Leaning Into The Hollywood Perspective

As a screenwriting teacher, I have to share as much knowledge as I can in an organized way.  It is the only way my mind works with screenwriting.  The more jumbled it is, the more Frankenstein-ish my screenplay will come out.  After years of reading and writing screenplays, I've been trying to write with The Hollywood Perspective.

WHAT IS THE HOLLYWOOD PERSPECTIVE?

The Hollywood Perspective is when a screenplay is written, it is written structurally, with real emotions of the characters, visual energy in each scene, and a deep fall into the writer's imagination where the plot feels surreal.  It is the perspective in which most screenwriters watch films, then sit down at their computer and try their best to write a colorful, emotional, and moving film.

Mind you, a screenwriter will seek to write films like Titanic or John Q. but never think about the thousands of people who worked on the entire project.   There were set designers, wardrobe artists, hair and make-up people, storyboardists, music scorers, special effects companies, colorists, riggers, and, let's not forget, the geniuses in marketing.

How do you, as a writer, sit at a computer and compare your writing to what you watch on a screen?  Honestly, there is no comparison.  That's why screenwriting instructors tell their students to read screenplays, especially Hollywood screenplays.   Read the good and the bad.  

Reading screenplays helps the writer to understand that most movies start on paper, in black and white.   Yet, don't take for granted that this is where the best work is done.  On paper is where the deepest desires of the film can be placed, which is then transferred to the producer, director, actors, and post-production team to bring in.

The screenplay is the backbone of the entire film.  It's the reason the film exists.  I know we've heard this before, but what you haven't heard is writing a screenplay is not as subjective as you think.  

There are rules, mechanics, formats, and those inherent modules that break up the screenplay to digest called acts.  When someone sits down for the first time to write a screenplay, they will write it from The Hollywood Perspective.  By sight, they want their words to imitate the cinematic masterpiece that speaks to their soul. 

WHY WRITE IN THE HOLLYWOOD PERSPECTIVE?

The screenwriter who wants to write from The Hollywood Perspective will do so because it is what they are accustomed to watching.  They will do so because they imagine making millions of dollars from a story they believe should be told.

This perspective is a noted lens from which media has permeated our lives, which is why a lot of people think it is easy to write a movie until they get into it.   Ask any professional screenwriter, and they'll tell you that the mere thought of writing a film makes them nervous.  Albeit there may be a rush of excitement to create these characters, worlds, and conflict, one could never underestimate the power of that one question, "Will they like it?"

We write from The Hollywood Perspective so people will accept our work as the industry standard, but we also write from this perspective in hopes that people will like it.

There is no one perspective to write a film, whether studio or independent, but if the writer's aim is to see their work on the AMC big screen, cash huge Wells Fargo checks, and gain Academy Award-like accolades for their work, then leaning in to write from this perspective may help you to achieve that goal.