Video: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Teach ‘Screenwriting 101’

10 tips from the screenwriters of Superbad, Pineapple Express, This is the End, and other comedies.

A few years back, Rolling Stone magazine began a 101 video series. Here is one of those videos featuring the filmmaking duo of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Their screenwriting credits include Superbad, Pineapple Express, This is the End, The Night Before, Sausage Party, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and the TV series Preacher.

Here is a list of their 10 tips:

1. Ideas can come from anywhere: “Sausage Party began as a title”.
2. Break all the rules: “They’re basic guidelines, you can just shatter them.
3. There is no art without contrast: “Combine different elements.”
4. Keep the story simple: “Simple things that have to be there or nothing else works.”
5. Don’t rely on improv: “I would never advise someone to write a scene that’s not great and go, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll have everyone improvise.”
6. Stay in the world of the story: “There should be some sort of line for the audience to understand the story rules of the world they’re experiencing.”
7. The last scene is the hardest: “What do you want to leave people with. There’s a lot of pressure to nail that.”
8. Have hundreds of drafts: “Demystifying the act of writing… better to write and see if it works than not.”
9. Solve arguments later: “We know we have a long time, so there’s no panic in the short term. Scenes that work or don’t work reveal themselves over time.”
10. A script is not a work of art: “A script is an invitation to collaborate. It is not the finished product. What a screenplay should be is something that hundreds of people read and are inspired by and want to come together to help bring something new to life.”

I was also struck by the three elements the pair feel is essential in writing a screenplay:

• Characters changing
• Three Act Structure
• Something to root for.

That’s a pretty good touchstone.

Here’s another video: Seth Roge explains how to write a movie.

For 100s more interviews with screenwriters, TV writers, and filmmakers, go here.