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Why You Don’t Need a Screenplay to Make a Great Film - IFH 085

679 views · Published 7 July 2016 · 24:51 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: Indie Film Hustle Podcast · 2016 · Film & Animation

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As indie filmmakers we throw a lot of obstacles on our own path to creating a feature or short film. No obstacle is larger then the almighty screenplay. How many screenwriters and filmmakers do you know that have been working on the movie script for 3, 5, or 7 years? They keep chipping at it in hopes of cracking that nut or it gives them an excuse for not actually making a feature film.

I was no different. One of the biggest things that slowed, if not stopped my filmmaking journey was “the screenplay.” I decided to see if there was a different way to approach making a movie with my first feature film This is Meg.

In doing my research I came to  realize that in the last few years, some of my favorite films happen to be (almost) entirely improvised. No structured screenplay. Some were huge tent pole studio movies, Oscar winners (Ironically for best screenplay) and small indie films. It certainly seemed to be a more prolific style among independent filmmakers and I find that it can mean success when they cast the right actors. Especially in the “Mumblecore” and “Dogma 95“ indie film movements.

Iron Man had no screenplay?
My favorite “lack of screenplay” story was the Marvel Studios tent-pole Iron Man. You heard me correctly. The film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that show the word what a great leading  Robert Downey Jr could be. It remains one of the most enjoyable adaptations of a Marvel comic book to date.

Take a listen to what Jeff Bridges revealed in a recent interview.

“They had no script, man! They had an outline. We would show up for big scenes every day and we wouldn’t know what we were going to say. We would have to go into our trailer and work on this scene and call up writers on the phone, ‘You got any ideas?’ Meanwhile the crew is tapping their foot on the stage waiting for us to come on.”

Although a story and structure was firmly in place, the dialogue wasn’t – leading to much improvisation on set, which accounts for the film’s energetic, sparky atmosphere.

“I said, ‘Oh, what we’re doing here, we’re making a $200 million student film. We’re all just fuckin’ around! We’re playin’. Oh, great!. That took all the pressure off. Oh, just jam, man, just play. And it turned out great!” Bridges recalled.

Here is a list of film I mention and discuss in detail in the podcast:

John Cassavetes – Shadows
Mike Leigh – Vera Drake
David O. Russell – American Hustle
Lynn Shelton – Your Sister’s Sister
Jon Favreau – Iron Man
Derek Cianfrance – Blue Valentine
Mark Duplass – The One I Love & The Puffy Chair
Seth Rogan – This is the End
Joe Swanberg – Drinking Buddies, Digging For Fire, Happy Christmas
Daniel Myrick – The Blair Witch Project
Drake Doremus – Like Crazy

Take a listen on why you don’t need a screenplay to make an awesome movie.

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