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How To Write An Unpredictable Screenplay

By Eric Owusu · November 22, 2014

Twists, turns, misdirection, red herrings, and nuance. Screenplays that keep audiences guessing have these traits by the bucketload. But they are tricky traits to use, let alone use well. A writer can have too many twists or not enough twists (TIP: no screenplay should rely soley on a twist). There can be too much mystery and not enough facts or story points coming across in the screenplay, which leaves your audience confused. So in writing this article to help you write an unpredictable screenplay, I looked to a few well-written screenplays with memorable twists and satisfying conclusions to serve as examples.

The very first thing a writer should do when writing an unpredictable screenplay, or any screenplay for that matter, is to write using inspiration from something they're passionate about. Write using experiences and emotions pulled from your experiences that will really put a lot of yourself into your screenplay, making it new and unlike things we've seen before. That way, it'll be authentic and true to the writer. 

Even if a writer's screenplay has a subject matter that they personally haven't experienced, like Jonathan and Christopher Nolan creating Interstellar without ever having gone into space, they can still use experiences that are related to the story and plot. Nolan has never been an astronaut, but he has conducted research and watched old movies where similar conditions face his characters. And Interstellar's screenplay is more about "base human motives and what humans become when you strip everything away" than it is about space travel. 

When you write plot points, make them important, but subtle in the sense that they're not overstated, but that they're big events that aren't necessarily loud while adding to the plot.The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan does a spectacular job of taking the audience down unexpected roads at unexpected times. Life functions the way of a really twisty-turvy script. People are trying to make sense of things and accomplish goals, but are derailed, sidetracked and distracted at inopportune and unforeseen times. Make your plot points mimic life by having weight while being subtle. 

A nice subtle yet plot-driving Sixth Sense example is when the ghost-seeing Cole tells his mother that he's been communicating with her deceased mother. The entire screenplay, his mother didn't know that he sees dead people. Not only does she believe him after his revelation, but they bond over his message from his grandmother and the conflict between Cole and his mother is resolved. 

An example of a big yet subtle unexpected turn in the Hitchcock film Psycho is when Marion Crane, arguably the movie's star, is murdered in the middle of the movie. The moment is definitely a big one and has even reached iconic status. But it's a heavy subtle plot twist because her disappearance causes her friends to look for her and uncover the secrets of the Bates Motel. Having the audience follow Marion from the beginning of the movie makes us think the film will be about her the whole time, but her stay at the Bates motel and her conversation with Norman Bates only set up Norman as the person of interest. Unpredictability at its finest. 

The Pulp Fiction script is decorated with unexpected twists and turns and is still a linear, captivating, mysterious, enjoyable film. When things take a turn for the worst for the characters we're following, they react in big ways, but the big event doesn't stop there. They progress after the fact and keep the story going. When you write unexpected things your characters have to deal with, don't have the character we're following only react. Have them react and move forward, to keep things moving. When people in Pulp Fiction unexpectedly overdose on drugs, get captured by strange store owners, and accidentally shoot guys in the backseat of a car, they do unexpected things to handle it. Write your unpredictable plot developments and outcomes in the same unpredictable manner. 

Lastly, create an ending your audience won't see coming, that's satisfying and wraps the whole thing up nicely. Psycho and The Sixth Sense are prime examples. However, there are films that have great build ups, but bad endings. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Forgotten had interesting set ups and ended up out of this world, in really unfavorable ways. 

Go for a twist that makes sense in the world you've created in your screenplay. The twist at the end of The Sixth Sense is amazing and leaves the audience feeling mystified and satisfied. We put the clues together at the end, after the reveal because the clues were there the entire time. Reward your audience with a satisfying ending that ties your entire screenplay together and make its worth the ride. 

 

Clip Credit

Photo: Shamely Productions