1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,440 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:21,480 The first stage of development is coming up with your idea, 3 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,240 or what we like to call just sort of the big idea. 4 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:27,400 And this is, honestly, one of the most crucial things 5 00:00:27,397 --> 00:00:29,727 you're going to do in the whole process, if not the most 6 00:00:29,730 --> 00:00:30,230 crucial. 7 00:00:30,230 --> 00:00:33,390 Because assuming this goes well, you're 8 00:00:33,390 --> 00:00:37,920 going to be working with this idea for potentially years, 9 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,040 or in our case, we've been doing it now seven years 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,210 with "Stranger Things." 11 00:00:42,210 --> 00:00:46,170 So you're going to want an idea that really gets you excited 12 00:00:46,170 --> 00:00:48,180 and really inspires you. 13 00:00:48,182 --> 00:00:49,892 I think it is a mistake a lot of people 14 00:00:49,890 --> 00:00:51,060 make in that they sort of-- 15 00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:52,620 they're so excited to write a script 16 00:00:52,620 --> 00:00:54,580 and have a script that they kind of go, well, 17 00:00:54,583 --> 00:00:55,503 that idea sounds good. 18 00:00:55,500 --> 00:00:57,420 Let me just start to write it. 19 00:00:57,420 --> 00:00:59,490 I mean, we've certainly made that mistake, 20 00:00:59,490 --> 00:01:01,470 where we've started writing an idea-- 21 00:01:01,473 --> 00:01:03,393 there's something good just conceptually wrong 22 00:01:03,390 --> 00:01:06,180 with the idea, or the idea itself is not exciting enough, 23 00:01:06,180 --> 00:01:08,380 and there's nothing you can do. 24 00:01:08,380 --> 00:01:10,350 You know you could waste a year or two years 25 00:01:10,350 --> 00:01:14,640 working on something that is actually just the problem is 26 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:15,840 that the very first stage. 27 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,750 So it's important that this first stage you get right, 28 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:21,870 and you're working on an idea that you're really, really 29 00:01:21,870 --> 00:01:22,620 excited about you. 30 00:01:22,620 --> 00:01:25,500 Have to have a ton of passion for it, because best case 31 00:01:25,500 --> 00:01:28,460 scenario, you know, like in the case of "Stranger Things," 32 00:01:28,460 --> 00:01:30,540 it works, and people like it, and then you 33 00:01:30,540 --> 00:01:32,350 could be working on it for a decade. 34 00:01:32,350 --> 00:01:34,680 So make sure you love this idea. 35 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,990 [MUSIC PLAYING] 36 00:01:40,830 --> 00:01:43,810 This is a difficult part of the process to talk about, 37 00:01:43,810 --> 00:01:48,420 but the way we work, in terms of coming up with that big idea, 38 00:01:48,420 --> 00:01:51,930 is we just start throwing a ton of ideas at the wall, 39 00:01:51,930 --> 00:01:54,300 and we're just seeing what sticks. 40 00:01:54,300 --> 00:01:58,230 And I think sometimes, people make the mistake of going, 41 00:01:58,230 --> 00:02:02,610 well, they're looking around at the shows or the movies that 42 00:02:02,610 --> 00:02:04,170 are popular right now. 43 00:02:04,170 --> 00:02:06,880 The classic, back when we were growing up, 44 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:08,680 was this is going to be like "Die Hard," 45 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,720 but I'm going to put it in a different location-- 46 00:02:10,722 --> 00:02:13,112 "Die Hard" on a bus. 47 00:02:13,110 --> 00:02:13,860 But that worked. 48 00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:17,370 "Die Hard" on a bus worked, but don't let that throw you off. 49 00:02:17,370 --> 00:02:19,140 So really, I think what you want to do 50 00:02:19,140 --> 00:02:23,520 is just think about what excites you. 51 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,610 A lot of it should be more personal than that. 52 00:02:26,610 --> 00:02:29,760 I think the problem with looking around at what's popular 53 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,220 and riffing on that is that may not have 54 00:02:32,220 --> 00:02:33,840 any personal meaning to you. 55 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,480 It's just what's popular, what's in the zeitgeist now, 56 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,760 but that is changing so rapidly. 57 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,120 I remember when we were coming up in college, 58 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:43,680 we wanted to sell a script. 59 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,220 The big thing was found footage. 60 00:02:45,220 --> 00:02:45,720 Right? 61 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:47,800 So I found footage is not much of a thing anymore, 62 00:02:47,803 --> 00:02:50,463 and we were never huge fans of found footage. 63 00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:54,390 But we suddenly found ourselves trying to write a found footage 64 00:02:54,390 --> 00:02:57,900 movie, and we didn't really care about found footage. 65 00:02:57,900 --> 00:03:00,030 Because we didn't have a lot of passion for it, 66 00:03:00,030 --> 00:03:04,030 the lack of passion translated to bad scripts. 67 00:03:04,030 --> 00:03:07,210 So I think an epiphany that we had was-- 68 00:03:07,210 --> 00:03:10,260 and it seems so obvious now, but it wasn't to us at the time-- 69 00:03:10,260 --> 00:03:12,210 was just kind of cut out all the noise. 70 00:03:12,210 --> 00:03:15,600 Stop reading "Variety" and Deadline and all the Hollywood 71 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,030 trades and obsessing over what's selling, 72 00:03:18,030 --> 00:03:22,230 and just focus on what you love, what you grew up loving, 73 00:03:22,230 --> 00:03:23,310 what you love now. 74 00:03:23,310 --> 00:03:27,290 Maybe it's something personal as a family, 75 00:03:27,290 --> 00:03:28,560 a story from your family. 76 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,840 Or in our case, like our first movie script 77 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,760 that sold was called "Hidden," and it 78 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,260 was set in a bomb shelter. 79 00:03:34,260 --> 00:03:37,140 We had a friend growing up in North Carolina, 80 00:03:37,140 --> 00:03:40,440 and he had a bomb shelter in his backyard. 81 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,820 And we made a little short film set in this bomb shelter. 82 00:03:42,820 --> 00:03:44,700 So we always thought, hey, you know, 83 00:03:44,700 --> 00:03:46,530 wouldn't it be cool to set an entire movie 84 00:03:46,530 --> 00:03:47,640 Inside of a bomb shelter? 85 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,300 Like that would be challenging but fun, 86 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:51,330 and it was based on this experience 87 00:03:51,330 --> 00:03:53,040 we had as kids in this bomb shelter 88 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,670 that scared the living hell out of us. 89 00:03:55,665 --> 00:03:59,135 [MUSIC PLAYING] 90 00:04:00,620 --> 00:04:02,470 So it's a sort of combination where 91 00:04:02,470 --> 00:04:05,390 you're pulling from your life, but part of your life-- 92 00:04:05,390 --> 00:04:07,330 it certainly was for Matt and I-- 93 00:04:07,330 --> 00:04:10,630 is we grew up loving movies. 94 00:04:10,630 --> 00:04:12,880 And so we're looking at those movies, 95 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,080 and we're looking at what inspired us about that, 96 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,560 and then you're combining that with your experiences growing 97 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:19,060 up. 98 00:04:19,060 --> 00:04:21,250 Or in the case of "Stranger Things," a lot of it 99 00:04:21,250 --> 00:04:23,710 is based around our friendships we had 100 00:04:23,710 --> 00:04:27,520 and the amazing times we had when we were kids, growing up 101 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,670 and our summers hanging out with our friends. 102 00:04:29,665 --> 00:04:32,835 [INTERPOSING VOICES] 103 00:04:33,810 --> 00:04:36,480 We certainly didn't encounter any monsters 104 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,640 or other dimensions, but that friendship 105 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,140 became such a core of that idea. 106 00:04:40,140 --> 00:04:43,020 So I think it's a mix of those two things, or it's something 107 00:04:43,020 --> 00:04:44,490 that you're very obsessive about. 108 00:04:44,490 --> 00:04:47,850 For instance, Matt and I love a good conspiracy theory. 109 00:04:47,850 --> 00:04:50,220 I remember in high school, we made a short film 110 00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:56,640 about the Philadelphia project, and we love the JFK conspiracy. 111 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,280 So we're sort of a little bit of conspiracy nuts, 112 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:01,620 and we like looking at all that stuff, which led us-- 113 00:05:01,620 --> 00:05:03,330 we'll get into it later-- but it led us 114 00:05:03,330 --> 00:05:05,940 to the "Montauk" project, which led directly 115 00:05:05,935 --> 00:05:06,815 to "Stranger Things." 116 00:05:06,810 --> 00:05:08,610 So it could be just something in your life. 117 00:05:08,605 --> 00:05:10,235 There's another advantage to choosing 118 00:05:10,230 --> 00:05:12,650 something that's a little bit more personal, which is that 119 00:05:12,647 --> 00:05:13,227 it-- 120 00:05:13,230 --> 00:05:16,750 especially if this is an early screenplay that you're writing. 121 00:05:16,745 --> 00:05:18,125 Maybe it's your first screenplay. 122 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,280 Maybe it's your second or third, or whatever it is, 123 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,410 but certainly, we found it easier 124 00:05:22,410 --> 00:05:25,110 if it's something that we're familiar with, if it's 125 00:05:25,110 --> 00:05:28,260 populated with characters or a location or setting 126 00:05:28,260 --> 00:05:30,480 that we're somewhat familiar with. 127 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,060 It's just easier to write, so you don't 128 00:05:33,060 --> 00:05:35,760 have to do a year of research. 129 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,280 That is a way to go, and there's nothing wrong with that. 130 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:41,640 If you want to do like say a historical screenplay, 131 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:42,360 go for it. 132 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,270 I just would discourage you from doing that maybe 133 00:05:45,270 --> 00:05:48,930 on your first screenplay. 134 00:05:48,925 --> 00:05:50,055 I mean, knock yourself out. 135 00:05:50,050 --> 00:05:51,480 It's just you're going to require 136 00:05:51,477 --> 00:05:53,557 a lot of additional work and a lot of additional-- 137 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,040 and as you're learning sort of the fundamentals of writing 138 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,830 and the fundamentals of how to write dialogue, 139 00:05:59,830 --> 00:06:01,570 it's just so much easier if you can 140 00:06:01,570 --> 00:06:05,530 tap into voices that you are more intimately familiar with. 141 00:06:05,530 --> 00:06:07,840 Even on season one of "Stranger Things," 142 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:12,250 we felt so much more comfortable writing the voices of the kids. 143 00:06:12,250 --> 00:06:15,040 Just those scenes wrote themselves very quickly for us. 144 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,500 A shadow grows in the wall behind you, 145 00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:19,300 swallowing you in darkness. 146 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:20,950 It is almost here. 147 00:06:20,950 --> 00:06:21,700 What is it? 148 00:06:21,700 --> 00:06:23,390 What if it's the demogorgon? 149 00:06:23,385 --> 00:06:25,515 Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the demogorgon. 150 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:27,430 It's not the demogorgon. 151 00:06:27,430 --> 00:06:29,840 An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber. 152 00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:30,460 Troglodytes? 153 00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:31,790 Told you. 154 00:06:31,785 --> 00:06:34,165 ROSS DUFFER: It was harder for us to write the scientist. 155 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:38,470 So you'll notice on season one, Dr. Brenner doesn't talk a lot, 156 00:06:38,470 --> 00:06:39,370 and that's OK. 157 00:06:39,370 --> 00:06:41,720 I think leaning into your strengths 158 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:43,720 and what you're good at, and like Matt's saying, 159 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,400 particularly for this first script, is a great idea. 160 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:47,980 I think the goal really needs to be 161 00:06:47,980 --> 00:06:52,840 telling a simple story which is much more difficult than it 162 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:53,380 seems. 163 00:06:53,380 --> 00:06:56,260 It should seem easy when someone ultimately reads your script, 164 00:06:56,260 --> 00:06:57,830 like this just came out of you. 165 00:06:57,830 --> 00:07:01,240 But it's a process even to tell a simple, clean story that 166 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,540 moves from A to B to C to D. 167 00:07:03,541 --> 00:07:06,841 [MUSIC PLAYING] 168 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,390 One fun thing about pulling from things you love 169 00:07:11,390 --> 00:07:15,050 is it gives you an excuse to watch TV shows and movies 170 00:07:15,050 --> 00:07:17,030 and even rewatch things that maybe you've 171 00:07:17,030 --> 00:07:20,270 seen a dozen times, just to look at how it's done, 172 00:07:20,270 --> 00:07:23,780 and also try to find some inspiration in there. 173 00:07:23,780 --> 00:07:25,640 It's like the best homework ever. 174 00:07:25,637 --> 00:07:27,467 It's true, and I don't think you even have 175 00:07:27,470 --> 00:07:28,580 to limit yourself to movies. 176 00:07:28,580 --> 00:07:30,330 I mean, if you're really into video games, 177 00:07:30,330 --> 00:07:32,360 some board games now have amazing narratives. 178 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,540 I mean, just continue to consume that stuff. 179 00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:37,640 And do big movies, small movies, whatever. 180 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,520 You know, the big shows everyone's watching, 181 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,010 the small shows, even stuff that doesn't work is helpful. 182 00:07:43,010 --> 00:07:46,820 And for us, it may just be like a kernel of an idea. 183 00:07:46,820 --> 00:07:50,480 I remember for the first script that we 184 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:52,190 wrote that actually really worked 185 00:07:52,190 --> 00:07:54,620 and that sold, the one that Matt had referred 186 00:07:54,620 --> 00:07:56,270 to that was set in a bomb shelter 187 00:07:56,270 --> 00:07:58,250 called "Hidden," the movie that sparked 188 00:07:58,250 --> 00:08:00,320 that was a very small independent film 189 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,320 called "Monsters," which is directed by Gareth Edwards who 190 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,070 would go on to direct "Godzilla" and "Rogue One." 191 00:08:07,070 --> 00:08:09,140 But what really inspired us about "Monsters" 192 00:08:09,140 --> 00:08:11,870 is he went out, and he made a very small movie 193 00:08:11,870 --> 00:08:13,760 for not a lot of money, and it did 194 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,550 have this supernatural stuff that we loved. 195 00:08:16,550 --> 00:08:18,980 And it had giant monsters, because we're children 196 00:08:18,980 --> 00:08:20,390 at heart, so we love that. 197 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:23,450 But at the heart of that movie really was a relationship. 198 00:08:23,450 --> 00:08:26,210 Gareth was able to tell a story with a huge scope, 199 00:08:26,210 --> 00:08:29,450 but tell it very intimately, and we 200 00:08:29,450 --> 00:08:33,710 decided we wanted to try to do something in that vein. 201 00:08:33,710 --> 00:08:36,200 And then two other movies that really inspired us 202 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,800 that were also in that vein were David Fincher's "Panic Room" 203 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:42,169 and M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," 204 00:08:42,169 --> 00:08:45,389 and these are all films that really spoke to us. 205 00:08:45,390 --> 00:08:47,900 And when we started to rewatch them and break it down, 206 00:08:47,900 --> 00:08:50,270 what we realized is that what was really 207 00:08:50,270 --> 00:08:52,650 the connective tissue here was they were big ideas. 208 00:08:52,650 --> 00:08:54,830 But at the heart of them, just like in "Monsters," 209 00:08:54,830 --> 00:08:57,140 it was really just about these families. 210 00:08:57,140 --> 00:08:59,420 "Panic Room" was about a mom and her daughter, 211 00:08:59,420 --> 00:09:02,810 and "Signs" was about a family, and specifically man 212 00:09:02,810 --> 00:09:06,050 who's who was sort of broken in that family healing 213 00:09:06,050 --> 00:09:07,590 over the course of that movie. 214 00:09:07,590 --> 00:09:10,430 And so we go, even though there are these huge ideas-- 215 00:09:10,430 --> 00:09:15,170 you know, aliens, robbers, giant monsters-- 216 00:09:15,167 --> 00:09:17,247 the heart of those movies isn't really about that. 217 00:09:17,250 --> 00:09:18,500 It's about something else. 218 00:09:18,500 --> 00:09:20,930 That is the kind of story that we wanted to tell-- 219 00:09:20,930 --> 00:09:22,520 ordinary meets extraordinary. 220 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,180 So you can look at it like that, and you can break it down. 221 00:09:25,180 --> 00:09:27,230 And I mean, it's very broad, ordinary 222 00:09:27,230 --> 00:09:29,840 meets the extraordinary, but it was the type of film 223 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:31,850 that we hadn't seen a lot of out there. 224 00:09:31,850 --> 00:09:35,450 And that's ultimately what led to "Hidden," the bomb shelter 225 00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:38,750 movie, as we're calling it and then and then, ultimately, 226 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:39,530 "Stranger Things." 227 00:09:39,530 --> 00:09:41,110 So I think it's important, as you're 228 00:09:41,113 --> 00:09:43,733 watching these movies that love and inspire you 229 00:09:43,730 --> 00:09:46,400 to try to break down, maybe there 230 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,100 is something that's connecting all of these things you love. 231 00:09:49,100 --> 00:09:52,340 Maybe there's sort of a thread that runs through all of them, 232 00:09:52,340 --> 00:09:54,440 and I think identifying what that 233 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,610 is could help you identify what kind of story you want to tell. 234 00:09:58,610 --> 00:10:03,500 It's normal and good, in fact, to take inspiration 235 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:05,060 from these people who have mastered 236 00:10:05,060 --> 00:10:07,460 the art of storytelling, who have come before you. 237 00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:08,180 Right? 238 00:10:08,180 --> 00:10:10,830 And look at what they did, look at what is successful, 239 00:10:10,830 --> 00:10:13,220 and then take your own personal experience 240 00:10:13,220 --> 00:10:15,680 and sort of overlay that on top. 241 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:17,930 And hopefully, you're bringing your own point of view. 242 00:10:17,930 --> 00:10:20,440 You're not trying to emulate, but you're 243 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,190 trying to take the spirit of what they did 244 00:10:22,190 --> 00:10:25,010 and infuse it with something that's 245 00:10:25,010 --> 00:10:27,590 very unique to you, which is your own personality 246 00:10:27,590 --> 00:10:29,150 and your own personal history. 247 00:10:29,145 --> 00:10:30,025 And your own voice. 248 00:10:30,020 --> 00:10:31,640 And your own, yeah, your own voice. 249 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,990 [MUSIC PLAYING] 250 00:10:37,380 --> 00:10:39,630 As you're searching for this big idea, 251 00:10:39,628 --> 00:10:41,668 one thing that's really important to keep in mind 252 00:10:41,670 --> 00:10:42,990 is drive. 253 00:10:42,990 --> 00:10:46,200 I think every story needs sort of a core drive, 254 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:47,970 and if you've read any screenwriting 255 00:10:47,970 --> 00:10:50,430 book or heard any screenwriter talk, 256 00:10:50,428 --> 00:10:51,968 you're probably sick of hearing this, 257 00:10:51,970 --> 00:10:57,160 but the idea of a core drive, the idea that there's 258 00:10:57,157 --> 00:10:59,487 a character who wants something and is having difficulty 259 00:10:59,490 --> 00:11:02,430 getting it, it's true. 260 00:11:02,430 --> 00:11:05,490 I mean, you really do need that in order to propel your story, 261 00:11:05,490 --> 00:11:08,120 in order for the story to work. 262 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,620 You know, listen, you can have the most beautiful characters 263 00:11:10,620 --> 00:11:12,570 in the world, but what is getting the reader 264 00:11:12,570 --> 00:11:15,300 to just continue to turn the pages. 265 00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:17,190 And by drive we don't mean-- it doesn't 266 00:11:17,190 --> 00:11:19,020 have to be save the planet. 267 00:11:19,020 --> 00:11:22,530 I mean, it doesn't have to be a Marvel-level drive. 268 00:11:22,530 --> 00:11:24,420 It can be a very small drive. 269 00:11:24,420 --> 00:11:26,480 Like in the sense of a romantic comedy, 270 00:11:26,483 --> 00:11:27,903 it's winning over the boy, winning 271 00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:29,140 over the girl, whatever it is. 272 00:11:29,140 --> 00:11:30,560 If you don't have a drive, it'd be 273 00:11:30,557 --> 00:11:32,217 like building a car without an engine. 274 00:11:32,220 --> 00:11:32,720 Right? 275 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:34,930 It's just not going to run very well. 276 00:11:34,930 --> 00:11:37,150 People are not going to get past page three, four, 277 00:11:37,150 --> 00:11:38,460 or five, whatever it is. 278 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:40,740 If you look at "Hidden," it's a very simple drive. 279 00:11:40,740 --> 00:11:40,890 Right? 280 00:11:40,890 --> 00:11:43,170 It's actually kind of built into the title of the piece. 281 00:11:43,170 --> 00:11:44,010 It's called hidden. 282 00:11:44,010 --> 00:11:47,890 The goal of the film, the drive is, to remain hidden. 283 00:11:47,890 --> 00:11:49,650 So we have characters in a bomb shelter. 284 00:11:49,650 --> 00:11:50,910 They're trying to stay hidden. 285 00:11:50,910 --> 00:11:54,780 Something alerts the outside presence, these bad guys above, 286 00:11:54,780 --> 00:11:57,630 that perhaps they're in the vicinity. 287 00:11:57,630 --> 00:11:59,490 And the goal for them is to remain 288 00:11:59,490 --> 00:12:00,670 hidden throughout the film. 289 00:12:00,670 --> 00:12:02,700 So it's a very, very basic, simple drive. 290 00:12:02,700 --> 00:12:05,490 But our very first script that got us an agent-- 291 00:12:05,490 --> 00:12:06,960 and we'll go into that more later-- 292 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:08,280 was something called "Origin." 293 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,740 Our main character woke up, and this 294 00:12:10,740 --> 00:12:13,380 was in the midst of a pandemic. 295 00:12:13,380 --> 00:12:16,440 And he realized he was infected. 296 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,710 He was sick, and he had two hours to try to cure himself. 297 00:12:19,710 --> 00:12:22,200 Very simple goal-- he is going to die 298 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,560 at the end of this script, if he's not able to find a cure. 299 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:28,200 It's a very simple drive, and your characters 300 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,150 are trying to achieve that goal. 301 00:12:30,150 --> 00:12:31,740 Like Matt saying, they want something. 302 00:12:31,740 --> 00:12:33,280 They're having difficulty getting it. 303 00:12:33,282 --> 00:12:34,502 They want to stay hidden. 304 00:12:34,500 --> 00:12:36,450 They're having difficulty staying hidden. 305 00:12:36,450 --> 00:12:38,580 Why are they having difficulty staying hidden? 306 00:12:38,580 --> 00:12:41,010 Because we, as the writers, are going 307 00:12:41,010 --> 00:12:45,510 to continue to throw obstacles in their way to staying hidden. 308 00:12:45,510 --> 00:12:48,930 So every time they're going to solve one obstacle that they're 309 00:12:48,930 --> 00:12:50,850 like, phew, maybe we're hidden now, 310 00:12:50,850 --> 00:12:53,230 there's going to be something else that happens, 311 00:12:53,230 --> 00:12:55,820 that's going to actually make their situation even worse. 312 00:12:55,823 --> 00:12:57,993 They're going to solve that, but then something else 313 00:12:57,990 --> 00:12:59,160 is going to happen that's going to make 314 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:00,600 it even harder to stay hidden. 315 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,780 And it's just going to continue to sort of build and snowball 316 00:13:03,780 --> 00:13:06,810 and escalate, in this way, you have the audiences 317 00:13:06,810 --> 00:13:07,990 keep turning the pages. 318 00:13:07,992 --> 00:13:09,452 In the course of "Stranger Things," 319 00:13:09,450 --> 00:13:10,870 everyone's learning more and more, 320 00:13:10,867 --> 00:13:13,667 but it keeps getting more and more complicated. 321 00:13:13,668 --> 00:13:15,208 Finally, they have the puzzle pieces, 322 00:13:15,210 --> 00:13:17,400 and you lead to the climax, but you've 323 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,600 got to keep throwing these obstacles in the way. 324 00:13:19,603 --> 00:13:21,273 But the obstacles aren't going to exist, 325 00:13:21,270 --> 00:13:25,200 if we don't understand what your main characters are actually 326 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,750 trying to get, what their goal is, what their drive is. 327 00:13:27,750 --> 00:13:29,910 But like it's not just about plot. 328 00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:32,070 I think that's a mistake. 329 00:13:32,070 --> 00:13:33,780 If you're thinking, OK, well, this just 330 00:13:33,780 --> 00:13:36,720 sounds very plot-driven, but it actually 331 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,630 involves character and character building. 332 00:13:39,630 --> 00:13:42,420 The way that your characters resolve or overcome 333 00:13:42,420 --> 00:13:44,250 these obstacles is going to reveal 334 00:13:44,250 --> 00:13:46,020 a lot about who they are. 335 00:13:46,020 --> 00:13:49,350 The methods they use to resolve those obstacles 336 00:13:49,350 --> 00:13:50,310 reveals who they are. 337 00:13:50,310 --> 00:13:51,930 If you think about "Stranger Things," 338 00:13:51,930 --> 00:13:54,390 that's how you learn who these characters are. 339 00:13:54,390 --> 00:13:58,240 Obviously, "Stranger Things," there's a lot going on in it. 340 00:13:58,240 --> 00:13:58,740 Right? 341 00:13:58,740 --> 00:14:01,720 But when you really boil it down, Will is missing, 342 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:03,180 and we want to find Will again. 343 00:14:03,180 --> 00:14:04,710 It's a very simple drive. 344 00:14:04,710 --> 00:14:07,350 Finding a story and finding a drive 345 00:14:07,350 --> 00:14:10,380 is really the most basic, fundamental aspect 346 00:14:10,380 --> 00:14:11,670 of storytelling. 347 00:14:11,670 --> 00:14:15,020 [MUSIC PLAYING] 348 00:14:17,410 --> 00:14:19,110 Let's talk a little bit about how do you 349 00:14:19,110 --> 00:14:20,200 brainstorm your idea? 350 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,160 So we talked about you can pull from your life. 351 00:14:22,158 --> 00:14:25,738 It's more of an art than a science, brainstorming is. 352 00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:29,470 I think it's good to let your mind wander a little bit. 353 00:14:29,470 --> 00:14:31,350 This is not something that you can force. 354 00:14:31,350 --> 00:14:33,330 So one thing that Ross and I like to do a lot 355 00:14:33,330 --> 00:14:34,290 is listen to music. 356 00:14:34,290 --> 00:14:36,270 We don't like listening to music with lyrics. 357 00:14:36,270 --> 00:14:37,470 We like listening to movie music. 358 00:14:37,470 --> 00:14:38,730 I've always loved movie music. 359 00:14:38,730 --> 00:14:40,230 The lyrics get my head, whatever. 360 00:14:40,230 --> 00:14:42,000 I mean, this is going to be very personal to you, 361 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,790 but the good thing about listening to music 362 00:14:43,792 --> 00:14:47,052 is you can kind of let your mind wander a little bit. 363 00:14:47,050 --> 00:14:49,450 You don't want to force it too much. 364 00:14:49,450 --> 00:14:50,940 There's other techniques. 365 00:14:50,940 --> 00:14:53,340 A lot of the good ideas that we've had 366 00:14:53,340 --> 00:14:57,420 have come when we're not trying to think too hard about them. 367 00:14:57,420 --> 00:15:00,180 They'll come when you're driving to work. 368 00:15:00,180 --> 00:15:02,260 They'll come when you're taking a shower. 369 00:15:02,257 --> 00:15:04,587 I mean, all of those are good ways of coming up with it. 370 00:15:04,590 --> 00:15:07,770 Ross and I, it helps that there's two of us. 371 00:15:07,770 --> 00:15:10,590 It works with just one person as well, but we like to walk. 372 00:15:10,590 --> 00:15:13,890 There's something about walking that gets the juices flowing 373 00:15:13,890 --> 00:15:14,610 in your brain. 374 00:15:14,610 --> 00:15:16,650 I think it's very difficult, if you just sit down 375 00:15:16,652 --> 00:15:18,532 in front of your computer, and you're looking 376 00:15:18,527 --> 00:15:19,767 at a blank computer page. 377 00:15:19,770 --> 00:15:21,580 And you're like, OK, what is my movie idea? 378 00:15:21,575 --> 00:15:22,955 That's going to be really tricky. 379 00:15:22,950 --> 00:15:24,030 That's going to be more helpful, 380 00:15:24,030 --> 00:15:26,410 once you have the idea, and you're developing it further. 381 00:15:26,405 --> 00:15:29,795 But for this initial big idea, it is, like Matt saying, 382 00:15:29,790 --> 00:15:31,990 it's a tricky thing to teach. 383 00:15:31,990 --> 00:15:33,450 There's no right or wrong way. 384 00:15:33,450 --> 00:15:35,080 You're going to have your own process. 385 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,960 But again, I think if you just try 386 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,970 to sit down in front of a computer and force it, 387 00:15:38,970 --> 00:15:40,850 you're probably just going to get frustrated. 388 00:15:40,845 --> 00:15:42,515 We've certainly done that many times. 389 00:15:42,510 --> 00:15:44,160 We've gotten frustrated many times. 390 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:46,410 But I think it is important to give yourself 391 00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:49,470 some time and space to come up with the idea. 392 00:15:49,470 --> 00:15:53,520 Even though it is potentially one, two, three sentences, 393 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:54,940 that can take a lot of time. 394 00:15:54,940 --> 00:15:57,330 So it seems very easy, but the idea is not. 395 00:15:57,330 --> 00:15:59,260 I mean, the idea is everything. 396 00:15:59,260 --> 00:16:02,200 So it's going to take some time, and when 397 00:16:02,198 --> 00:16:04,738 we step through kind of exactly how we came up with "Stranger 398 00:16:04,740 --> 00:16:06,820 Things," you'll see that it was kind of developed, 399 00:16:06,823 --> 00:16:08,493 this idea over the course of-- 400 00:16:08,490 --> 00:16:09,270 how many years? 401 00:16:09,270 --> 00:16:10,010 Five? 402 00:16:10,010 --> 00:16:11,040 Five years. 403 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:12,060 Five years. 404 00:16:12,060 --> 00:16:13,140 Something like that. 405 00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:15,030 In terms of the whole process of writing, 406 00:16:15,030 --> 00:16:19,260 arguably coming up with a big idea is the most important. 407 00:16:19,260 --> 00:16:21,090 Again, take your time with this. 408 00:16:21,090 --> 00:16:22,920 Be patient with it. 409 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,480 Think back on your life, the things 410 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:28,050 that you love, your memories growing up as children, 411 00:16:28,050 --> 00:16:31,380 your friends, maybe this story your neighbor told you, 412 00:16:31,380 --> 00:16:32,370 pull from these things. 413 00:16:32,370 --> 00:16:34,150 Pull from works of art you love. 414 00:16:34,150 --> 00:16:35,320 Take your time. 415 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:36,840 Come up with a bunch of ideas. 416 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:38,430 A lot of them are going to be bad. 417 00:16:38,430 --> 00:16:40,230 We write down so many bad ideas. 418 00:16:40,227 --> 00:16:41,307 You'll see some of them. 419 00:16:41,310 --> 00:16:42,390 You'll see some of them. 420 00:16:42,393 --> 00:16:45,213 We throw so many things at the wall, and so many of them 421 00:16:45,210 --> 00:16:47,250 don't stick, and that's OK. 422 00:16:47,250 --> 00:16:50,760 You're going to feel it, when you have that idea that just 423 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,180 gets you excited and like you want to sit down and write it 424 00:16:54,180 --> 00:16:54,680 right now. 425 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,010 I think you're going to feel it. 426 00:16:56,013 --> 00:16:56,823 We certainly have. 427 00:16:56,820 --> 00:16:59,790 When we haven't felt it, and we've tried to force it, 428 00:16:59,790 --> 00:17:01,320 or maybe it's a half-formed idea, 429 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,380 it's missing some important element 430 00:17:04,380 --> 00:17:06,270 and we've tried to write it and force it, 431 00:17:06,270 --> 00:17:08,790 that ends up just wasting a lot of time. 432 00:17:08,790 --> 00:17:11,770 Because you're just-- there's something conceptually wrong. 433 00:17:11,770 --> 00:17:13,650 So you want to try to wait. 434 00:17:13,650 --> 00:17:15,720 It's not a science. 435 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,820 It's going to be different every time. 436 00:17:18,823 --> 00:17:22,283 [MUSIC PLAYING] 437 00:17:24,700 --> 00:17:26,700 So I think the first assignment for this class 438 00:17:26,700 --> 00:17:29,080 is probably the best assignment, the most fun assignment. 439 00:17:29,075 --> 00:17:29,985 Definitely. 440 00:17:29,980 --> 00:17:32,770 Which is just watch some of your favorite stuff. 441 00:17:32,772 --> 00:17:34,232 Watch some of your favorite movies. 442 00:17:34,230 --> 00:17:36,180 Watch some of your favorite shows, whatever it is you want. 443 00:17:36,180 --> 00:17:38,550 Read some of your favorite comic books, whatever it is. 444 00:17:38,550 --> 00:17:39,810 Or your favorite books, I mean, 445 00:17:39,810 --> 00:17:41,550 that'll take a little bit longer than watching stuff, 446 00:17:41,550 --> 00:17:42,640 but whatever it is. 447 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,640 And then try to identify what is the connective tissue 448 00:17:46,637 --> 00:17:47,967 between the stuff that you love? 449 00:17:47,970 --> 00:17:49,560 Is there a connective tissue? 450 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:52,990 Is there something unique about your taste? 451 00:17:52,992 --> 00:17:54,452 Is there a reason that you're drawn 452 00:17:54,450 --> 00:17:55,770 to those particular stories? 453 00:17:55,765 --> 00:17:57,395 See if you can figure out what that is. 454 00:17:57,390 --> 00:18:00,090 And again, for us, it was ordinary meets extraordinary. 455 00:18:00,090 --> 00:18:02,620 It doesn't have-- it can be something very simple. 456 00:18:02,620 --> 00:18:05,280 It can be just one simple thing that 457 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:09,030 is connective tissue between all of these things that you love, 458 00:18:09,030 --> 00:18:12,750 and maybe that will help give you your inspiration for what 459 00:18:12,750 --> 00:18:14,500 you're going to write.