Video: Aaron Sorkin Answers Screenwriting Questions

Inquiries lobbed at one of Hollywood’s most famous screenwriters.

This video popped up the other day and it’s quite instructive. Aaron Sorkin, whose movie and TV writing credits include A Few Good Men, Malice, The American President, The Social Network, Moneyball, Steve Jobs, Sports Night, The West Wing, The Newsroom, and The Trial of the Chicago 7, drops a bunch of insight into the craft of writing in just 13 minutes as he responds to questions sent his way via Twitter.

A lot of takeaways, but perhaps the most relevant one is what he identifies as the essence of drama: Intention. Obstacle. A character intends to do something. There is an obstacle in their way. This extends from individual scenes to the overall plot of the story.

For your additional viewing pleasure, here are a couple of spoofs on Sorkin’s famous instinct for ‘walk and talk’ scenes:

Plus, a supercut of Sorkinisms:

For 100s of interviews with screenwriters and filmmakers, go here.