What Makes a Good Screenplay with John Truby // Bulletproof Screenwriting

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Today’s guest blew my mind on his approach to storytelling and screenwriting. John Truby is one of Hollywood’s premier screenwriting instructor and story consultant.Over the last 25 years, more than 50,000 people have attended his sold-out seminars around the world, with the American Film Institute declaring that his “course allows a writer to succeed in the fiercely competitive climate of Hollywood.”
Over the last 25 years, more than 50,000 people have attended his sold-out seminars around the world, with the American Film Institute declaring that his “course allows a writer to succeed in the fiercely competitive climate of Hollywood.”
Called “the best script doctor in the movie industry,” Truby serves as a story consultant for major studios and production companies worldwide, and has been a script doctor on more than 1,800 movies, sitcoms and television dramas for the likes of Disney, Universal, Sony Pictures, FOX, HBO, Alliance Atlantis, Paramount, BBC, MTV and more.
Truby’s former students’ work have earned more than $15 billion at the box office, and include the writers, directors and producers of such film blockbusters asRatatouille, In Treatment, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-Men I/II/III, Shrek, Mother Mary of Chris, Breaking Bad, House, Lost, Planet of the Apes, Scream, The Fantastic Four, The Negotiator, Star Wars, Sleepless in Seattle, Outbreak, African Cats (which Truby co-wrote for Disney) and more. Truby’s class is also regularly attended by top fiction writers and novelists who have topped the New York Times’ Bestseller List, won numerous prestigious literary awards, and have sold over 46 million books worldwide. Hollywood’s best-kept secret, Truby’s classes regularly attract everyone from first-time writers to A-list writers, producers, directors, filmmakers, story executives, novelists, fiction writers and more.
In addition to his sold-out seminars, John Truby remains on the cutting- edge of technology having created and developed Truby Blockbuster - the bestselling software designed to intuitively help writers learn and understand the art of developing their story ideas into fully realized professionally-structured scripts.
Truby’s principles and methods are the most modern, exciting approach to screenwriting and storytelling to be developed in a generation, which is why his classes regularly attract everyone from Oscar winners to first-time writers.
We get into the weeds of story in this EPIC conversation. Get ready to take notes. Enjoy!
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[@ComicPower]

I'm a real nerd for this stuff. I was soaking all of this up.

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Story is a moral argument about how one should or shouldn't live as expressed by a hero's internal growth (or failure to grow) when attempting to reach an external goal.

[@ComicPower]

Yep. That's it.

[@jmalmsten]

"your story should be filled with 'buts' and 'therefores'. NEVER should there be 'And Then...'" - Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

[@cesarhernandez7108]

dont get it.

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

As someone who has studied story for the last 6 years full time - and been through a lot of pain and suffering trying to wade through all the information out there to learn how this all works as my bank account drops to zero. I have a few things to say. The best thing to study is the movies themselves. Not the advice from gurus (no disrespect, but gurus can only start the ball rolling). You will find that the most important thing to study regarding story is not the hero's journey / three act structure / genre / style (thats pretty superficial really). The best thing to look for is the foundational aspects of 'The Fall + Redemption of Man' - The cyclical phases of creation / fall / redemption / glory of human existence. It covers ALL GENRES and forms of storytelling / novels / plays / mythology etc. I dont think you will be able to find one movie in the top 100 that doesn't use this form as its' base. Obvious when you think about it. Most stories are moral tales about the forces of good and evil. The rest of the story / plot etc is all trappings for that moral foundation. What is the most recognised and accepted moral tale in existence? The biblical account that is the common foundation for Islam / Christianity / Judaism etc. - The main places we get our moral values and traditions from that are the foundation for our societies laws / institutions etc. How do you tell a story about those things? You have to use metaphors like God / Satan / Angels / Demons - and assign them to your characters. Then you have to use Heaven and Hell as foundations for the worlds of your story. Thus, instead of seeing Forrest Gump trying to marry Jenny, you see a Saviour / Christ Figure (raised in Heaven by his Momma aka God) sent down into the world to serve mankind and ultimately save Jenny from a living Hell resulting from Satan / a Demon (in her Father) preying on her in her childhood (in the garden of eden). You will find that almost every successful story has these base elements. They talk about 'flaws' and 'desires' here, but not where they come from. The FLAW is something CAUSED by others and something OUTSIDE THEIR CONTROL. It is a TRAUMATIC LOSS / DEFICIENCY that is either PHYSICAL + or SPIRITUAL in nature. Forrest Gump? PHYSICALLY disabled with a 'crooked back'. SPIRITUALLY lacking in being 'stoopid' / not very intelligent. The Kings Speech? He has a stutter because of being bullied and abused in childhood at HOME. Character in a wheelchair? The DESIRE arises from the characters sense of ENTITLEMENT that comes out of BLAMING those that are responsible for the ORIGINAL INJURING that caused the FLAW (likely being triggered again in their present circumstances). Its something that arises out of RESENTMENT / HATE. You want people to PAY YOU BACK for injustice. To make it better. To fix what they caused. The problem? The person who caused this is likely gone now... and others are unfairly PAYING THE PRICE on their behalf. aka they are treated as SCAPEGOATS / STAND-INS for the perpetrator. How do you appease this desire? You can try and make people PAY....(which is the characters GOAL... but The character must eventually learn to FORGIVE the original hurt / harm and thus restore their own innocence... or SAVE THEMSELVES. Instead of DESTROYING the world in response to the injustice.. the main character must choose LOVE / GRACE / CREATION / RESTORATION instead. The character desires to restore the idyllic existence that existed before their flaw 'ruined their life'. They look for it outside themselves.. but they FIND IT AGAIN - EXISTING WITHIN. ...THEN... they try to CREATE THIS HEAVENLY INTERNAL EXPERIENCE externally for OTHERS / THE WORLD. Anyway. I hope someone finds value in this. Peace. If you start from this base... and MASTER it.. you wont have to 'pick a genre'. You will be able to master ANY GENRE.

[@haniflawson9225]

C Eh... You still need to know the basis of genres to apply a lot of what you’re talking about. Some stories are better told under certain genres. Like if I wanted to do a story about honoring your parents, maybe a martial arts story would be best because they place heavy emphasis on things like honor and legacy. Or if I want to write a story about people straying from God and the potential consequences of that, I would use science fiction because those stories typically talk about possible futures based on present-day decisions. Your method is practical, but knowing your genre and picking it wisely is still important.

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Hanif Lawson Hanif Lawson what I’m saying is that if you start from this base.. you interpret genre THROUGH that foundation. This means that say SCIENCE FICTION needs first to be interpreted as a story about a FALL (at the surface level) or a story about REDEMPTION (usually a story is about both - one on the surface and the other being told in subtext - you initially think it’s a story about a fall + it turns out to be a story of redemption or vice versa). A story about a FALL would suggest it starts in a HEAVENLY setting and the PROTAGONIST falls from GRACE because of their underlying PRIDE. This would suggest the character already exists in a FUTURISTIC setting and falls into a PAST oriented world where they encounter the source of their PRIDE still lingering there in their unconscious from injustices they suffered earlier in life. Take STAR TREK for example.. The idea is that the SHIP they travel around on is HEAVEN (incorporating a variety of nationalities with a GOD-LIKE captain at the helm). They are angels. /messengers/helpers. When they beam down to planets they are traveling down to HELL on the planets they encounter - often encountering their ‘PAST DEMONS’ in the form of aliens or monsters etc. They are tempted by Satan down there as RULER of the demons.. but the twist is that they discover that THEY are the DEMONS coming to destroy / corrupt a peaceful + heavenly ALIEN race. Their interpretation of the aliens as demonic was a projection of their own PRIDE. You get the picture. The top level interweaves with the genre elements and they inform each other- but without a fairly in depth knowledge of the interrelationships found between ANGELS and GOD .. and DEMONS and GOD - or ANGELS and DEMONS and their loyalties to who.. you will likely just copy elements from science fiction stories you love and not know WHY the original creator used those elements. GENRE helps disguise the obvious metaphors of the MORAL CORE. GENRES were not created first. GENRE is the result of a lot of people telling the stories about ‘The Fall’ and/or the “Redemption” and certain patterns arising until that type of story became grouped and labeled according to common conventions. Im talking at an outline / big picture level here. The beauty is that when you use these metaphors.. by the time you get down to the details of dialogue and setting .. they’re are almost undetectable to an audience. Who would know that it TOY STORY - Andy is GOD and Woody is THE HIGHEST ANGEL in heaven who FALLS from grace (ANDYS ROOM literally) and finds himself encountering Demons (who end up being ANGELS) in the form of BROKEN TOYS made up of ‘resurrected’ parts of dead toys. The living dead. Buzz representing the SAVIOUR figure “buzz light year to the rescue!”. In the end, WOODY discovers that HE is actually the saviour and BUZZ the innocent man needing his help to get back to HEAVEN and be restored to GOD for his service. I’m trying to say that watching films and learning this core aspect will help when choosing a genre.. but knowing this foundation liberates you and gives you more options because all genres use it. After getting tired of writing ROMANCE, you can attempt a HORROR story with confidence because you already know the base elements are the same.. you just need to leArn the specific GENRE CONVENTIONS for horror and away you go. What I’m suggesting is more than just practical.. it’s essential. The spiritual core of the story - and the formation of it comes out of that essence. Genre included.

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Just to take your example about HONOUR. Where does HONOUR come from as a concept? Typically HONOUR is about doing what is MORALLY RIGHT, what is NOBLE. Where do you get your reference point for what HONOUR and NOBILITY is in your story? Who is the most widely know and accepted MORALLY RIGHT / NOBLE symbol ? GOD, I would say personally. The ultimate symbol of purity and righteousness. Thus your martial arts movie will have to reference the above model in order to understand WHY the genre convention functions this way. You need a reference point for your themes about SECURITY / HOPE / HONOUR / RESPECT / JUSTICE etc... these are found in the CHARACTERS who SYMBOLISE those things in the FALL/ REDEMPTION STORY FRAMEWORK.

[@haniflawson9225]

C A lot of what you’re saying is what Truby gets at. His book, The Anatomy of Story, deals with the general structure of stories, and his other classes on genre talk about learning those conventions to strengthen specific tales. I think that’s why I see the practical usefulness of your method too - at its core, you both address a lot of the same points but with differing moral perspectives, Truby coming more from a worldly, philosophical point of view.

[@haniflawson9225]

C Also, I can agree with your way of explaining genre. I told my friend something similar - genre is restrictive when you’re a slave to the conventions rather than interpreting and using them to best develop the story idea you’re starting with

[@jacksonwalzel7573]

Truby is fantastic at spotting the dynamics of a mythological hero character type and the plot structure that drives modern-day Hollywood high concept films, especially ones that play out with high dollar returns on the global market. Truby expresses a sharp, very detailed analysis in the podcast regarding plot structure and hitting beats and arcs. He delivers the information in a precise, crisp, and relatable manner. Nice hour of important info from Truby and indiefilmhustle! For anyone interested, Chris Vogler's The Writer's Journey reads as a continuation of these concepts, plus it delves even deeper into each character type, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and wounds. Happy writing!!

[@ladyredconstance]

Great guest and good information...Really enjoyed this podcast.

[@b.a.n.entertainment8425]

Love Truby, its all about story,

[@daisyguerra2780]

Wonderful podcast!!

[@vidyawitch]

Starts at 5:47

[@alexandriakotsifas]

thank you sm

[@johnnyinnftmyers]

Anatomy of Story is essential, I wish John would update it with newer movie examples though.

[@mychalsimmons4177]

That’s a great idea Alex

[@theartoframos]

Wow this was great! I also just finished "The Anatomy of Story: The Complete Film Courage Interview With John Truby" video and that blew my mind as well. Curious if anybody has read the books by Brian McDonald "Invisible Ink and "The Golden Theme"? Invisible Ink deals with what Truby is talking about; the story structures that aren't seen while The Golden Theme talks about how all stories boil down to just one theme and he even goes as far as to say that there are no such thing as genres, story is story no matter how its told. Oh and Truby no longer has the worksheet I patiently waited for at the end that he guaranteed my story would get better!

[@jenniferm.4865]

Here you go. trubyswritersstudio.lpages.co/story-rescue-worksheet-optin/

[@fmluta]

Yes. Brian McDonald's podcasts with the Paper Wings are also solid gold! Check them out!

[@brunobilandzija1823]

brilliant! thank you! 🌈🍀🥭

[@vidyawitch]

1:07 WOOOOOWWW!!!!! Amazing insight! Would love to listen JohnTurby elaborate on that more. Thank u IFH! All u storytellers out there reading this, here is the book that John Turby recommends: monoskop.org/images/5/59/Frye_Northrop_Anatomy_of_Criticism_Four_Essays_2000.pdf Have a great day, folks!

[@hamerovv]

Mckee does not states that voiceover is terrible. He says that if it is filling the gaps of the story it is wrong but if it counter the story for example it is wonderful. He also explicitly mention few good movies with voiceover. The problem is people do not understand his teaching guys.

[@Ag4m3r]

DAMN IT HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED

[@michaelcochran227]

Amazing, where is the worksheet?

[@omenriver2399]

The Winter Soldier and Black Panther are high on the list of best SuperHero movies . . .. . TWS is IMO the best.

[@Preston_Hudson]

Um...black panther??? Two villains that are horribly paced, and horribly acted Kilmonger, a boring protagonist who is too strong with little internal conflict until the end of the second act, the bad cgi crap fest that is the battle???????????????????

[@fmluta]

Black Panther's antagonist was one of the best next to Joker in the Dark Knight. His goal was deeply believed and not all that flawed. Both of them wanted the same goal but slightly different paths to get there. Both justified. I am surprised they didn't mention this one.

[@fmluta]

Black Panther's antagonist was one of the best next to Joker in the Dark Knight. His goal was deeply believed and not all that flawed. Both of them wanted the same goal but slightly different paths to get there. Both justified. I am surprised they didn't mention this one.

[@supahfrank25]

Not nearly acted to the same level tho

[@Preston_Hudson]

Black kid from wakanda has father murdered by king Instead of revenge on his son or Wakanda.... iM goNna SAve BlACK pEoplE frOm OppREsiON!!! Lol...this man said deeply believed

[@carlmia305]

did anybody get the worksheet I signed up but it was never sent :(((((( plz help

[@jenniferm.4865]

Better late than never? Check your spam if needed. trubyswritersstudio.lpages.co/story-rescue-worksheet-optin/

[@niyab5649]

Some good information. However , I just feel the brains vs brawn argument is a little flawed when in the real world iq will always trump muscle. Therefore Batman vs Superman or Superman vs Lex Luther don’t seem too far off.if somebody can outwit you in every way possible way with resources and contingency plans how do you fight something like that?

[@abjames3098]

It is still a movie star based business to some degree. Hollywood is NOT always considering story first, sorry. If recent genre movies are any example, this is especially the case.

[@jonathanakerele8006]

You're right and it's a tragedy if you're art focused rather than business focused. I love art whether writing or drawing and I happen to be a novice screenwriter myself and I feel the business element of film has chipped away at the willingness of studios to be as creative as they can be with their projects in favor of what is trendy and will sell the most tickets. I think that's why it's the independent films that probably are the ones that artistically these days have the most maybe social value if you are looking for practical lessons in your films to apply to everyday life like whereas if you want spectacle and explosions and excitement from scene to scene you go for the Hollywood studio film (like an action or superhero film). A movie about an alcoholic single mother trying to get clean, get employed, and get housing so she can gain custody of her kids may not make the big bucks of an Avengers film but to some extent it might touch a deeper chord with a viewer who is from an alcoholic family and maybe was told all her life she wouldn't amount to anything. =)

[@jayv8068]

@@jonathanakerele8006 you know you can be both? Art and business. And thats where the magic happens

[@vidyawitch]

Christopher McQuarrie

[@roblinnbailey2359]

Current Hollywood films in general are terrible. The reason they are so popular is nothing to do with quality.

[@Preston_Hudson]

Nt4ubs um...what is it to do with than?

[@skellzzed8255]

@David Clevenger Depends on what you consider popular. The Last Jedi made a ton of money but it's not popular by any means. I would say popularity is directly linked to quality. Money making is not related to quality or popularity necessarily. It's related to the things you said, marketing, nostalgia, recognition, etc. So that means that money is only related to quality in terms of a previous proven film. If the previous film was good, audiences will jump to go to the next one, whether the next one is good or terrible, it will almost surely make tons of money.

[@dmc1943]

i feel like people are starting to realise now that these remakes and reboots are horrible

[@amaree9732]

Lots of good stuff - found it interesting, but occasionally distracted by poor sound quality.

[@almazsapa]

Simple stories are also matter

[@bijanbayne3259]

"Bagger Vance" isn't the main character either (re- narratiion). Neither is "...Mr. Ripley"

[@EYTPS]

What about Iron Man? He's also a deeply flawed superhero

[@jacksonwalzel7573]

I thought Iron Man was way better than The Dark Knight. Not even close.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

Opinions vary. But Ironman gets green lit only because Nolan and Bale showed Hollywood that a well done super hero movie could be profitable again. Couple of years after Begins, Marvel releases a movie about THEIR billionaire orphan head of his family’s company that is motivated to risk his life fighting criminals. Marvel owes Nolan a huge check. 😂😂. TDK is deeper than the Grand Canyon for themes and the plot runs circles around Ironman’s plot. If you don’t know Ironman from the comics, you will have no idea why Tony is the way he is. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne and Batman are fully fleshed out in Begins and is fully up and running with backstory and goal (desire) in place. Joker vs Obediah as the better opponent? Not even close. It’s apples and oranges really. I like Ironman. I adore RDJ and his portrayal of Tony Stark. But there’s no comparison in the level of craft employed in TDK vs Ironman. Not even close.

[@magarciascomics]

Truby is excellent in his analysis of story, but I still have a problem with his argument that James Bond movies (or any action franchises, such as Star Wars of Mission Impossible) got more successful when they stopped being about bigger stunts. It may have been a good strategy to upgrade a character from a different era after 25+ movies. But explain then why they keep churning Transformers or Fast and Furious movies (and the most recent Marvel movies), with zero emphasis on story and everything on visuals. Clearly there is an audience for stunt-driven movies (I personally don't care about them, but I wouldn't be so bold as to deny they exist). Same as Save the Cat did all those years ago, pretending the script is the thing that sells the movie to the movie goers * who still haven't seen it* But I guess that won't sell books or scriptwriting seminars, would it?

[@almazsapa]

nerve of story

[@shockadelic]

The problem with Suicide Squad was its fundamental premise. They tried to make villains into the heroes! I could not believe they expected me to *like* these psychopaths. I couldn't finish it. I watched 20 minutes.

[@normap1229]

Not listening to John Truby.😂Then it'll be great.

[@cesarhernandez7108]

Whats the big deal about Truby? I dont see it. I havent learn anything from him.

[@shockadelic]

What makes a good advice video? Not wasting 5 minutes on my time before you "start".

[@atiqgrde8597]

Truyby is good but in his interviews he tells you nothing ... only the problems .. never how to solve them .. which is ok but title of this video i mean is total bulshit

[@nikkinewbie6014]

I compare this to learning Piano. You can be taught how to read music and taught the keyboard. But in order to learn you have to take what you’re taught and apply it and figure out the reach between the keys and how long to hold the pedal down and how hard to press down the keys etc for yourself. He gives several key items of guidance here but this is somewhat of an infomercial for his books and classes. It’s not being communicated that way but read between the lines and go buy his books. That’s where any step by step would be to the extent it’s possible. As for the elements that make a good screenplay in his opinion, he does state them so the title is fulfilled and he gives goals to shoot for but you’re right- you don’t get play by play instruction here. 😂

[@sandorclegane9342]

Well I am now dumber after hearing this hack nonsense. Desire line? As if other countries' movies don't have that. Its mostly fucking marketing. "The desire must be difficult to achieve. He needs a weakness, too!" Thanks, Captain Obvious. What the hell is he even peddling? Beginning screenwriters aren't going to sell a superhero movie.