THREAD: STORIES WITH HEART

This got me thinking about my process, and I wanted to share.

The reason this one hit me is that I don& #39;t *try* to do this, add heart to a screenplay. I don& #39;t focus on, "How can I make this emotionally resonant?"

1/8 https://twitter.com/JJSmithPrime/status/1320477838479257601">https://twitter.com/JJSmithPr...
Instead, my focus is on my characters and building relationships between them, whether the relationship existed prior to the story& #39;s beginning or develops within the narrative framework.

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If it& #39;s pre-existing, I want to show the characters in their authentic moments of showing affection, implying as much backstory as I can so it doesn& #39;t come across as "Wait, this is a thing now?"

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If it& #39;s new, I want them to come together (not necessarily romantically) in a way that is authentic to each character& #39;s core personality, which I& #39;ve hopefully established early on in the script.

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Usually it& #39;s a matter of finding common ground between two disparate personalities. Other times there& #39;s an instant connection before they even learn about each other. In that case, I want it to reveal something about the character we didn& #39;t know before.

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It doesn& #39;t have to be a common goal. I feel like that& #39;s a shortcut many movies take. "Well, the protagonist wants this, therefore I want it, too, and we& #39;ll grow together through shared trauma."

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I think of it as I think of how real life relationships work. Sometimes you meet someone, and you immediately "get them". Sometimes there& #39;s a navigation before you come together.

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Either way, it& #39;s authentic and organic. It& #39;s never to service the story, rather it& #39;s a consequence of characters coming together and learning who they are.

Build relationships. Don& #39;t force them.

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