Video: 10 Screenwriting Tips from Best Screenplay Oscar Nominees 2022

Another compilation from Outstanding Screenplays.

Here’s another in an excellent ongoing video series from Outstanding Screenplays. This video compilation features the screenwriters all ten of this year Oscar Nominated Screenplays: Don’t Look Up, The Worst Person in the World, Licorice Pizza, Belfast, King Richard, Dune, The Power of the Dog, Drive My Car, The Lost Daughter, and CODA.

Here are the ten pieces of advice:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

2:47 — Don’t Look Up Writers: Adam McKay, David Sirota Research and think about what kind of narrative is rooted in us as audience members and as people and subvert the expectation of that familiar premise.

3:53 — The Worst Person in the World Writers: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt Use love as a theme for something more than just two people kissing.

4:43 — Licorice Pizza Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson Don’t chase themes when writing. Let them naturally emerge.

5:47 — Belfast Writer: Kenneth Branagh Absorb what you learn from brilliant screenwriters but don’t second guess your instincts when it comes to your own script and focus on capturing the spirit of what you’re writing about.

7:34 — King Richard Writer: Zach Baylin Choose the most precarious time in your character’s lives to make the story dramatic.

ADAPTED

8:20 — Dune Writers: Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts When adapting material, find the right balance of giving out information so that the people who’ve read the material will enjoy it as much as someone who is just getting introduced to this world.

9:59 — The Power of the Dog Writer: Jane Campion The story needs to keep evading your best expectations, but feel true at the same time.

10:47 — Drive my Car Writers: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe Have the actors play out the backstories you have written for them, because that way, the backstories aren’t just thoughts and ideas but they become memories and experience.

12:27 — The Lost Daughter Writer: Maggie Gyllenhaal It’s inherently dramatic to tell the truth about something taboo. The audience will feel comforted to know they’re not the only ones with dark feelings.

14:49 — CODA Writer: Sian Heder When you’re writing a story about something like a disability, don’t define the characters by their disability but find their own personal flaws within them.

For more Outstanding Screenplays videos, go here.

For 100s more interviews with screenwriters, filmmakers, storytellers, and industry insiders, go here.