10 Screenwriting Tips from Adam McKay on how he wrote The Big Short, Vice and Don't Look Up

Adam McKay is an Academy Award Winning Screenwriter. He won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Big Short (2015). He was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Vice (2018). His newest film Don't Look Up which he wrote and directed will star Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence.
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1. Think about what genres we are living in at the moment you are writing your script. Then try combining those genres even if they don’t usually go together.
2. When making a film about a hated character in the centre of it, the film should be about how that person ended up being who they are. Heroes and villains aren’t born, there is a twisty, confusing path to where characters end up and that path ought to be explored.
3. Even if you’ve been tied to one genre or have been doing similar types of movies your whole life, it’s never a bad idea to switch to something new if you are passionate enough about it.
4. When writing a script that has a lot of information about an unfamiliar topic, first make sure you research enough to know everything about your story. Then find the easiest way you would explain it to an outsider who knows nothing about that topic.
5. Don’t back away from giving too much information to your audience if your movie is about giving that information. However, present that information in a fun, engaging way that correlates to the story.
6. In a serious film that has funny moments, let the funny moments happen, but don’t push them just in order to make it funny. It has to stay natural.
7. The key to improvising scenes is creating an environment in which the actors are comfortable doing anything because you don’t ever tell them what they’re doing is wrong. You do that by supporting their ideas and making them more comfortable by occasionally throwing in some bad ideas yourself.
8. When pitching a comedy, only give them the broad strokes of the story, then talk about the style of the film, the actors you see for these roles and specific scenes you find funny.
9. You don’t have to define the genre of your film. Real life transcends genre, so your movie can too.
10. Sometimes you need to make the goal of releasing your film to get people angry about an important topic. In that case, aim for your movie to be at least a small part of an overall movement or awareness.
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[@christiannathaniel3064]

All I can say is thank you so very much for inspiring us in doing an art. I'm a amateur director, an I feel so influence after watching this videos. BRAVO to this channel, and Adam!

[@benrosn8154]

Adam McKay really is a genius guy, definitely not denying that I fucking love his work

[@jonchappellnow]

Congrats to Adam on the WGA award for best screenplay, Don't Look Up. Bravo!

[@istandalone2330]

Gotcha . Don't push for funny , just let funny happen .✔

[@KK-dl8mb]

Great video ❤️

[@ulrikegerlach6058]

Great 🤩👍✌️✌️✌️

[@istandalone2330]

That ⬇ example wasn't about a woman I know . It was a quick , freestyle scene . 🙏

[@squatch545]

Tip #1. Steal jokes from Jim Breuer
Tip #2. Get other rival SNL cast members fired.
Tip #3. ?
Tip #4. Profit.

[@theexpresidents]

#5 Make _Step-Brothers_
Negate all wrongdoing; ascend.