How to research a fact-based screenplay (without killing your creativity)
Finding the right balance – where research supports your story, without bogging it down...
An enjoyable part of the writing process, a necessary evil or an enemy of creativity? However you feel about research, it’s an essential when working with true stories and real-life characters. But it doesn’t have to be boring or bog down your writing. In fact, it might just become the engine that drives your script.
Why research matters
Research arms us with the knowledge we need to write the best screenplay. As screenwriting ‘guru’ Syd Field wrote, research allows us “to operate from the position of choice and authority”.
Creativity is all about making choices, so anything that makes this easier can only be a good thing, right?
But beyond simply being an information gathering exercise, research helps us:
define and refine our stories
unlock story possibilities
add rich detail and build authenticity
build reader and audience trust
develop the strongest narrative
overcome structural problems (like a sagging Act Two)
help defend our work from criticism or legal challenges
It can even send your story in a new, exciting direction…
For example: The Irishman (2019) came about when lead actor Robert de Niro was researching another Mob story, based on Don Winslow’s novel, The Winter of Frankie Machine (2006). In the course of his research, ahead of playing the lead character, De Niro read the non-fiction book, I Heard You Paint Houses (2004) by Charles Brandt, and decided this would make a more suitable collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.
Meanwhile, Matt Charman, who wrote Cold War drama Bridge of Spies (2015), first came across the story of protagonist James Donovan in a footnote to the book, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 (2003) by Robert Dallek.
What is research?
Research can refer to all kinds of activities – not just ploughing through dusty tomes! In fact, story consultant and author Robert McKee divides the process into three distinct areas:
Lived experience: Drawing from our personal experiences and those of people we know, such as close family and friends.
Active imagination: Using our imagination and creativity to round out the emotional, character building and structural aspects of the story.
‘Book’ research: Covering all types of external research (such as internet, libraries, and interviews, etc).
For example: An original screenplay I recently worked on is a low-key drama involving themes of identity and grief. This project mostly required a mix of lived experience and active imagination research.
However, it’s framed around military funeral honours for a veteran. So, my ‘book’ research centred on the tradition and ceremony, as well as the practical process of applying for honours to make sure I could accurately incorporate this into the fictional narrative.
But when it comes to fact-based scripts, book research is likely to become the dominant type of research. So, let’s take a look at getting started.
The main question to keep in mind is – what do I need to know to tell this story?
That doesn’t mean everything there is to know about the subject. Just the information that will let you bring your story to life and – to return to Syd Field – work from a place of “choice and authority”.
To make life easier, I tend to group research into the macro (the wider story world) and the micro (detail specific to your narrative).
So the process would be:
1. Spend time gathering a range of relevant resources
2. Read widely to get a feel for the background, context, and key issues
3. Focus on the specific detail relevant to the story world
For example: Stan & Ollie (2018) covers a brief period in 1957 towards the end of the careers of celebrated comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy, in which they undertook a comeback tour of British theatres.
So, the macro research would cover their careers leading up to this period and Hollywood film industry in the 1930s to 1950. Meanwhile, the micro research would focus on the specifics of the tour and on the state of the duo’s partnership at that time.
Research sources for screenwriters
Again, this will depend on your story. However, typical research sources for macro research include:
Non-fiction books
Documentaries
Magazine & newspaper articles
Academic journals
Websites
Archives
Once you move on to the micro phase, you might expand your research to:
Interviews
Biographies and autobiographies
Research trips (visiting relevant locations)
Oral histories
Transcripts
Era-specific references: photos, music, film and TV of the time
Much of your ‘static’ research can be done over the internet. But libraries and museums are valuable resources, especially when you get to the micro stage.
If you’re not sure where to start, a few sites to check out include the Directory of Open Access Journals, which lists open-access academic journals, the British Library, US Library of Congress, and Google Scholar.
As you start your research, get the most from the process by:
Making effective notes with references
Keeping track of your sources using a spreadsheet
Jotting down ‘story sparks’ – noting characters, moments, quotes and possible scenes
Overcoming common challenges
The research process can throw up lots of roadblocks. Here’s how to tackle some of the main challenges:
Conflicting sources
Different research sources can result in conflicting accounts of the same events. Always view each source objectively and look at who wrote it. Part of the process of writing fact-based screen stories is mining out the truth. Multiple accounts can also strengthen a story.
For example: The Social Network (2010) uses the multiple, conflicting views of events surrounding the creation of Facebook into its core narrative device.
Research contradicts your story
If you start the research process with a story in mind, you might find that things you uncover run counter to your planned narrative. It’s important to keep an open mind and to lean into interesting new information.
Information overload
It’s easy to get bogged down or overwhelmed by research. So break it down into sections, either by topic or research type, and know when to stop.
There’s a line when research crosses over into procrastination. Once you have everything you need to tell your story, it’s time to step away from the internet and do just that.
For example: I learned the lesson about information overload the hard way with my research into the Vietnam War for a project that start life as a novel and became a screenplay, Unseen Enemy.
So, I confined myself to my protagonist’s personal journey through the war – where he trained, his unit, where he was stationed, months and years of service, day-to-day duties, etc. This focused my research on Bien Hoa in 1968-69, making the process far more manageable (and useful).
Research vs. creativity
When we shift from ‘researcher’ to ‘screenwriter’, it’s important to view all the information we’ve gathered through the prism of how it helps our narrative. So, rather than be constrained by our research, we use it as a roadmap.
Instead of relying solely on our creativity or lived experience, we have a set of known facts to guide the narrative. We can then make use of the various screenwriting tools to turn those facts and the underlying truth into compelling screen drama.
For example: For The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), writer-director Aaron Sorkin drew from the known facts and real-life characters, including the actual court transcripts. The facts all operate at the tentpoles of the dramatized screen story.
Takeaways
Hopefully, this has shown that research and creativity go hand in hand.
Research gives us the knowledge we need to refine our stories and add rich detail and authenticity, which can lift our screenplays from good to great.
Meanwhile, our creativity can help to shed light on interesting real-life characters and events through screen drama.
The key is to find the right balance – where research supports your narrative without weighing it down.
Coming soon…
Next time, I’ll look at the different types of fact-based script – and how to know which one you’re writing – landing 3 October.
But first, discover how to craft a fictional narrative within a real setting in my deep dive into Nomadland (2020) – publishing 26 September.
Plus, don’t miss my next mid-month round-up of news and updates in the world of fact-based film and TV.
Subscribe now for free to receive all my content straight to your inbox. You can also find lots more resources over at The Fact-Based Screenplay website.
References:
Syd Field quote: Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field (1994 ed. p20)
Robert McKee: Story by Robert McKee (1999 ed. p72-76)
Over to you:
How do you feel about research?
Have you come across any research challenges?
Maybe you have some tips for effective research?
Share your thoughts in the comments!