In Praise of Screenwriting

Photo by Amjith S on Unsplash

I love films — That might sound like saying "I breathe air", but stay with me.

We’re consuming more audiovisual stories than ever before, across more platforms and formats than we can keep up with. The rise of streaming has enabled us to reach huge audiences worldwide. TV shows with endless seasons and fast-paced TikTok shorts seem to be the new standard in media content.

And yet, none of those linger with me quite like a two-hour film. There’s something magical about holding an audience’s attention long enough to tell a powerful story, and knowing when to step away before overstaying your welcome.

But there’s no real magic. Like any other art form, the secret is the story.

Namely here, the screenplay.

Without a script, there's no film

Every film begins with a screenplay. Words typed once on a typewriter — now on a laptop using script software — are meant to tell a moving story in about two hours, with compelling characters, memorable dialogue, and immersive action. These pages serve as the blueprint for everything that follows: the shoot, the edit, and the final cut that makes us laugh, cry, or stare in awe at a flickering screen.

To this day, the screenwriting process remains one of the most undervalued parts of filmmaking. Directors and actors get the spotlight and the praise, while audiences often assume they came up with their lines and moments on the spot... a vision far from the truth known inside the creative community.

Here are a few quotes from filmmakers about the importance of screenwriting:

“To make a great film you need three things – the script, the script, and the script.” – Alfred Hitchcock

“There’s nothing more important in making movies than the screenplay.” – Richard Attenborough

“Once you crack the script, everything else follows.” – Ridley Scott

“There’s no question that a great script is absolutely essential, maybe the essential thing for a movie to succeed.” – Sydney Pollack

“It’s possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can’t make a good movie from a bad script.” – George Clooney

And if the Writers Guild strike of 2023 taught us anything, it’s that screenwriters are more essential than ever in an evolving media landscape.

Even when a script starts in solitude, it’s never truly a lone act. Every screenplay is a dialogue: with directors who interpret, actors who bring the lines to life, editors who shape the rhythm, and audiences who complete the story. Screenwriting is collaboration hidden in solitude, and that is what creates its quiet magic.

The Beauty of Structure in Screenwriting

My call to writing really sparked with screenplays. Even though this is my favorite way to express my thoughts, I have always found the apparent lack of strong structure quite overwhelming when it comes to putting pen to paper or typing on the keyboard. Screenwriting offered the niche style I was looking for, with its page-length rules (usually between 90 and 120 pages), distinctive formatting (action lines, dialogue, scene headings…), and the relentless focus on pacing.

Everything needs to be concise. Minimalist. If two words can replace four, that's ideal. Remove a page of dialogue and replace it with a quick glance between two characters? Even better.

My favorite screenplays are probably the ones written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Ex Machina). His sharp approach to action lines and his precision with words make me want to flip every page just to see what happens next.

Because screenplays are meant to be seen, not read.

Lines are instructions. They indicate what the action should look like on screen, where the actors are positioned, and what the scene is really about. The best screenplays are those that embody the core rule of cinema: “Show, don’t tell.”

Cinema is a visual medium. Action dominates conversation because movement is the heartbeat of film — though screenwriters like Aaron Sorkin demonstrate that dialogue, when written with intensity, can feel like an action sequence in itself.

That said, screenwriting doesn’t mean rules are fixed. Some of the best writers bend or break them to tell the most powerful stories possible.

Take Christopher Nolan, for instance. In his Academy Award–nominated screenplay Oppenheimer (2023), he broke one of the most fundamental rules of screenwriting: writing in the first person.

Traditionally, screenplays are written in the third person (“John picks up his phone,” “Lisa crosses the street”). But by writing lines like “I walk across the room,” Nolan pulls us into Oppenheimer’s head. It’s a bold choice, but it works because it serves the story.

Rules can be broken if there’s a reason behind it.

Ultimately, screenwriting is about what connects everyone: telling a story. It’s meant to be filmed, but the words on the page can resonate just as deeply as those in a novel.

That’s the power of storytelling.

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