We seem to be going through a screenwriting/script thing at the moment on the WLW site. To continue that trend here is a discussion on how to write fight scene from John August who has written films like Charlie’s Angels and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
His advice when writing any situation which involves running around or doing things is:
- Always remember that you’re writing a movie, not a screenplay. Even though you only have words at your disposal, you’re trying to create the experience of watching a movie
- Keep sentences short. Use sluglines to break things up. Keep our attention so we’re not tempted to skim.
- When you have two characters fighting, you’re not going to write every punch. Rather, you need to get specific on how this fight feels different than every other movie fight. What is it about the style, the environment, the stakes and the story that makes this battle unique to this movie and this moment?
In the article he goes onto explain these points with explains from the first Charlie’s Angels film.
The original article appeared on johnaugust.com on the 19th of July 2011.