What are the best tips for writing a biopic screenplay?

From a producer's perspective, the best tip is to secure life rights if not in the public domain before hitting the page. Do not assume a producer will secure the rights for you; without the rights, the producer likely won't take on the liability, time, or effort. Creatively, your goal isn't to tell this individual's entire story (i.e., from childhood to death). Instead, focus on the most exciting or tense part of that person's life -- that's what makes a good movie. You can interweave past/future storylines ONLY if it helps us understand the protagonists' thinking and context of the "present". Two great examples: The Imitation Game and Oppenheimer. Good luck!

"True Life" stories often get told because the protagonists of them fall right into a classic character arc of, as Aristotle put it, going "from ignorance to knowledge." So, yes, you want to choose your subject wisely and it should be someone you are passionate about, but also keep an eye out for the "why" of their story--why did they behave the way they did? Oftentimes that is not recorded by history and must be got at by the writer, so it's a great playing field for looking at backstory and how it influences the present-day of the protagonist's behavior. We can't change the past and how it imprinted us, but we can change how we behave and not be trapped by it. People from history often embody this concept beautifully.

As Ernest Hemingway said,"Start with one true thing." Something that you know personally, and deeply, that is the truth, and inspires others.

Select a subject with a compelling and unique life story. Look for individuals who have faced adversity, overcome challenges, or made a significant impact on society. Ensure that the subject's life allows for a natural narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

In crafting a compelling biopic screenplay, the initial crucial step is selecting a subject wisely. Clearly articulate your reasons for wanting to tell this person's story and what you aim to convey. Opt for a subject with a robust personality, a distinct goal, and a noteworthy impact on their field, society, or history. Assess the availability and reliability of sources, gauge potential audience interest, and carefully consider the legal and ethical implications of portraying a real individual. A thoughtful selection lays a solid foundation for a biopic that resonates authentically with viewers and effectively communicates the intended narrative.

Whenever it’s possible find a parallel in the persons life events that is relevant to issues we are confronting today. This brings their story forward in time and allows the audience to not only relate but to be able to be inspired by the way your subject dealt with the issue.

The key here is "finding the aspect of the person's life." Whenever possible, narrow the focus of your story to a shorter time span, a key event. Sometimes "cradle to grave" biopics can work, but they often lose our attention because they are structured like an epic, with many, many incidents. When we identify a crucial, shorter time period of a person's life that was of great impact, the story is condensed, and therefore must resolve more quickly, creating suspense. (For example, Ava DuVernay's film of Paul Webb's screenplay "Selma," was not about MLK's entire life, but about this one, vital and significant moment in it---within that could be addressed aspects of his entire life as the story unfolds, but interwoven and not spanning years.)

Identify a specific aspect of the person's life that sets your biopic apart from others. Avoid a generic overview and focus on a particular period, event, or relationship that defines the individual. Determine the overarching theme or message you want to convey through the biopic. It could be about overcoming adversity, the pursuit of a dream, the impact of an individual on society, or any other central theme that resonates with the subject's life. Just like fictional characters, real-life individuals should undergo a transformation or development throughout the story. Identify key moments that contribute to the character's growth and change over time.

Following the selection of your subject, the next crucial step in crafting a biopic screenplay is to determine your angle and theme. Your angle refers to the specific perspective or approach you adopt to tell the story, whether it's centered on a particular time period, event, or aspect of the person's life. Simultaneously, your theme encapsulates the central idea or message you intend to convey—be it the person's motivation, struggle, or legacy. Maintaining consistency, relevance, and engagement, ensure that your chosen angle and theme thread seamlessly throughout your screenplay, contributing to a cohesive and impactful narrative.

Divide the screenplay into three acts: the setup, confrontation, and resolution. In the setup, introduce the character and their world. The confrontation presents challenges and conflicts, and the resolution shows the character's growth or resolution of conflicts. Develop a strong character arc. Show the evolution of the character over time, including their flaws, challenges, and growth. Audiences connect with characters who undergo a transformative journey.

Sequentially, after determining your angle and theme, the subsequent step in crafting a biopic screenplay involves structuring your plot and scenes. Establish a well-defined beginning, middle, and end, incorporating a central conflict and resolution into your narrative. Avoid overwhelming your screenplay with excessive details, facts, or events, which can lead to confusion, boredom, or an unrealistic portrayal. Instead, prioritize key moments and scenes that effectively convey your chosen angle and theme, while emphasizing character development and the emotional arc of your subject. This focused approach ensures a narrative that captivates and resonates with your audience.

Understand the motivations driving your characters. What are their goals, fears, and desires? This will help you create more realistic and compelling characters. Study interviews, letters, and other primary sources to capture the authentic voices of your real-life characters. Pay attention to their speech patterns and vocabulary.

Furthering the development of your biopic screenplay, a critical step involves crafting authentic characters and dialogue. Strive for a vivid and genuine portrayal of not only your subject but also those who influenced or interacted with them. Resist the temptation to make characters overly perfect or flawed; instead, depict a nuanced representation of their strengths and weaknesses, flaws and virtues, successes, and failures. When crafting dialogue, ensure it authentically reflects the personality, voice, and background of your characters, aligning with the tone, mood, and context of each scene. By prioritizing authenticity in character development and dialogue, you enhance the relatability and depth of your biopic screenplay.

Conduct extensive research on the life of the person you're depicting. Read biographies, articles, and any available interviews. Seek out primary sources, such as letters, diaries, and personal records, to get a deeper understanding of the subject. If possible, interview people who knew or worked with the person. First-hand accounts can provide valuable insights and anecdotes. Create a detailed timeline of the subject's life. This will help you understand the key events and their chronological order.

Research is absolutely required for every writer, whether one is writing a fictional tale or a true one. In a fictional story, researching even the most tiny aspect of it (for example, the ins and outs of someone's part-time retail job and what goes on there) can inspire any number of ideas for scenes. So, imagine what researching stuff that actually happened can yield! It's one of the most rewarding aspects of writing, and inspires so much. Your only task with a true-life story is that the research you uncover will make you want to write dozens of scenes, and your page count will show it! But, then you get a lesson in how to be a good editor of your own work, and which scenes are most essential!

In the final phase of crafting a biopic screenplay, prioritize thorough research and meticulous revision. Engage in comprehensive research on your subject's life and era, drawing from primary and secondary sources like interviews, documents, books, articles, or archives. Verify the accuracy of facts, dates, names, and events included in your screenplay, providing citations when necessary. Dedicate time to multiple revisions, scrutinizing for clarity, consistency, coherence, and creativity. Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or professionals, incorporating valuable suggestions. This meticulous approach ensures the accuracy and refinement of your biopic screenplay, elevating it to a polished and compelling narrative.

Research is the very first thing you should be doing when thinking about writing a biopic. It's a continuous process that doesn't stop when you're done writing. Keep your sources, notes, photos, and references together in one place for quick access. You'll need these things when starting pre-production.

Find the key moments of the biography, when the worldview of the hero was formed or changed, and choose the material that most vividly demonstrates this.

A really good "based on true events" film to study is "Quiz Show." Paul Attanasio's great (Academy Award-nominated) script clearly did some digging into the motivations behind its lead character that had to be extrapolated by a good dramatist and made into a redemption story. If you have the time to study the actual history and then see how it was interpreted in a two-hour story--well, it proved very instructive for me in terms of how to develop a script from real events.

You don't have to love your subject. You don't even need to like them, but you have to know, Umunderstand, and respect your subject. You're taking a life, whether that, ten years or one hundred and ten, and distilling it to the most meaningful two hours. Deciding what is essential for the audience to see and focusing on the elements that allow the audience to empathize is crucial. GHANDI follows the subject from his graduation and return to India through to his death. Similarly, RAY follows Ray Charles from childhood through his success as a songwriter and performer. Oppenheimer focuses on the WWII years and the McCarthy Era. How much of the person's life tells their story in the most succinct, involving, entertaining way?

A story becomes universal when it is actually highly personal but embedded in a particular social and political context . Don't focus just on the character, but make sure the context is clear and well researched. A character is formed by inner development and outer forces and trials. The more specific the story gets, we as an audience we can see its truth and related to that beyond time/space - when we can feel that, that's a winner.