The Shape of a Movie: A Breakdown of How Story Ideas Become Feature Films

Have you dreamed of writing a feature film screenplay but have no idea where to start? If you have always dreamed of writing your own movie, this lecture is for that version of you that has had the idea, pictured the scenes, maybe even imagined who would play the lead, but never really known how to turn any of it into a film.

What makes an idea good enough for a feature film? How do you know which idea to choose when you have several? Who should the villain be? And once you have picked your story, how do you know whether there is actually enough there to fill a whole movie?

Using familiar Hollywood movies, we’ll look at what makes a story work on screen and what professional screenwriters are actually paying attention to when they decide an idea is worth writing. The goal is to leave understanding not just why certain movies work, but how you could begin writing one of your own.

Dr. Kalman Szegvary is a filmmaker, producer and film educator who runs Wildfire Motion Picture Company. He directed and produced the cult feature Cannibal Rollerbabes, spent more than a decade leading the Film Department at Trebas Institute, and has lectured on screenwriting at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. His work also focuses on mentoring first-time screenwriters and filmmakers.