How To Create Your Story Outline like Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man {Screenwriting}

4/4/2020

Leigh Whannell posted on his Twitter recently and revealed four photos of his initial brainstorming notes for his feature film, The Invisible Man. His process broke down key components of how he wanted to develop his characters as well as the plot of the film.

Let’s break down his process together and see what we can learn.

(Photo Obtained via Leigh Whannell's Twitter @LWhannell)

An excellent piece of advice that I read from the immensely talented screenwriter Blake Snyder went something like this: whenever you brainstorm an idea, let it all out first. Release all your ideas and get it off your chest. Then review them and ask yourself, how can I transform this into a juicy twist?

What Blake meant by that was when you write a story, your brain initially offers cliches first. It’s instinctive, and everyone does it. But it's your job as a great storyteller to spin it into something better. What Leigh did was to make the protagonist female, but on top of that, she fends for herself and survives. He didn’t make her into a victim. He made her into a warrior, a survivor.

Down the list, he begins breaking down initial motives and reasoning for action to exist. With every compelling drama, there is conflict. A character with a clear motive that is established will push the audience into a state of belief. They will acknowledge their actions under the reasoning of their motive. Makes sense, right?

Here’s a really good tool that every artist should use. Ask yourself -- Why?

Down the list, he jots down an idea but he also ends it with the question why. This is so he can later return to the same concept and pinpoint its purpose. He needs to have an answer to every action. Why? Because compelling dramas follow logic, and conflict works when you understand why it’s all happening.

(Photo Obtained via Leigh Whannell's Twitter @LWhannell)

Ah! The classic “Intention & Obstacle.” Love it! It’s the basic formula for every story. Here’s the recipe, so you too can bake your own story.

Intention (Why the character wants/needs to do/collect/consume something) + Obstacle (What’s stopping them from doing/collecting/consuming something) = Conflict. What does that all add up to? A purposeful dramatic structure! In English that means a great setup.

His answers below, “to feel safe” / “to stay alive,” are rather surface-level answers. But the purpose of him answering these questions allows him to ask more specific questions that lead him to a compelling answer, an answer that audience members will pay to see.

(Photo Obtained via Leigh Whannell's Twitter @LWhannell)

Building a character can easily lead you astray. Why? Because there are so many paths to walk down, but you should figure out which method works for you. Here’s a few examples with Leigh’s notes in mind.

Is writing a backstory worth your time? It can be. Quentin Tarantino is a prime example of someone who could write novels of each individual character, and actors typically adore how in love he is with each and every one of them. But here’s the ring zinger -- you don’t need it.

You don’t need to add reasoning to everything. You don’t need a long backstory that explains why your protagonist is a deeply tormented soul that thirsts for revenge after losing his rubber ducky. You only need to write what will affect the story and the characters and what matters to the arc of the plot.

Don’t take my word for it. These are David Mamet’s words, an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who’s intent on making screenwriters work with the mere essentials. Strip away all the bells and whistles and ask yourself, what is your story about? What does the character want and do they end up getting it? Write a straight line from start to finish. That’s his cup of tea at least. It’s an excellent method for cutting straight to the core and creating proper structures within your story.

But what about Leigh Whannell’s process? Was he wasting his time? Not at all -- here’s why it worked for him. There is no long backstory. He was cutting straight to the core, with examples being “she was from a middle class family,” “a smart girl," “went to a great school.”

These are all important aspects about the character that help you put the perspective glasses on and write with those core elements in mind.

What's even better is that he discovered the antagonist’s relationship with the protagonist’s. “They met at school. Disappointed family by being with him. Forced to break up. Became distant over time.”

With these answers in mind, he can now connect the dots. What are the dots you ask? The plot.

(Photo Obtained via Leigh Whannell's Twitter @LWhannell)

This is more focused on screenwriter/director types. Typically when you write a script and plan on pitching it to a studio/investor, you do not want camera motion, special effects, or oddly specific notes that do not affect the story.

If you plan on pitching your script to someone important, focus only on the story.

What Leigh did here was break down aspects of the film, primarily the cinematography. He wanted motivated motion. What does that mean?

When you watch a scene in your favorite movie, what do you notice? Typically when an onscreen character moves, so does the camera. Maybe they turn around and reveal the killer. What the motion of the character does is influence the camera’s motion and we’re locked in the character’s “bubble," meaning our perspective is similarly like a best friend, that’s hanging out with the protagonist.

He then moves onto the lighting and color palette of the film to really hone in on the tone of the film. We’ll talk about these two aspects in another upcoming article, so you too can use it for your next upcoming movie.

In summary, Leigh was doing everything right by breaking down the critical elements so he can understand where to begin and where to take his story. Now, you too can write and figure out your own process with this new understanding.

The Invisible Man is currently available to rent and stream. Upon viewing, see if you can pick out those elements you just read and find out what actually ended up in the movie.

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Author

Troy Dawes has been writing and directing for over six years now, completely self-taught. He lives in Winnipeg and works full-time as set decorator on feature films around the city. He's an avid fan of old school monsters big and small, and he's always had a heart for horror and exciting stories.

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