How do you add authentic details to your script?

Adding authentic details to your script. Interview someone who has been through the situation. i have found great details from a short visit to the law courts( a murder trial) , chat with someone. historically I have found great detail in old local newspapers which has been a bonus for clients, or Births Deaths and Marriages, Graveyards- the terrible rate of infant mortality 100 years ago. Well I lam a researcher and love to find out the past . Bureau of stats demographics and so on. the council in yr XXXX had a RAT! CATCHER? well really. and so on.

The more specific your story is, the more audiences will be able to connect with it. Specificity breeds relatability. Keep a notebook in your back pocket and start by taking note of the details. Maybe it's that person standing in line in front of you at the coffee shop wearing two different colored socks, or the cheeky smile a little boy gives you as you're making your way up the escalator at the mall, or even the weird ticking noise your hard drive makes every time you upload footage. These are the details that make up our unique POVs on the world around us. What might seem mundane to us, could in fact be extraordinary to someone else.

One method I find very useful is observational participation. I like to experience, to a certain degree, either directly, or by proxy, what I'm writing about. So, like a sponge, I soak up every experience around me. I people watch. I allow myself to be curious about things. Much like an undercover police officer, I like to get as close to my subject as possible. When I wrote Collission Course, I based certain elements on an actual encounter. When I wrote the story for Mountain Man, the inspiration came at an altitude of almost 20, 000 feet above sea level. I was at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro when the inspiration hit me, and I started developing the story. The trick for me is to get as close as possible to your subject.

I'm either writing about lived experiences or interviewing a range of people who have lived in the world I'm delving into. Research! Research! Research!

Though all of the points here are valid, yet the fundamental principle of a screenplay as said by many professionals including Aaron Sorkin is to identify the intention (s) and obstacles of the main character (s). Once these are achieved, the script is good to proceed to the next level. When I'm directing the script I don't write, I find that most of the details in the script are not achievable on locations. I then find what works for me. Adding authentic details to your script if you're the writer-director will make a lot of sense, but if you're not, it could be a waste of time; since most directors follow their own ways of achieving screenplays without losing the meanings of the scripts

We are all connected in some way as human beings. I love the examples in the article. Especially doing your research. In my opinion, not just in the texts but also in asking veterans with similar experiences and safely putting yourself in the environment. To write about someone's life experience with details, give or take, they are not around to express it; you must first humanize/connect yourself to their environment and include a piece of music or sound that reflects that environment. If you are emotionally attached to the story, Detailed Emotion and visual colors can come out of the nuance.

Immerse yourself. Become an expert on that moment, whatever that moment is - sure, you're a writer not a doctor or a lawyer or a race car driver or an axe murderer or whatever your protagonist is (or maybe you are?) - but make sure that the moment you are putting on the page passes the litmus test of credibility. Nothing loses an audience faster (be it a reader or a viewer) than presenting them with something that they know is untrue. You are asking them to believe in your story, to go with you on a journey, don't lose them at hello. They deserve better, and so does your story.

It's simple! Apart from excellent research of course, having lived several decades, I also have loads of experience to draw from! ;-)

Tell the truth! Of course cinema may require some embellishment, but the essence of the truth has got to be at the core, and it has to stand out, and it's got to present as many times as it has the opportunity to do so. (except for misc. dialogue...repeating a whole conversation verbatim can get dull). Otherwise, I am a strong believer that the truth of our experiences is what connects us, so if you speak truth, it will resonate with somebody somewhere.

Details are the centrality of your script. Write a draft, let it brew for some time, come back to the script a week later and you will be able to add more details. Lived experiences, imaginations, shared and researched details. Write down the last bit of it. For example, if you were to walk in a narrow alley with a bread maker's shop by the corner, can you draw attention to the smoke coming out of the shop, the smell of freshly baked bread, and the chatter of people around? These details will elevate your script from a piece of paper to the screen.

There are three ways one can contribute and decide on the authenticity of a script. First, one needs to think what the genre is. If it's based on real life incidents then one should do the research based on the evidence of the press reporting and books, be it autobiography or real incidents. That is called gathering evidence of real events. For social and family drama one needs to do observations, which means observing the physical traits of people in the society. And lastly, if its action or thriller, most of the times it needs your logical inputs to decide authenticity as it is based on fantasy of the writer.

It helps to write the main element of a scene in the middle of a blank piece of paper, and stem out arrows with related stuff that will help build your characters and actions

I totally agree! It's not just about adding lots of details, but picking the right ones. I like to think about what the audience already knows and expects. This way, the story feels real and authentic. Instead of adding lots of details, focus on important stuff like what people say and do in the story. Every part should help move the story forward and make it better for the people watching.

A most useful detail I found for a research client was a story in a local newspaper. the hero's accommodation was so poor that the family had to bend down to stuff a support under one table leg to keep their cups of tea level. the client was delighted at this visual detail - easy to add into the film and so.... explanatory

I find that creating characters that actually can exist in the real world, gives you details that can be used in the story. This is everything from how they act in situations, manners and dialogue. To more over-arching world building and how the characters can interact with your world. By defining your world and then let your charachters to actually "live" in it. Gives you a lot of detail and ways to see what is too much and what is missing.

Details are heavier than central themes. Through subtext, a powerful detail can summarise an entire story. Choose your details wisely. They speak about your character's inner world, about the current state of things, about hopes and fears. Be watchful of how much attention you draw to them. Too little attention, they get lost. Too much attention, they lose their impact.

Avant les détails, ce qui compte le plus c'est le sens de votre histoire, c'est à dire le thème. Vos personnages, votre intrigue, l'arène de l'histoire doivent être thématiques. Les détails viennent ensuite avoir trouvé ce dénominateur commun.

Open strong...., you are writing for a visual medium and attention span is beyond brief (not to mention interruptions from social media, surroundings, etc). Even if you need to set up a universe, mood or even tone, its always best to begin with an action in the story, not necessarily fast, but the character or world should be reacting to an action

If a character is unique yet relatable, the reader/viewer will instantly connect with the story. And that's where authentic details come into picture. Mannerisms, quirks, traits, description of appearance, etc., make the reader form a picture in their head. Details like how the character smelt, too can give insight into what the character does/did. For example - He smelt like cigarettes. She smells of turmeric. They smell of blood. Details like these make the reader aware of the fact that the character(s) used to smoke/ cook/ butcher. This is also a reason why many readers are unhappy with movies based on books. When details are overlooked & only the plot is given prominence, characters on screen appear different from how they are on book!

Suggest to guess. Let the viewer do the mental gym so they engage with the film. It's not about what the film gives the audience, it's about what the audience put on the film

I love this point! Just like active verbs are better than adjectives in writing, pictures and to a lesser extent, dialogue will allow your audience to come to their own conclusions and make them more interested in your story. I like the “nervous “ example Don’t tell us they’re nervous, shots of beads of sweat on the person’s face, wringing hands, stuttering, will be more effective.

Train your ear for dialogue. People rarely recap events or state general facts about their relationship in daily conversation. How many times to you say, “Oh Blake, my dear, dear husband! I have always loved how you eat your peas with ketchup like your father used to do!” And you shouldn’t write your dialogue like that either. Pertinent information rises to the surface when the circumstances are well constructed and the characters are well defined. Try to think of dialogue as a conversation you overhear at a diner. Story emerges if the characters’ behavior is consistent and they are deeply and actively engaged in their own lives so that YOU, the writer, can hear them in your mind.

Totally get the "show, don't tell" idea. I think a cool way to make a movie script more authentic is by putting characters in big moments that make everyone say, "Wow, they must be really scared!" or "Look how brave they are!" You don't have to say they're shaking or sweaty. The big moment does that for you! It lets the people watching use their own feelings to get into the story.

Simple but clever is what I use when writing. I got that term from reading Berry Gordy's biography about his songwriting when he ran Motown Records. Tell your story in a way that readers & audience can follow along, and at the same time think of creative ways to convey specific things that make it engaging.

This is one of the harder things in a movie script to not get lost in. It is very easy to describe a scene and get caught in tell and not showing. My best advice is to act out the scene. Play around with it from the character's point of view. What do they actually see? What may they pick up on? Then use this when you describe the scene for the director or directing it yourself. The important thing is that you allow the scene to be "viewd". So you dont try and give away information just because it is needed. A good example is the series Terra Nova, which utilizes a commercial billboard at the start of the series to give information regarding the time travel. It shows and gives information, without telling the audience.

You could write: Int. Room. Night Maria enters the room filled with fear. She's concerned that Bobby might have followed her to her place. She's unsure of what to do next. Looks out of the window to check if he's anywhere near. Or you could write: Int. Room.Night Maria bursts into her room. Shuts the door tight and places a heavy chair against it. Turns off the lights, runs to her window, drops the shades down violently and peeks out. Just the breeze passing through the dark tree's branches can be seen. The first one tells. The second one shows.

Les dialogues de vos personnages doivent être le moins possible explicatifs. Dans la vraie vie, on dit rarement ce qu'on pense profondément, mais nos faits et gestes l'expriment.

Writers block? One way I get started is to use voice operated input and just talk into the mic while the magic fairy types it up. Having got rid of that, I either use it or discard it, and move onto writing something relevant.

The wonderful "breadcrumbs". What do I mean? Well, as you tell your story and it unfolds the reader/viewer needs to get information. But you cannot hand it to them, so you use "breadcrumbs" throughout your script to get the information out. However, you never "dump it" on them. Instead you use your charachter and their positives and negatives to either withhold information or find it/give it up. This is then combined with your world and its inhabitants to guide the reader/viewer to your conclusions.

Forget what the Studios and masses want. Focus on how you can tell something new, out of the box and strong enough to disrupt your life and that of the readers and content watchers/audience.

Raconter votre pitch puis le synopsis de votre histoire aux personnes autour de vous. Ce seront les meilleurs retours : pour tester de l'intérêt d'une histoire, il n'y a pas besoin d'avis d'experts (en revanche pour l'écrire, oui).

The story is always the focus. A good script will get attention. Let people you trust read it and give feedback. However, never forgett that it is your story and your creativity. So dont get lost in the feedback, take what you can use and improve on your story. Do not alter it just because someone don't like a specific part etc.

Feedback is necessary for you to gain new perspectives. That doesn't mean that all feedback is relevant. You must learn to discern the useful kind from the useless.

"Write about what you know." I used to hate this advice because I felt it was boring and limiting. Later, I realised it is spot on. It means, Write from the truth of your own human experience. Identify which part of your own real-life journey this story is coming from. Then you will have a blueprint to refer to. You will be able to describe the character's feelings accurately and authentically, because you have felt them yourself. You will be able to craft a narrative progression which feels realistic, because it is real - it really happened to you! Then, amplify reality. Express the feeling in a way that is easier for the audience to relate to, by making it tangible. Take what you experienced internally, and make it external. - My thoughts

I would rather say "Know about what you write." That does not require a specific lived experience, which in many cases would be ill advised. For example, I don't want to have to rob a bank to write Dog Day Afternoon. But I have to know everything about robbing a bank, through meticulous research of every aspect of the process. I have to know what hostages feel and how they relate to their captors. I have to know about the techniques negotiators use. None of this requires me to have the lived experience of a robber, hostage, or negotiator. But empathy and imagination can fill that void, as long as I've done my research.

Never stop studying. Never. Read, write, read again, write again, re-read, re-write. Repeat until you die. Even that day, you still would learn a thing or two.

It is a pivotal step in creating a compelling narrative. Thorough research provides the foundation, offering valuable insights into your subject matter. Crafting well-defined characters with rich backstories, authentic dialogue, and nuanced behavior brings life to your story. Vividly described settings, infused with cultural sensitivity, create a immersive experience for your audience. Drawing from personal experiences lends genuine emotions and reactions to your characters. Lastly, seeking feedback from experts and those with relevant experiences helps iron out inaccuracies, ensuring your script rings true. In amalgamating these elements, you breathe authenticity into your script, forging a deeper connection with your audience.

Une gamme ne comporte que 8 notes. Pourtant, c'est toute une vie d'apprentissage et de découverte pour composer. Il en est de même pour la dramaturgie.

Whilst the authenticity of the world and the characters in that world are vital to ensure that we don’t blow a ‘reality hole’ in our screenplays it’s important to distinguish authenticity from a slavish observance of the reality of that world and characters. Whilst a screenplay appears to reflect reality, what it actually does is reflect truths rather than reality and these are set in a narrative that is rarely like real life. There’s a sense in which a screenplay has a clarity and resolution that complicated, messy real life doesn’t have. We make an unspoken pact with our audience - if it’s authentic enough will you suspend your disbelief and come on this journey with me? Story always comes first, authenticity follows.

The first line of authenticity comes if the story has gone over you. No one can tell it better, if its your story. Now, lets imagine, it isnt. So, there would be three kinds of resources for a valid research and detailing - primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary shall be those resources who made the story to happen. Secondary shall be those who saw it happening. Tertiary shall be those who heard its happening. Choose wisely. Best is, if you have access to the primary resources. Second up, every story is effected and has an impression of 5 factors - cuisine, culture, conflict, clothes and camaraderie. Therefore, please do know the political environment, bilatetal and social ties, time, space and cultural evolution your story is set in.

I agree with Max F. If we don't force feed but only whet the appetite, the audience leans forward hoping for another nibble. But that doesn't address 'authentic detail'. Lean into the senses, how does it feel, smell, sound and in keeping with this post, TASTE? The senses never lie. They don't even exaggerate.

I reject this entire premise. The only details that matter are ones which could take the audience out of the film watching experience. The best storytellers can get you to completely suspend your disbelief and that requires more sleight of hand juxtapositions that maintains the fears and hopes of the viewer who is engaged. Cinema loses its magic when details become so important that storytelling is stifled by it. The audience member who sees a weapon being handled wrong is simply not under the spell or a skilled storyteller. The viewer who knows that’s not how you fix a car is simply not interested in the story. When story depends on details it’s no longer a story.

Find an author whose style aligns with the style you are going for, if you are looking to write suspenseful engaging horror fiction might I suggest Stephen King. If you are looking to write about business culture then Peter Drucker is an excellent choice. What it comes down to is finding a style that aligns with your own personal style. Whatever the case, be original not a clone.