10 Screenwriting Tips from Robert Eggers on how he wrote the Lighthouse and The Northman

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  • Опубліковано 15 кві 2022
  • Robert Eggers is an American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his acclaimed horror films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019) and his newest film The Northman (2022).
    01. Embrace what is uniquely you.
    02. Find a harmonious balance of opposites in your writing. Your writing needs both Dionysian and Apollonian aspects.
    03. Avoid writer's block by doing research about things that interest you and research and write in tandem.
    04. Don’t start writing with a message or an intention in mind other than staying true to the world in which you're trying to write in.
    05. It’s absurd to think that how well you follow a traditional structure is what makes you a good storyteller.
    06. Wherever and whenever your story is set, the conversations, the arguments and other universal elements need to feel similar and relatable to today.
    07. Be extremely meticulous with your writing.
    08. Historical accuracy is not important to filmmaking. You can make a great period story without it being accurate.
    09. To get your first feature produced, make a proof-of-concept short film that includes some elements similar to the feature you are trying to produce.
    10. When writing, don’t think about how you’re going to get it on camera. You have to be blind to the realities of shooting and figure it all out later.
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    #RobertEggers #TheNorthman #screenwriting #screenwriter
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 69

  • @lorrinkrasniqi2750
    @lorrinkrasniqi2750 2 роки тому +102

    This man only made 3 films and I already love him

    • @salchichon4198
      @salchichon4198 2 роки тому +9

      I already loved him when he had only made 1

    • @karenmink865
      @karenmink865 2 роки тому +2

      Much Respect

    • @sinanuluc5143
      @sinanuluc5143 2 роки тому +1

      Wrong, he made 1 masterpiece and two films :P

    • @Jpro2000
      @Jpro2000 2 роки тому +2

      Loved him after lighthouse then I watched the witch then the Northman on opening day. This guy is going to have a big career

    • @ejblon8634
      @ejblon8634 Рік тому +1

      I fell in love with this man's work the moment I seen "The Witch" in theaters! First words out of my mouth after seeing it was "That's how you make a f***ing movie"!

  • @hunsakermedia
    @hunsakermedia 2 роки тому +45

    Such a mature filmmaker for someone who’s only made 3 features

  • @oniriscope
    @oniriscope 2 роки тому +35

    I think that being a visionary filmmaker isn’t something you can learn…
    But man this Director addresses gaps in culture in a strangely new way!
    It deserves attention.
    Thanks a ton for this video.

  • @Buttsmoker
    @Buttsmoker 2 роки тому +8

    Best contemporary director of his day.. no one comes close. A true master of his craft.

  • @MrMejia187
    @MrMejia187 2 роки тому +16

    Wow I like how he says to not write with the intention to relay a message or whatever to the current times. I always thought filmmakers did that but it makes sense to focus on story first. I tend to watch movies to see what the 'message' is and I was doing that with the Northman, but I understand why I was having trouble. The message isn't necessarily the most important part of that movie, it's that story.

    • @Jpro2000
      @Jpro2000 2 роки тому

      It’s basically just the story of hamlet

  • @Evanderj
    @Evanderj 2 роки тому +8

    From the comments, it looks like Eggers has a lot of new fans since the Northman.

  • @energy_outlaw6679
    @energy_outlaw6679 2 роки тому +13

    Now I can finally put a face on this genius

  • @Zehahahaa
    @Zehahahaa 2 роки тому +6

    You can tell his work has been researched

  • @seasalt9289
    @seasalt9289 Рік тому +2

    Critics these days are so harsh they forget that film is art and art is subjective. Love him!

  • @ethancowan8621
    @ethancowan8621 Рік тому +1

    Another excellent video. Would love one on 10 tips of writing from James Gunn!

  • @wreccen
    @wreccen Рік тому +7

    I love this guy, it's just sad to see geniuses struggling with telling true stories because of "the message". Stories are just stories, the closer they are to ideology, the furthest they are from the mysterious nature of the truth. Also, look for his short on Tell Tale Heart. It's good.

  • @Crimson28
    @Crimson28 2 роки тому +3

    He looks just like Stephen Amell. I kept expecting him to say “you have failed this city!” 🏹🤣

  • @trapslime16
    @trapslime16 2 роки тому +1

    love this, be yourself don't preach

  • @alexklavy7372
    @alexklavy7372 5 місяців тому

    This man is a treasure

  • @vadeytleger3803
    @vadeytleger3803 Рік тому

    Please tell the music playing background. Thanks

  • @s.l.dsaikumar3885
    @s.l.dsaikumar3885 2 роки тому +5

    Please please please
    Do video on Darren Aronofsky

  • @daveminion6209
    @daveminion6209 2 місяці тому +1

    Farting in the LightHouse - VERY Relatable, lol

  • @greggjl1969
    @greggjl1969 2 роки тому +1

    Does anyone know the name of the violin tune at the begining?

    • @chrislyke2707
      @chrislyke2707 2 роки тому

      Fargo theme

    • @greggjl1969
      @greggjl1969 2 роки тому

      @@chrislyke2707 Thanks for your quick response Chris. But unfortunately, I couldn’t find the actual tune after checking the Movie soundtrack and the 3 TV seasons. There is a tune in the Fargo stuff that’s pretty close, but wasn’t quite there. Thanks again for the assist!

  • @candide1065
    @candide1065 Рік тому

    "O-oh, we're t-talking about to-toxigg m-masculineday" (*proud, smug smiling*)

  • @ulrikegerlach6058
    @ulrikegerlach6058 2 роки тому +2

    🤩👍👌👌👌

  • @Ilyaswashere
    @Ilyaswashere Рік тому

    True New Englander

  • @candide1065
    @candide1065 Рік тому

    "B-b-butt-but-but even still, i-i-i-it's...i-i-if...y'know"

  • @lordoflight6026
    @lordoflight6026 2 роки тому +2

    looking like a fusion of Harry Potter and Steve Jobs.

  • @figuerofilms4424
    @figuerofilms4424 2 роки тому +6

    The Northman looks the most generic of his works but I trust him so much as a director I doubt it will be.

    • @LukeSchaeferFilms
      @LukeSchaeferFilms 2 роки тому +9

      I just saw it yesterday! Loved it. Didn’t think it was generic at all. But I’m seeing mass audiences saying they walked out and it was boring and it’s just disappointing to see that. I’m probably going to go back to theatre to watch it one more time!

    • @anthonykearneyfilms
      @anthonykearneyfilms 2 роки тому +1

      Yeah I loved the Northman. Nothing about it was boring 😂

  • @tornwars
    @tornwars 2 роки тому +3

    Hell yeah, this video was great. Had no idea how well spoken this man was.
    I’d love to recommend a Zack Snyder video, if you haven’t done one yet.

  • @aidanlynn
    @aidanlynn Рік тому

    “what’s very important to me when I begin writing a piece is to not have a message...”
    Here Here 🙄

  • @codydavis3100
    @codydavis3100 2 роки тому +1

    Tip 7 is probably not a good one to have. He says himself that if he wasn't directing it wouldn't be a good thing to do.

  • @jokester18business51
    @jokester18business51 2 роки тому +2

    It strikes me how his films are so “smart” but yet his ability to speak in public and his word choice is questionable. Don’t know if he has a stutter or has stage fright. Just writing what I’m seeing

    • @GooFucYourselfSir
      @GooFucYourselfSir 2 роки тому +1

      what are you talking about? he comes off extremely intelligent, humble and thoughtful.

    • @jokester18business51
      @jokester18business51 2 роки тому +1

      @@GooFucYourselfSir he can’t put words together without stumbling around. It’s hard to understand what he’s getting at

    • @GooFucYourselfSir
      @GooFucYourselfSir 2 роки тому

      @JokeSter18 Business he seems pretty clear to me.. pretty normal for people to stutter. Everyone stutters over there words now and than.. look up a vid of Quentin Tarantino talking

    • @jokester18business51
      @jokester18business51 2 роки тому

      @@GooFucYourselfSir I have. But he's pretty literate

  • @vladimirhorowitz
    @vladimirhorowitz 2 роки тому +4

    Well, at 7:05 he just ruined The Witch for me. Shame, I really enjoyed that film.

    • @carsonwall2400
      @carsonwall2400 2 роки тому +9

      Aww, did he trigger you?

    • @vladimirhorowitz
      @vladimirhorowitz 2 роки тому +1

      @@carsonwall2400 Well let's check the comment again. Nope. No mention of any triggering. Perhaps you meant to reply to someone else?

    • @carsonwall2400
      @carsonwall2400 2 роки тому +5

      @@vladimirhorowitz Oh great, so you're not upset by the comment he made on the movie's themes? Because only a complete snowflake would have been bothered by it

    • @vladimirhorowitz
      @vladimirhorowitz 2 роки тому +1

      @@carsonwall2400 "Upset"? No, I'm pretty satisfied with the words I used. Go back and read it again. If you're still confused, come back and I'll see if I can walk you through it. Or you could just go on with your life, whichever is fine.

    • @carsonwall2400
      @carsonwall2400 2 роки тому +5

      @@vladimirhorowitz Weird, because it clearly bothered you enough to post about it. And you let your enjoyment of a film be ruined by the most innocuous of comments.

  • @DylanWOWilliams
    @DylanWOWilliams Рік тому +1

    Hearing leftism from a cultural creator depresses me.

    • @aidanlynn
      @aidanlynn Рік тому +1

      He’s telling people NOT to write message movies.

    • @DylanWOWilliams
      @DylanWOWilliams Рік тому +1

      @@aidanlynn Dude… look at it again. Look at his meaning and reasoning. He literally spells out that it’s exactly what he did.

    • @candide1065
      @candide1065 Рік тому

      @@aidanlynn He was literally so proud to tell people the message of his movie for a guy who doesn't like "message movies".

  • @nedorj6957
    @nedorj6957 2 роки тому +2

    the vvitch was kinda muddled in its haughty narrative and failed to gain a foothold throughout its run time. the ending was a bad version of the reveal (that many said tried to imbue an anti-religion vibe but in bad taste) copied from angel heart, rosemary's baby and even devil's advocate etc. (these three had far more superior filmmaking/storytelling and compelling characters/settings). downhill since then. lighthouse was a self-indulgent mess with zero comprehensibility that tries to declare 'this an indie movie never seen before' with whimsical images that add zero to the already shaky narrative. not to mention badly sketched out characters with nonsensical motivations. out of the 16 people in the theater, 6 or 7 people walked out around the 50th minute mark. the rest of us endured this mess. no wonder it failed in most markets. his new movie about vikings looks derivative/exploitative and tries too hard to stand out, which it doesn't. so, no thanks. eggers should go back to screenwriting 101 to get real pro tips, tbh.

    • @davvv
      @davvv 2 роки тому +8

      LMAO THIS HAS TO SATIRE

    • @TomEyeTheSFMguy
      @TomEyeTheSFMguy 2 роки тому +5

      Wow, this is such a poor take. So little evidence for your claims, little to none at all. You cannot explain why the lighthouse is a "self-indulgent mess," only that it is. Honestly, you people just want to hate on genuinely good filmography.

    • @legofan370
      @legofan370 2 роки тому +2

      While I don't want to demean your opinion, as you can think whatever you want to think, but considering that all three of his films have received acclaim from almost everyone I know and see, I think he has done a very good job with what he has achieved. And it's entirely possible that maybe on repeat viewings you can see something that you didn't see before. Maybe I'm just an optimist because I want everyone to enjoy everything. Eggers is the type of filmmaker that makes me want to be a filmmaker and The Northman was an enthralling experience that I can't explain. But I'm probably just blowing smoke and wasting time typing this. Sorry for wasting your time if I couldn't convince you otherwise.

    • @sinanuluc5143
      @sinanuluc5143 2 роки тому +3

      The Northman doesn't stand out? I'm not the biggest fan of the film, but it does stand out. Show me a Norse revenge flick that's slow and immersive like this one? Also, if The VVitch imbues an anti-religion vibe, how does that make the film bad? The ending of The VVitch was copied from other films? So what? Does it stop from being a unique horror / drama? No. Who doesn't copy from other films or directors these days anyway? And I like how you present your opinions like they are facts. For me Angel Heart and Rosemary's Baby are nowhere near superior or more compelling than The VVitch, especially in terms of setting, immersiveness and cinematography.