The Questions to Ask When You're Rewriting a Screenplay
40+ questions to ask before your next rewrite — big picture, structure, character, scene by scene.
Last night I went to an early test screening for UNANNOUNCED MOVIE I CANNOT NAME. The producer invited me. This is someone who’s worked a very long time in Hollywood. At the beginning of the screening, they got up there and reminded everyone, yes, to turn off their phones, but also, what it was that we should all be aspiring for with feedback... “We love this movie, and we just want to make it better.”
There’s an old adage in filmmaking that says:
“A movie is written three times. Once by the writer. Once on set. And once in the edit.”
This is, in my experience partially true. But fails to account for the approximately 300 times it’s written and re-written and re-re-re-written before you ever get to the set. And then, of course, there are the 10-20 times it’s rewritten in the edit.
We all just want to make it better.
So if the ability (and willingness) to rewrite is the separation of good writer and great writer, how exactly do we get better at rewriting?
We get better at asking questions.
The script itself isn’t going to suggest to you what needs to change, the changes (unfortunately!) must spring forth from your own mind. Meaning we as writers must apply some kind of diagnostic assessment to the film (first broadly and then with a more narrow focus) in order to figure out… what would make this better? And while sometimes “why does this suck?” is sometimes the question you want to ask… maybe there are some more specific questions that might be a little bit more helpful?
So here they are. An exhaustive, but by no means comprehensive, list of the questions a screenwriter should be asking themselves when rewriting a movie.
Big Picture Stuff
What is this movie about? Not what happens in it, but what am I saying or hoping an audience takes away from it?
Why did I want to write this in the first place? What is my goal here? It could be as simple as “to sell a movie” or as profound as “to change hearts and minds about x.” But whatever it is, you need to be sure your mission hasn’t changed and that you are achieving it to the best of your ability.
Structure Stuff
Are the events of the story unfolding in the correct order? Are the events of the story escalating?
What is missing or unclear? What is there too much of? Are there any areas I’m bored/antsy/impatient?
Are there clear reversals (moments where everything changes) within the story? Where are they? Are they in the right spots? Do they feel surprising but inevitable?
Are you starting in the right place? Are you ending in the right place?
Does this feel paced appropriately? Where are things moving too slowly? Where am I skipping over stuff that I could mine for more?
Do things start one way and end another way? Does the ending feel surprising yet inevitable? Does it feel satisfying? Should it?
Could I raise the stakes? How?
Where could I tighten things up? Where can I expand?
Character Stuff
Who is this movie about? Are they in fact the character that changes the most in the film? If not, who does? Why isn’t the movie about them?
Why is the character doing what they’re doing? This can work on the macro level for the entire film — what is this character’s underlying motivation? — but can also work on the small scale scene work — what is this character’s goal within the scene?
What is at stake here? Can again be applied broadly to the whole story and more specifically scene by scene.
How is this character changed by the events of the film? Is their starting point as far from that ending as possible? Could I, at the beginning of the story, take them even further away from where/how they’ll end up?
Do all my characters want things? Are they all trying to get them?
Do all my characters feel real? Multidimensional and unique?
Am I making things hard enough for my main character? Could it be harder? Why am I not doing that?
Scene by Scene Stuff
What happens in this scene? How do things change by the end of the scene? If they don’t… do I need this scene at all?
Is this in the right spot? What would happen if this… moved? Went away entirely?
What do I want the reader/viewer to be feeling here?
Could this be any shorter? I bet it can be shorter.
Could I do this scene without any dialogue at all?
Does this scene lead inevitably to the next? Does it feel like this directly causes the events that come afterwards? If not… how can it?
Is there a more interesting way to do what’s happening here?
Whose scene is this? Whose POV are we in? Why?
Process Stuff
What is my goal with this revision? Stick to one major goal at a time! Trust me!
Where in the process am I? Big picture re-tool? Farther along and more in the refining phase? Be honest, and don’t skip the big picture house tear-down phase.
Have I gotten a fresh set of eyes on this? Do I need those yet?
What questions have I missed? Any diagnostic tests you like to run for yourself as you read and re-read and re-re-read your drafts? Let me know in the comments!