10 Screenwriting Tips from Robert Eggers on how he wrote the Lighthouse and The Northman

Robert Eggers is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his acclaimed horror films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019) and his newest film The Northman (2022).
01. Embrace what is uniquely you.
02. Find a harmonious balance of opposites in your writing. Your writing needs both Dionysian and Apollonian aspects.
03. Avoid writer's block by doing research about things that interest you and research and write in tandem.
04. Don’t start writing with a message or an intention in mind other than staying true to the world in which you're trying to write in.
05. It’s absurd to think that how well you follow a traditional structure is what makes you a good storyteller.
06. Wherever and whenever your story is set, the conversations, the arguments and other universal elements need to feel similar and relatable to today.
07. Be extremely meticulous with your writing.
08. Historical accuracy is not important to filmmaking. You can make a great period story without it being accurate.
09. To get your first feature produced, make a proof-of-concept short film that includes some elements similar to the feature you are trying to produce.
10. When writing, don’t think about how you’re going to get it on camera. You have to be blind to the realities of shooting and figure it all out later.
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#RobertEggers #TheNorthman #screenwriting #screenwriter

[@lorrinkrasniqi2750]

This man only made 3 films and I already love him

[@salchichon4198]

I already loved him when he had only made 1

[@karenmink865]

Much Respect

[@sinanuluc5143]

Wrong, he made 1 masterpiece and two films :P

[@Jpro2000]

Loved him after lighthouse then I watched the witch then the Northman on opening day. This guy is going to have a big career

[@ejblon8634]

I fell in love with this man's work the moment I seen "The Witch" in theaters! First words out of my mouth after seeing it was "That's how you make a f***ing movie"!

[@hunsakermedia]

Such a mature filmmaker for someone who’s only made 3 features

[@oniriscope]

I think that being a visionary filmmaker isn’t something you can learn… But man this Director addresses gaps in culture in a strangely new way! It deserves attention. Thanks a ton for this video.

[@Buttsmoker]

Best contemporary director of his day.. no one comes close. A true master of his craft.

[@MrMejia187]

Wow I like how he says to not write with the intention to relay a message or whatever to the current times. I always thought filmmakers did that but it makes sense to focus on story first. I tend to watch movies to see what the 'message' is and I was doing that with the Northman, but I understand why I was having trouble. The message isn't necessarily the most important part of that movie, it's that story.

[@Jpro2000]

It’s basically just the story of hamlet

[@Evanderj]

From the comments, it looks like Eggers has a lot of new fans since the Northman.

[@energy_outlaw6679]

Now I can finally put a face on this genius

[@Zehahahaa]

You can tell his work has been researched

[@seasalt9289]

Critics these days are so harsh they forget that film is art and art is subjective. Love him!

[@ethancowan8621]

Another excellent video. Would love one on 10 tips of writing from James Gunn!

[@wreccen]

I love this guy, it's just sad to see geniuses struggling with telling true stories because of "the message". Stories are just stories, the closer they are to ideology, the furthest they are from the mysterious nature of the truth. Also, look for his short on Tell Tale Heart. It's good.

[@Crimson28]

He looks just like Stephen Amell. I kept expecting him to say “you have failed this city!” 🏹🤣

[@trapslime16]

love this, be yourself don't preach

[@alexklavy7372]

This man is a treasure

[@s.l.dsaikumar3885]

Please please please Do video on Darren Aronofsky

[@vadeytleger3803]

Please tell the music playing background. Thanks

[@daveminion6209]

Farting in the LightHouse - VERY Relatable, lol

[@greggjl1969]

Does anyone know the name of the violin tune at the begining?

[@chrislyke2707]

Fargo theme

[@greggjl1969]

@@chrislyke2707 Thanks for your quick response Chris. But unfortunately, I couldn’t find the actual tune after checking the Movie soundtrack and the 3 TV seasons. There is a tune in the Fargo stuff that’s pretty close, but wasn’t quite there. Thanks again for the assist!

[@candide1065]

"O-oh, we're t-talking about to-toxigg m-masculineday" (*proud, smug smiling*)

[@ulrikegerlach6058]

🤩👍👌👌👌

[@Ilyaswashere]

True New Englander

[@candide1065]

"B-b-butt-but-but even still, i-i-i-it's...i-i-if...y'know"

[@lordoflight6026]

looking like a fusion of Harry Potter and Steve Jobs.

[@figuerofilms4424]

The Northman looks the most generic of his works but I trust him so much as a director I doubt it will be.

[@LukeSchaeferFilms]

I just saw it yesterday! Loved it. Didn’t think it was generic at all. But I’m seeing mass audiences saying they walked out and it was boring and it’s just disappointing to see that. I’m probably going to go back to theatre to watch it one more time!

[@anthonykearneyfilms]

Yeah I loved the Northman. Nothing about it was boring 😂

[@tornwars]

Hell yeah, this video was great. Had no idea how well spoken this man was. I’d love to recommend a Zack Snyder video, if you haven’t done one yet.

[@aidanlynn]

“what’s very important to me when I begin writing a piece is to not have a message...” Here Here 🙄

[@codydavis3100]

Tip 7 is probably not a good one to have. He says himself that if he wasn't directing it wouldn't be a good thing to do.

[@jokester18business51]

It strikes me how his films are so “smart” but yet his ability to speak in public and his word choice is questionable. Don’t know if he has a stutter or has stage fright. Just writing what I’m seeing

[@GooFucYourselfSir]

what are you talking about? he comes off extremely intelligent, humble and thoughtful.

[@jokester18business51]

@@GooFucYourselfSir he can’t put words together without stumbling around. It’s hard to understand what he’s getting at

[@GooFucYourselfSir]

@JokeSter18 Business he seems pretty clear to me.. pretty normal for people to stutter. Everyone stutters over there words now and than.. look up a vid of Quentin Tarantino talking

[@jokester18business51]

@@GooFucYourselfSir I have. But he's pretty literate

[@vladimirhorowitz]

Well, at 7:05 he just ruined The Witch for me. Shame, I really enjoyed that film.

[@carsonwall2400]

Aww, did he trigger you?

[@vladimirhorowitz]

@@carsonwall2400 Well let's check the comment again. Nope. No mention of any triggering. Perhaps you meant to reply to someone else?

[@carsonwall2400]

@@vladimirhorowitz Oh great, so you're not upset by the comment he made on the movie's themes? Because only a complete snowflake would have been bothered by it

[@vladimirhorowitz]

@@carsonwall2400 "Upset"? No, I'm pretty satisfied with the words I used. Go back and read it again. If you're still confused, come back and I'll see if I can walk you through it. Or you could just go on with your life, whichever is fine.

[@carsonwall2400]

@@vladimirhorowitz Weird, because it clearly bothered you enough to post about it. And you let your enjoyment of a film be ruined by the most innocuous of comments.

[@DylanWOWilliams]

Hearing leftism from a cultural creator depresses me.

[@aidanlynn]

He’s telling people NOT to write message movies.

[@DylanWOWilliams]

@@aidanlynn Dude… look at it again. Look at his meaning and reasoning. He literally spells out that it’s exactly what he did.

[@candide1065]

@@aidanlynn He was literally so proud to tell people the message of his movie for a guy who doesn't like "message movies".

[@nedorj6957]

the vvitch was kinda muddled in its haughty narrative and failed to gain a foothold throughout its run time. the ending was a bad version of the reveal (that many said tried to imbue an anti-religion vibe but in bad taste) copied from angel heart, rosemary's baby and even devil's advocate etc. (these three had far more superior filmmaking/storytelling and compelling characters/settings). downhill since then. lighthouse was a self-indulgent mess with zero comprehensibility that tries to declare 'this an indie movie never seen before' with whimsical images that add zero to the already shaky narrative. not to mention badly sketched out characters with nonsensical motivations. out of the 16 people in the theater, 6 or 7 people walked out around the 50th minute mark. the rest of us endured this mess. no wonder it failed in most markets. his new movie about vikings looks derivative/exploitative and tries too hard to stand out, which it doesn't. so, no thanks. eggers should go back to screenwriting 101 to get real pro tips, tbh.

[@davvv]

LMAO THIS HAS TO SATIRE

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Wow, this is such a poor take. So little evidence for your claims, little to none at all. You cannot explain why the lighthouse is a "self-indulgent mess," only that it is. Honestly, you people just want to hate on genuinely good filmography.

[@legofan370]

While I don't want to demean your opinion, as you can think whatever you want to think, but considering that all three of his films have received acclaim from almost everyone I know and see, I think he has done a very good job with what he has achieved. And it's entirely possible that maybe on repeat viewings you can see something that you didn't see before. Maybe I'm just an optimist because I want everyone to enjoy everything. Eggers is the type of filmmaker that makes me want to be a filmmaker and The Northman was an enthralling experience that I can't explain. But I'm probably just blowing smoke and wasting time typing this. Sorry for wasting your time if I couldn't convince you otherwise.

[@sinanuluc5143]

The Northman doesn't stand out? I'm not the biggest fan of the film, but it does stand out. Show me a Norse revenge flick that's slow and immersive like this one? Also, if The VVitch imbues an anti-religion vibe, how does that make the film bad? The ending of The VVitch was copied from other films? So what? Does it stop from being a unique horror / drama? No. Who doesn't copy from other films or directors these days anyway? And I like how you present your opinions like they are facts. For me Angel Heart and Rosemary's Baby are nowhere near superior or more compelling than The VVitch, especially in terms of setting, immersiveness and cinematography.