Screenwriting Pre-Draft Development
📌 Many writers feel stuck after writing 5-10 pages because they skip crucial preparation steps before diving into the final draft.
💡 The first step after having an idea is determining if the concept is suitable for the film medium.
❓ The core of the development process is questioning everything about the characters and story to ensure depth and direction.

Establishing Core Narrative Elements
🎯 A film's statement must be defined first, providing a foundational guide for the story; for *Finding Nemo*, the statement is: "Letting go isn't stopping caring; it's a form of trust."
📝 A logline is essential, summarizing the whole film in 1-2 sentences, following the simple formula: Character + Character's Goal + Obstacle.
🌟 For *Finding Nemo*, the logline is: Marlin, a protective clownfish father, must save his kidnapped son by crossing the vast ocean, facing unexpected dangers, and his own fears.

Character Depth and Motivation
👤 Characters must be developed across three dimensions: Physiological (age, physical traits), Psychological (personality, emotional state), and Sociological (social status, background).
❤️ Character design requires defining Wants (external, visible desires) versus Needs (internal, often unseen requirements for growth), exemplified by Marlin wanting to find Nemo (Want) but needing to learn to trust others (Need).
🧠 Establish the character's False Belief (a lie they initially hold) and their Ghost (a haunting trauma or regret) to drive their change arc throughout the story.

Script Structuring and Drafting
🏗️ The next step is structuring the plot, most commonly using the Three-Act Structure, popular in Hollywood films.
✍️ Before writing the full dialogue, create a simple outline or script treatment focusing only on the sequence and broad description of scenes (e.g., Ext./Int., time of day).
🎬 The full script draft includes scene headings (identifying location, time), detailed descriptions of mood/setting, character wardrobe, and sound cues (like notifications).
📢 New characters introduced in a scene must have their name and age written in CAPITAL letters followed by their age in parentheses upon first mention.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ If feeling stuck, return to the preparation phase to solidify the story's statement and logline.
➡️ Use the Wants vs. Needs distinction to ensure the character undergoes meaningful transformation by the story's end.
➡️ When drafting, use a script treatment (scene headings without dialogue) as a structural blueprint before writing the final dialogue draft.
➡️ Transitions between drastically different scenes (location, mood, timing) should commonly use the CUT TO: transition cue.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 13, 2025, 09:07 UTC