What are the best techniques for writing a film script that appeals to both critics and audiences?

Hahaha! The day someone figures that out, that person will be very rich, sitting on his/ her own private island, sipping on a martini, NOT contributing to collaborative articles on LinkedIn. You cannot write to please a bunch of people - audience/ or critics. Write to tell YOUR unique story. In your voice. With honesty, authenticity, freshness. Don't worry about ticking 4 quadrants [young/ old/ male/ female]. At times the more specific a story is, the more universal it becomes. But adding entertainment with purpose as audiences may be just looking for an escape while critics search for greater 'meaning' - helps pitch the story well to both. Importantly, YOU need to have fun telling the story. That way at least 1 person will love it!

I'm an animation director. I've worked on and developed the art direction and narration for several 22-minute series over the past 30 years. Themes include espionage, paranormal, science fiction, comedy and adventure for young people. My inspiration comes from B movies and series, even Z, from the 70s to the 80s.

I believe the key to writing a screenplay that will appeal to both critics and an audience, is to not. Let me explain. People watch a film to be entertained. Whether consciously or subconsciously, they are looking at you, the writer, as an expert in the field of entertainment, and they are relying on you to provide that for them. If you build your screenplay on the foundation of pleasing your audience or critics, it inevitably will lose all heart and conviction, and you instead will be writing something that is pandering and crowd pleasing in nature, rather than something true to your own heart and convictions. The audience will feel this and the screenplay will more than likely fail. Stray true to yourself. The success will follow.

What do critics create? Audiences reflect the true appreciation and gratitude of the artist efforts. 15 words, per Linkdin, didn't satisfy the 125 character minimum. Content=Time Suck........

As a writer/creator always stay in touch with the demo and characters of the story you are telling. It falls flat when a writer tries to tell a story he/she cannot truly relate to or understand in terms of characters and the reasons people make certain choices. The best way to achieve this is to really get to know and live in all types of enviornments and/or surround yourself with all types of people. Never be afraid to be the student. Listen to their stories, their pain, their journey, etc. This is essential to developing authentic characters and giving a story real justice.

I think it helps to have an image in your mind whether it’s an actor or someone you know. It’s a good starting point and has always been helpful to me.

Characters serve as the beating heart of your narrative, propelling the action, conveying emotions, & unraveling themes. Strive to craft characters that are not only realistic, relatable, & memorable, but also imbued with complexity, dynamism, & surprise. Achieve this by delving into their backgrounds, personalities, motivations, goals, conflicts, & arcs. Infuse distinct voices, actions, & interactions to breathe life into them. Ensure your characters possess flaws, strengths, & opportunities for growth, alongside clearly defined roles & relationships within the story. This meticulous approach to character development enhances both audience connection & critical acclaim.

One thing to remember when developing your characters is that not all of your characters are necessarily people. Sometimes the town is the character, or the building, or a particular element that keeps popping up in the story. If you have non-human/animal elements that are essential to your story make sure you treat them the same way you treat your leads.

If some characters begin to sound the same, don’t hesitate to lose one or more of them and roll them into one character. A story is more interesting when characters come off as individuals.

Refrain from the AI temptation. Reflect on real life experiences. Draw from everyday people. Draft your characters. Review. Repeat!

You can write powerful dialogues only if you are a good observer and a listener. Nothing beats these basic qualities. One thing I have found helpful while crafting dialogues is having a character note ready along with its inspirations. Having a great character sketch is a good starting point. This activity always aids my writing.

Make sure your characters are speaking in their own unique voices. Having your characters randomly speaking in tones or using words that they normally wouldn’t throws things off for the audience. Also, make sure you don’t have every single young person using language that they wouldn’t normally use. Every 8 year old doesn’t need to sound like a Harvard grad with a psychology degree.

Embrace white space in your script. We don’t often speak in complete sentences or long involved diatribes. There is a playwrite named Harold Pinter who’s known for writing dialogue in the way that people talk.

Enhance your film script by skillfully crafting dialogue—a pivotal and challenging aspect of the writing process. Strive for dialogue that feels natural, believable, and captivating, while maintaining conciseness, relevance, and impact. Use dialogue to unveil characters' traits, emotions, and intentions, all while propelling the plot, building tension, and conveying essential information. Steer clear of clichés, exposition, and filler, opting instead for subtext, humor, and irony to infuse depth and intrigue into your dialogue. By mastering the art of impactful conversation, you not only captivate audiences but also garner appreciation from discerning critics.

Dialogue is the most difficult part in a script, specially in a comedy. The common mistake is trying to write it perfectly, however we as humans do not speak perfectly and with a good vocabulary, unless you are reading something previously rehearsaled. That's why, the best way to practice writing dialogue is to listen how people talk, if possible ask permission to some friends or familiars and record simple conversations, then try to transcript them, you will learn a lot by doing that. Finally, the basic things: if the action already shows and information, the dialogue doesn't need to express the same, if there is no need for a dialogue do not force it and make sure that every word has a dramatic effect.

Structuring your plot will eventually make everything easier. Screenwriting is a very lengthy process and a lot of things can be missed and lost in the process. If you structure your plot carefully then your script will catch all the right beats and the movie or show will fit better according to the arc. You can structure your plot by two ways 1. Make a structure for your characters, from the beginning to how it’s eventually gonna shape in your story. 2. Structure your story by knowing how it’s gonna end and base your story accordingly.

The plot is the Skelton and without a strong one it can’t walk around it will just flop. The characters and dialogue and aesthetic is the flesh and clothes.

Structure is the secret sauce to making a better script and enjoying the process - using a traditional structure like Save The Cat Blake Snyder’s beat sheet for example - will free you up to think strongly about the characters and the story, with the hard part of the ‘what has to happen and how soon’ out of the way for you. I see it as a cheat code to skipping to the fun part for you, and adding extra weight to the important stuff (characters, arcs, emotions) for them.

Give strength to your film script by meticulously structuring the plot—the essential sequence of events shaping your narrative. Ensure coherence, consistency, and captivation by crafting a plot that unfolds with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Create a satisfying arc, build to a compelling climax, and conclude with a meaningful resolution. Employ techniques like hooks, stakes, obstacles, twists, and turns to maintain audience engagement and curiosity. Let your plot be driven by the actions and choices of your characters, while also being shaped by external forces and conflicts. A well-structured plot not only resonates with audiences but also earns accolades from discerning critics.

The plot is what will take most of your time, most of the time we want to create something extremely complicated and we corner ourselves. That's why try to begin with a simple plot and a simple structure, if you can tell your story with a few elements you will be ready to add more and make the structure a bit more complicated.

This rule is essential, nonetheless is hard to keep. The best way to integrated to your way of writing is always to remember that the script is being seeing with a camera rather than the imagination, so use that notion to write your scenes in a way that we can SEE what's happening, instead of explaining it. Also, be aware of the dialogue's trap, many times we will try to cover visual things with dialogues just because is easy, but trust me a good dialogue is harder to write than a visual representation.

A good practice that reinforces this idea is to watch movies with the sound off. Can you still follow the movie? Are the filmmakers using strong visual cues? If so, then the film is probably enhanced by each facet of the process rather than carried by one.

This is a given in what we do for television and what to my friends do in the film world. However, the way they worded this is confusing. What they fail to say here is that this is narration and also direction. There's a very fine line in all of this and before you even begin to fathom how any of this encompasses your script, understand what your script is about,.what your characters are about and what your plot points are about, and then wrap your head around the rest of this. This is the most challenging aspect of writing. Learning how far you can go directing your narration, and action scenes. And this is something you definitely definitely definitely something to take a class on.

While this is a very very important rule, I often see some writers drag scenes way too long that they tend to overshare and lose the main idea of the scene. When you get too noisy or lengthy with showing, people lose focus on what to pay attention to. Be succinct, be deliberate, and show just enough.

This is something that often isn't clear until you get into the editing stage. Often times you realise half the dialogue in a scene isn't needed because the pictures do all the talking. In saying that, I do like to shoot more dialogue than I know I'll need in the edit because it's much easier removing words than adding them in!

Recognize that writing a film script is a collaborative process, not a solitary pursuit. To enhance your script's appeal to both critics and audiences, actively seek feedback and embrace the revision process. Solicit evaluations from peers, mentors, professionals, and potential viewers, focusing on aspects like genre, characters, dialogue, plot, and style. Additionally, conduct your own analysis to identify errors, inconsistencies, and weaknesses, and revise accordingly. Remain open to constructive criticism while maintaining confidence in your unique vision and voice. This iterative approach ensures continual improvement, transforming your script into a polished and resonant cinematic creation.

Writing a film script is not a solo endeavor. You need to get feedback and revise your work to improve it and make it appeal to both critics and audiences. You can seek feedback from peers, mentors, professionals, or potential viewers, and ask them to evaluate your film script based on various aspects, such as genre, characters, dialogue, plot, and style. You should also revise your film script based on your own analysis and intuition, and check for errors, inconsistencies, and weaknesses. You should be open to criticism, but also confident in your vision and voice.

The first thing I do when I've finished an initial cut of a film is screen it for a test audience. The focus groups and question cards tend to form a consensus regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the film which is helpful in refining the edit before release.

Feedback is critical. Sometimes what’s in your head isn’t necessarily what’s on paper. It’s difficult to be objective with your own work. A good rule is to also put the script away for a bit and return to it at a later date. It gives you a new perspective. I realize you can’t always do that, but if you can it helps.

Creative feedback often feels like a personal attack, especially when the work feels personal or intimate. Try to enter feedback sessions with an open mind. Most of the time, you don't have to take every suggestion but read between the lines of what people are saying and implement what feels true to your story. Be honest with yourself about when something isn't working.

Pandering to an audience or worse, a film critic, is the kiss of death. If you pander your script to anyone, It will become your rise to mediocrity and the banal. One must always remember, its your vision, your script, your blood and your sweat. Writing must come from deep inside your mind, carrying thoughts that are powerful and moving laughter, tears the full spectrum of emotions must not be affected by trivial thoughts of an audience or a critic. Pandering to anyone will kill your soul. Ive seen it happen many times. It has destroyed many a good person reducing them to a bitterness that becomes intolerable to both you and themselves. My2c

I don't believe you write to please people. I don't believe it's possible to please both critics and audience. Writing is about telling a personal story. The "why" something was written is the reason it will find an audience. It isn't an artists job to please people. That's marketing. Thats advertising.

FORGET audiences and critics. You’re probably a pretty good audience yourself or you wouldn’t be doing this. There are NO techniques. There ARE books on structure, character, etc. If you feel lost, there’s no harm in having a look—just don’t get tangled up in other people’s theories or you’ll never get anything done. It’s YOUR story—no one else can tell it. (There’s solace in that, if you need it.) Write for yourself. No audience, no critic—just you. If that sounds lonely, it is. If you hit a brick wall, walk away. Clear your head. And be careful: many a good story has been talked into oblivion. Best keep it zipped. Finally, make sure you know how to format it, or no one will read it—seriously, no one. Good luck. You’ll need it. We all do.

A good rule of thumb is to watch a movie and see how critical you are when you examining others work. Point that same finger back at yourself as you are creating your story. Every single gap, every single thing you think about and do not write down, are holes in the story. Use your ability to judge others to judge yourself.

I think passion and patience are two of the most important aspects… you need to love the story you are telling and have a clear angle, know what makes your story conceptually and emotionally relevant, but still stand out from other films. You have to believe in yourself and know your end goal. Passion will drive these things. Patience, because you will need to re-write the script countless times. You will need to get feedback from others, see different perspectives, understand how others may view it. Researching all the relevant information you need, to make the script as “true” and emotionally relevant as possible, may take a long time. Ultimately success can be down to luck, but if you’re dedicated you’re more likely to succeed.