From the slapstick shenanigans of Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby to the sexy repartee of Shakespeare in Love, romantic comedies have delighted filmgoers -- and challenged screenwriters -- since Hollywood's Golden Age. Whether you're a first time screenwriter, or an intermediate marooned in the rewriting process, this thoroughly charming and insightful guide to the basics of crafting a winning script will take you step by step from 'cute meet' all the way to 'joyous defeat.' You'll learn the screenwriting secrets behind some of the funniest scenes ever written; how to create characters and dialogue that set the sparks flying; why some bedroom scenes sizzle and others fall flat; and much more. Writing the Romantic Comedy features case studies drawn from beloved romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, Tootsie, and The Lady Eve, as well as field-tested writing exercises guaranteed to short-circuit potential mistakes and ensure inspiration.
There is nothing simple about writing a romantic comedy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Before you start outlining your script, let me offer some advice. First, make sure you’ve watched a decent amount of the most successful rom-coms of all time – here’s a over at Box Office Mojo. Rom-coms have specific story beats that must be hit to make the story work. My second piece of advice is to watch a couple of rom-coms with the story beats and compare them to each other – see how the beats unfold in each movie and take note when the beats are executed in a unique or unusual way, then consider how you can do this in your own script.
Of course there is a lot more to writing a great rom-com (rich characters, deep emotions, solid comedy/humor and a unique story) but lets just start with the seven story beats. Embed Midi File Web Page. Defines the “seven basic romantic comedy beats” in his book as (its truly an excellent book, I highly recommend it!) 1. The Chemical Equation: Setup A scene or sequence identifying the exterior and /or interior conflict (i.e. Unfulfilled desire), the “what’s wrong with this picture” implied in the protagonist’s (and/or the antagonist’s) current status quo. Cute Meet: The Catalyst The inciting incident that brings man and woman [or man and man or woman and woman] together and into conflict; an inventive but credible contrivance, often amusing, which in some way sets the tone for the action to come. A Sexy Complication: Turning Point Traditionally occurring at the end of Act 1, a new development that raises story stakes and clearly defines the protagonist’s goal; most successful when it sets man and woman at cross-purposes and/or their inner emotions at odds with the goal.