Looking For

Ah, yes. We have made it to perhaps the most depressing tip on this list (but also the most practical). The sad, hard truth to screenwriting is that at the end of the day, scripts have to be shared, read, and sold to get to ball rolling. And in order to do that, you must write with industry professionals in mind. This means attempting to write a script with an original (and pitchable) logline, an arc that will satisfy audiences, and clean formatting across the board.

• Originality

I’m sure you’re already attempting to write original scripts (because why else would you be doing this?), but for most writers, that comes in the form of execution rather than big picture. Which is fine. Keep on writing your takes on the zombie or mafia genres if that’s what you want to do. But unless you already have some sort of industry connections, the chances of those types of scripts making a splash are slim to none. If you really want to attract attention and get new industry pros to check out your script, it needs to be original enough to catch their eye from the logline alone. Something they’ve never heard of or seen before, so that they can’t help but pick up that script to see where things go.

• Satisfying Arc

I know I keep bringing up the audiences, but that’s the name of the game. So once again, write with the audience in mind. Yes, it’s important to make the audience think about the themes and messages you’ve embedded into your script, but it’s also important that they leave the film satisfied by the conclusion of the plot. Take them on a ride, through as many twists as turns as you wish, but make sure you give them some satisfaction at the end. That way, when it’s all said and done, they feel grateful for the experience you’ve provided them.

• Clean Formatting

Writing with clean formatting and proper grammar will make your script come across more professional, and as a result, make whoever reads it think that you really know what you’re doing. That you’re a true professional who takes their writing seriously. On top of that, it removes the possibility of there being any confusion or frustration from whoever reads your stuff. If your script is clean, properly formatted, and grammatically correct, it makes reading it less of a chore. And as a result, easier for people to sit down and read to the end.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

For anybody just getting started in writing, it’s easy to fall into various traps that simply move the story along: flat characters, weak structure, predictable dialogue, and a failure to raise the stakes. I know the feeling. You may just want to get through the process, find yourself losing some stream, and end up taking shortcuts to get to the finish line. But you must focus on making your script as amazing as it can possibly be, so try your best to avoid any of these common mistakes that will severely damage the quality of your screenplay.

• Flat Characters

Flat characters may work in children’s television and soap operas (no shade, just the way it is), but they simply do not work in movies. People want to spend time with characters whom they’ve never seen before, who have real depth and intriguing conflicts. And this is true for every character, not just the primary cast. A fun exercise to ensure of this is to give every character a backstory (even if it doesn’t come through in the final script). This helps you write with more purpose and allows for every character to feel like a real person you actually know.

• Weak Structure

Your script must be structured in a way that isn’t just based on getting your character to the last act. Every scene along the way must have a purpose, and every act must contain appropriate developments. Be conscious of the overall structure as you write, and the final result will certainly benefit.

• Predictable Dialogue

As I mentioned earlier, audiences will have no fun watching a film where they can predict everything that’s going to occur and be said before it happens. Your characters must be in-depth and unpredictable. That’s what makes them special. Don’t just have them say things because they need to be said. Allow the plot to develop naturally through the characters. The audience should feel honored and excited that they were able to sit in on your characters speaking. You want it to be a ride, not a chore. So have some fun with it.

• Failure to Raise Stakes

Keep things exciting! Build up to your finale. If you continuously raise the stakes throughout the script, the interest will grow with it. As the conflicts increase, people will have no choice but to be engaged enough to see how things conclude. Without this, people won’t be invested in your story, and as a result, won’t care that much about what happens to your characters.

Why Archetypes and Structure Still Matter Today

Lastly, don’t be afraid to refer back to the classic archetypes and structures. Comedy, tragedy, the hero’s journey–these all remain timeless frameworks for endless amounts of stories because they mirror our most natural human psychology. Obviously, you don’t just want to rewrite the classics, but by subverting and twisting these patterns, you may find yourself with an original take on a tale as old as time. 

Conclusion: Practice!

Listen, I know I just gave you guys a million things to work on, so don’t be worried if you aren’t able to master everything right away. That’s why you need to practice. If you keep on writing, all of these aspects of a great screenplay will start to come to you more naturally. Flat characters will stand out to you more, formatting errors will become something of the past, and you’ll start being able to outline an amazing plot structure in your head before you even start typing. These things take time. So, just try to remain conscious of everything discussed in this article and keep writing until you finally end up with that one, perfect script.