THE STORY VAULT BLOG
THE SCREENPLAY AS ART, ARCHITECTURE AND ADVERTISMENT
It’s common for screenwriters to refer to a screenplay in terms of being “just a blueprint for a movie.” But a blueprint is flat, lifeless and purely functional. It’s a set of instructions. It’s a map. A screenplay is a living work of art — it is story, sales pitch, and incubator. Every film begins with a spark — a screenplay. From that spark grows an army of artists, technicians, and dreamers, all building a world that began with a writer’s imagination.
A Screenplay Isn’t A Plan — It’s A Proposition
A screenplay needs to do a lot of heavy lifting. Before it becomes a film a screenplay needs to work as a complete story on paper. It has to compel an agent or manager to champion it. It has to seduce a reader. It has to excite a producer. It needs to make an actor think “I have to play this role,” and a director think, “I can see this world.” And make a financier think, “this will make money.”
A screenplay isn’t just a story — it’s an invitation to collaborate
A screenplay powers the entire filmmaking ecosystem — from directors and designers to caterers and camera operators — driving both creativity and economic activity. A blueprint instructs; a screenplay inspires — it sets hundreds of people and millions of dollars in motion.
A blueprint doesn’t have a heart. It doesn’t move or inspire us, make us see things in a new light, transport us to another world, or provide us with escapism. A screenplay can do all of these things.
The next time someone calls your screenplay a blueprint, remind them: a blueprint tells you what to build — a screenplay makes you want to build it.
I do think of screenplays as pieces of writing that should be able to stand on their own. I want the sentences to be active and to draw you in and I want to feel part of something that’s in motion from the beginning and I’m very deliberate about that.
— Greta Gerwig
Screenwriting Is Not A Craft
When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel he employed craft. When he sculpted “David” he employed craft. When I take a portrait photograph I employ craft. But painting, sculpture and photography are not crafts —they are art.
All artistic endeavours employ craft. Craft is a set of techniques employed by the artist to realize his or her vision. Craft is a tool, as important as a paint brush, a chisel or a camera, but craft should never be mistaken for art.
Screenwriting uses craft, but isn’t defined by it. Screenwriting demands craft, yes — but the true work lies in imagination, emotion, and vision. Craft builds what already exists. Art imagines what does not. Craft serves the vision; art creates the vision.
The screenplay is not a manual — it’s the ignition point of a film, the pulse that starts the heart of cinema beating. Without it, there is nothing to build. The screenwriter’s blank page is a birthplace. Every film, every frame, every job begins there.