What is The Fact-Based Screenplay?
It’s a resource for writers who want to develop film and TV projects based on factual material, such as:
- Non-fiction books
- First-person accounts
- Newspaper articles
- Magazine articles
- Original research
What do you mean by “fact-based”?
Essentially, we mean films and TV based on actual events and figures. This includes anything “based on” or “inspired by” a true story. So, everything from All the President’s Men (1976) to Elvis (2022), The Social Network (2010) to Goodfellas (1990).
Where do you stand on “the truth” when it comes to film & TV?
We believe in the “spirit of the truth“. This doesn’t mean sacrificing dramatic tension, narrative flow, engaging character arcs, or a satisfying ending. It just means using the available screenwriting tools and techniques to strive for some level of accuracy.
All adaptations, including real-life adaptations, require changes to make them suitable for the screen. History isn’t structured like a movie or TV show so we – as writers – have to balance the demands of screen drama with the known facts of history. This might involve:
- Compressing/altering timelines
- Composite characters (who represent a certain POV)
- Truncating events to improve pacing and heighten conflict
- Selecting specific events and excluding others
- Conducting research so any departure from the facts is sympathetic
- Inventing dialogue & scenes to fill in historical “gaps”
- Grappling with different versions of history and disputed facts
Not everyone agrees with our POV – some argue that the only thing that matters is the film or TV show, regardless of the known facts. Given the commercial nature of the business, that’s fair. But we like the challenge of figuring out how to effectively dramatize real life for the screen, which is why we created this site.
Who’s behind The Fact-Based Screenplay?
Find out more about the site’s head writer and editor here.