PT Anderson Advice

You have to out chips in something so you never get in that spot. 

Daydream and think about it, and turn it over in your mind but avoid getting to that spot where you've over written it. 

If going well, it can go fast. Get to know the particulars of the world. Time well spent. 

 Rules of Screenwriting What's the plot? Who's the protagonist? Feel ready to dismiss those rules. 

P. 30 have an indelible event, and same page 60. 

 When PTA feels the spark of an idea, he immediately starts to develop it, no matter how vague it may seem at first. 

Consider this as a method for keeping your creative tools sharp and engaged. That way, when you finish one project, you don't sit down to a void when you decide to start something else. 

Doesn't love chasing for a theme. Best things become something and you're happy it's there. 

The better way to go is to have characters that are more opposites. 

If things go well, they're going to guide you how they're going to go.

Families are endless juicy ammunition for good story, good drama and good comedy.

Love your characters - in a Demme way. Not too critical of the people. Show who they are. Love your characters. 

Avoid looking at a blank page: put chips in something so you never get to that spot. PTA talks about drawing inspiration from actor Philip Baker Hall and creating a character entirely around his vibe as a grizzled 1940s type, eventually writing the lead for him, as well as another role for John C. Reilly.

Working with a face, vibe, or performance in mind might help you solidify the idea of a character in your head, which then could help you during the writing and directing processes. 

Don’t Chase a Theme 

“If I’ve ever had a theme in mind, I mean, usually that’s just the worst. Then you feel yourself writing. And there’s nothing worse than that feeling of, kind of, chasing after a theme.” 

Theme is important for screenplays, and one of the most common questions that screenwriters will face after someone has read and considered their screenplay is, “What’s the theme of the script?“ 

 For Anderson’s process, he fears that pursuit of a theme during the writing process because it then doesn’t feel organic. 

The true theme of your script will often present itself in the end. And the theme of any story can also be interpreted in many different ways by many different people. 

The More Opposite the Characters Are the Better “The better way to go, in terms of better writing, is having two characters that are more opposite. That way you can get more traction.” 

Two opposing characters facing one another equate to two opposing forces that are destined to clash. 

The more opposite they are, the better the conflict. 

And conflict is what drives the best stories. 

Let the Characters Guide You 

“If things are going well and the characters are coming out of you, they’re going to guide you how they’re going to go.” 

Sometimes you just have to let the characters guide you instead of you guiding them through the plot. 

Anderson later equates this to a seance, where the characters start speaking through you, and you aren’t present. 

Anyone can plot a story out and inject lines of dialogue to drive that plot. The best writing occurs when the characters truly come to life on the page. 

Write the Work of Others Down to Inspire you 

“There’s no better exercise than just to write somebody else’s words down to see how they looked typed out. Just to get you inspired again.” 

In short though, plot follows characters more than anything. 

Get opposite characters and follow them to their conclusion, instead of following theme or whatever. 

Jack Lemon in short Cuts: think how far characters go to make themselves look good, and how when done poorly, everyone else can see it but you. 

The self-delusion and pride are the hill people will die on. 

Like the pipe dreams in Eugene O'Neal. 

Also FWB Think one scene at a time that has a lot going on in it 

What's Phoebe Waller-Bridge's best writing advice? In an interview with Deadline, Waller-Bridge said: 

“I always think there should be at least three things going on in one scene at the same time. I think every actor should know that there are three things this person is dealing with, and usually it’s like they’re having to eat lunch, or they’re having to deal with a really hot room. It’s something like that.” 

I love this statement because it speaks to how deep each scene can be with tension, comedy, or both.

Every character has specific wants and desires in each screen. 

Let them pop with layered motivations to each scene. 

"I want to say thank you to my mother, who said to me, 'Darling, you can be whoever you want to be, so long as you are outrageous." 

Push boundaries. 

So much of Fleabag and Killing Eve deal with what we once thought were taboos. Perhaps their biggest contribution to society is that they get people talking about these foolish morays and sharing their experiences. They also bring an inherent value to the work and make people take notice. If you like these shows, you have to have the conversation of why more places don't explore these aspects of characters.

Treat your female characters better “There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not [the Bond franchise] is relevant now because of who he is and the way he treats women, I think that’s bollocks. I think he’s absolutely relevant now. The important thing is that the film treats the women properly. He doesn’t have to. He needs to be true to this character.” Waller-Bridge is not trying to change James Bond as a person. But she understands that better movies make women more three-dimensional and motivated.