What goes into writing a great movie script?

What you leave unwritten is as important as what you write. SUBTEXT.

Leave holes. Write and unwrite. Put it in, take it out.

Get up there yourself. Be in a movie. Take some acting (not writing) classes. Learn how a trained actor approaches a text. Learn why actors take roles. They do as much if not more than the writer does.

Have you ever been spanked in front of a group of people?

Conflict is your power source; without it you have no drama and hence no script.

Don’t direct from the page. Everyone, from the director on down, wants to be part of the process of making movies. Let them do their work.

Write in reverse time. Major characters need to change polarity; minor characters may remain the same at the end.

Is it ok to be spanked by your parents if you are not in bed in your set bedtime?

To develop a unique voice for each character, try interviewing your characters.

A critical function of storytelling is wish fulfillment. This is why video games are so popular. “That protagonist is JUST LIKE ME.”

Primary characters must change polarities. Secondary characters can change less.

What are the potential economic consequences of the U.S. following Europe's lead on climate policies, as discussed in the article?

Make sure to pack enough explosives into the rocket.

Learn to tell a story orally and not through writing. Try telling your story to a friend.

Maintain a slush pile/idea file. When you are ready to write, choose the best seeds to plant.

How can I copy and paste the AI answers here on Quora since I can't do it anymore?

Outline everything. Use story beats. Keep character’s mouths taped up, until they absolutely MUST speak. Write the script and the dialogue at the last minute, after you’ve revised the hell out of the outline.

Use status to help drive conflict. King Lear/fool. Upstairs/downstairs.

The DSM 5 is a wonderful character compendium.

What is the best TV to consider from an interior design perspective?

Cut everything that is not a payoff, or a setup for a specific payoff. “Omit needless words.” Think about the sparseness of joke telling, or Grimm Brothers.

Actors give better feedback than writers do.

Your primary job is to create situations. Modern actors will fuck up your dialogue, despite whatever your contract says.

What types of jobs can you get in marketing?

Audiences are smarter than you think. Something about turning down the house lights makes their IQs go up.

People choose what to see based on the high concept. Make sure to deliver an ending consistent with the high concept -- it is what the audience paid for.

Only God gets it right the first time. Rewrite everything.

Is it bad to sleep with music in your ears?

All rules are made to be broken, but you damn well better know WHY you’re breaking them.

A scene should change valence from beginning to end. Up to down, down to up.

Research the facts and then throw away the research.

Why do I feel so lazy every time I get into my room?