In the filmmaking world, it has been said that a movie is written three times: first in the script, second in the filming, and third in the editing. Our next feature-length film, Adagio, has been in the writing stage of development for the last three years. It seems like this is a long time to write the story, but we believe that creation of the script is the most critical stage of filmmaking. The story is the heart and foundation of a film. There is no movie without the story.
A well-told story makes people stop and listen. With our society now having shorter and shorter attention spans, holding an audience’s attention takes skill and effort.
Screenwriting is like working on a puzzle. Not every idea works. Most stories start out lacking substance and depth. Great scripts are revised multiple times to refine the story into the best it can be.
Good writers strive for their screenplays to feel authentic. They do their research to ensure that details in their stories are accurate by spending hours scouring the internet, speaking with subject matter experts. And the more they refine the story, the more intimately they know the characters, making them more authentic and relatable.
Vision trips and writing retreats are common for screenwriters. These are valuable opportunities for screenwriters to envelope themselves in inspiration. A château in France or even just a weekend away at a local bed and breakfast can be a huge benefit to the story.
Writing is a passionate art. Every story holds a small piece of its writer’s soul. It’s a deeply personal process. In every film, a part of the writer is exposed to the world.
Storytelling has been ingrained in humanity for thousands of years. The acting in a movie can be mediocre, the cinematography subpar, and the editing sloppy, but if the story is good, the audience is engrossed.
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