20 Screenwriting Tips from Christopher Nolan

Screenwriting Tips from Christopher Nolan’s movies for Aspiring Screenwriters. Christopher Nolan is the screenwriter of Oscar winning films and screenplays like Tenet, Memento, Interstellar, Inception, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, The Prestige, Following,... We go behind the scenes of his writing process to learn the best Screenwriting Tips form the visionary auteur Christopher Nolan. He ranks with the best writer directors like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Aaron Sorkin, Bong Joon Ho and others... Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy who portrays Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who is among those credited with being the "father of the atomic bomb".

0:00 - Intro

1:46 - Avoid making your story superficial by evoking emotion in the audience through a relatable protagonist.

2:36 - Suspense is the most visual language of film. Address the story in the language of suspense by telling it from a subjective point of view.

4:27 - Make the audience question themselves by putting them inside of your protagonist’s mind.

5:40 - Think of characters as real people when writing. Having actors or people you know in mind, will only limit your writing.

6:16 - Push the boundaries of filmmaking. Accept the fact that the art of cinema doesn’t have rules or limitations.

7:09 - Even if you’re writing a story set in an implausible world, make sure it has its own set of rules and that not everything is possible.

7:51 - When using a story element you like, always give it a good reason for it within your film.

8:39 - Whatever film you’re making, have it rely on an underlying film-noir dynamic, in the way that you define a character through their actions, rather than what they say.

9:34 - Take an extraordinary character and put them in an ordinary world grounded in reality.

10:26 - Sit down to start writing the full screenplay when you already know where you're heading with it.

11:28 - As a director, you have to be able to not look at the shot as a 2 dimensional picture, but look at where everything is in 3 dimensional space.

12:32 - Play to your strengths.

14:16 - Figure out what is interesting to you and present it in a way that it will be interesting to your audience.

14:59 - Hang on to working relationships where you know there isn’t any agenda other than helping you make the best film that you can.

16:20 - Add multiple layers.

17:29 - Make a film you would want to see yourself.

17:56 - Write about that what inspires you.

18:50 - Approach structure mathematically.

20:27 - Take your favorite genre and turn it on its head.

21:30 - Have the next idea ready for when you are asked what you want to do next.

#ChristopherNolan #Screenwriter #Oppenheimer #Screenwriting #Screenplay

[rickkarcher]

I am thoroughly grateful to Nolan for taking the time to advise those who are aspiring to his craft! There are countless numbers of “gurus” giving out advice, but few who have achieved the success of Nolan.

[judichristopher]

New Mexico (US) THANKS Christopher Nolan for making "Oppenheimer"
I want to be (screenwriter) like Christopher Nolan when I grow up...
He is AMAZING... so humble too.

Thank you Outstanding Screenplays for sharing this video.... BEAUTIFUL
Maybe one of these days you'll have me on here talking about my screenplay/movie.

[ARKHAMxMaverick]

Another guy passionate about film which translates onto the screen.

[_shmalyous]

This is what we need😍 The Nolan stratigies❤ we will be pleased if got more about nolan👍

[santosghecko]

Amazing dude. I could live ten lifetimes and still not write as good.

[Kimikosnoh]

Please PRETTY Please could you to a script side by side with Denzel Washington “King Kong Ain’t Got Shit On Me!” From Training Day?🎉🎉

[SirAlastair]

Love this. Please do Guy Ritchie. SUBSCRIBED.

[judichristopher]

Are you still doing screenplay competitions?

[itierney]

Many of these points, are the same point, restated in a slightly different way.

[mmfoodd.]

I have a question. When will the next competition start?

[shenyin]

Interesting to see Nolan had no actors in mind while creating characters, quite different to Tarantino, who's always had very specific actor for the character in mind while scripting.

[GTIMAN]

Would you recommend any good movie for numbeer 8 with that filmnoir dynamics?

[tribuneband]

Nolan writing "Memento" = "otnemeM" gnitirw naloN

[flipfly]

The most important TIP of all, with few exceptions regarding subject matter, if what you create makes $$$ and/or gets eye balls to watch then WHATEVER you create will be held in high regard, and, no doubt, the creator will receive offers to make MORE even if what he/she has created is essentially shlock. But first you have to be a please Hollywood and considering what TV and films get produced, we sort of wonder who really is driving the bus. Hollywood, film festivals and particularly screenplay contests would like you to think they love unique, original work. No, they don't. They only like, and will fund, what THEY think audiences will buy, but history shows that 9 out of 10x they aren't even close (so much for all the so-called experts). Recently, the rep for the Writer's Guild said that she fears AI, that, in her view, AI will fail to produce unique, original content. Our question to that rep is, what is the excuse prior to the introduction (threat) of AI because from where we sit 99% of what is on TV or being released in theaters, works that the so-called 'experts' thought were worthwhile, aren't worth the time of day (including Nolan's work. I mean, it's okay, but our criteria for a truly great film is one we want to see again and sadly, very, very few fall into that category across the board). A new business model is definitely in order for content creators in our opinion.

[Jang]

I'm sorry that first caption is certainly the exact opposite of what Nolan said and generally what you want in story 101.

Avoid making your story superficial by evoking emotion in the audience through a relatable protagonist

This sentence has to be a typo or backwards because YOUR SUPPOSED to evoke emotion in the audience through a relatable protagonist and nolan in this video just affirmed that.

[ginge]

Man who wrote Tenet unrionically being used as a source of good screenwriting advice.

[NvaMusic]

This is the last man anyone should take screenwriting notes from lol.

[harrysportello]

He‘s a good filmmaker but a bad screenwriter. His scripts are so flawed it‘s incredible

[SeanVictorydawn]

The only limit in front of a filmmaker is his goal. An open oven will not bake any bread. Your characters will not have a goal; and the archetypal William Morris agent will not pitch "this character" to a class actor, unless you have a goal as a filmmaker beyond the characters you write.
A classical favorite of mine is Marlon Brando in the opening scene to Last Tango In Paris(1972) he walks underneath a transit 🚇 train bridge which symbolizes his soon-coming-death; and he meets his Angel Of Death: his girlfriend Maria Schneider right underneath the same transit train bridge.
Think Bertolucci have less goals than Nolan?