Whether you’re adapting a historical event, writing a biopic, or weaving fiction into a real-world setting, it all starts with a strong research base. Here’s what some respected writers and screenwriting experts have to say on the importance of research…
Eric Roth (screenwriter, The Insider (1999), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)):
“I research a lot… I have sheds filled with research books in the backyard here from before there was an Internet… God is in the details. If the details are no good, you are not going to succeed.”
Why it matters: While it’s sometimes seen as an enemy of creativity, Roth emphasises one of the main advantages of thorough research – the ability to build rich detail into your story.
Syd Field (author, Screenplay):
“As far as I’m concerned, research is absolutely essential… The information you collect allows you to operate from the position of choice and authority.”
Why it matters: Screenwriting is ultimately about choices, and when it comes to fact-based screenplays, Field points out that having a good understanding of the background allows us to adapt history without losing the underlying truth.
Amanda Coe (screenwriter, The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019)):
“You’ve got to be so across the material that when you change things, you are aware that you’re making the change, and that you’re changing it for a reason. So, it’s a decision and not a mistake.”
Why it matters: Coe echoes Field’s point from the perspective of a working writer, acknowledging that research ensures changes are intentional artistic choices.
Peter Morgan (writer, Rush (2013), The Damned United (2009), Frost/Nixon (2008)):
“As soon as you’re going off matters of public record, you do have to rely on a writer’s imagination. An audience is very suspicious, and is very finely tuned to this… Where you feel it doesn’t ring true.”
Why it matters: Morgan emphasises that combining a solid factual base with creative licence to support audience trust – a glaring error or inconsistent tone can undo dramatic tension and world building.
Helen Benedict (author):
“Research, factual accuracy, lays the base for plausible fiction, for it actually enables suspension of disbelief in readers by building their trust… [However,] research needs to be kept in check, like a hungry dog on a leash, lest it gobble your imagination and your story as well.
Why it matters: A reminder that accuracy isn’t just about detail – it’s about keeping the audience anchored and engaged, even when the story enters fictional territory. But Benedict also warns us to ensure that our research doesn’t overwhelm or overly influence the creative process.
Doris Kearns Goodwin (Pulitzer Prize-winning historian & author):
“When I look at what a writer owes to the reader, it’s critical to know that everything you’re writing about is not made up in your head.
“I feel that unless you can document and be certain about what it is that you’re writing about, the reader is going to lose faith in your own integrity. So, I try to make it come alive as much as possible by endless research.”
Why it matters: While Kearns Goodwin approaches this from the point of view of a historian, the idea of using research to build writer integrity and trust equally applies to writing films based on a true story.
Brian Fillis (screenwriter, Fear of Fanny (2006), The Curse of Steptoe (2008)):
“Research is essential […] both in terms of formulating the piece in advance, but also in helping to defend the veracity of the piece.”
Why it matters: Fillis makes the point that thorough research can help us defend our work against claims of inaccuracy – as writers, it’s important we can back up our claims.
Eric Newman (showrunner of Narcos (2015-2017)):
“The writers’ room is where the research comes together… Nothing makes me happier than when one of the writers comes in and says: ‘Look, I found out this amazing thing about this guy last night – how can we use it?'”
Why it matters: Newman reminds us that research provides an engine of creative discovery, adding life and energy to fact-based drama.
Michael Mann (producer, director, screenwriter, The Insider, Ali (2001), Ferrari (2023)):
“Some of the problems with the research is you get so seduced that you forget you’re supposed to be writing a screenplay, making a movie out the other end of it.”
Why it matters: Mann highlights a danger with research – that it can overwhelm the storytelling process.
Robert McKee (author, Story):
“Talent must be stimulated by facts and ideas… Research not only wins the war on cliché, it’s the key to victory over fear and its cousin, depression.”
Why it matters: As well as emphasising the fact that research helps us build authenticity into our story, world McKee reminds us that it can be a catalyst for creativity.
McKee also divides research into lived experience, book research, and active imagination. He encourages us to look beyond the library or Google and expand our research activities to include observing the world and applying creative insight.
Not all projects need these three elements of research in equal measure. However, broadening our research process helps us to achieve the ultimate goal – to craft the strongest possible fact-based screenplay.
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Sources:
Roth: David Perell’s How I Write podcast, ‘Eric Roth: The Screenwriter Behind Forrest Gump and Dune | How I Write’ [08:25 – 09:31, 09:33 – 09:39] (published 21 May 2025). Accessed: https://podcasts.apple.com/bg/podcast/eric-roth-the-screenwriter-behind-forrest-gump-and/id1700171470?i=1000709260222
Field: Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field (1994 ed. p20)
Coe: Journal of Screenwriting, ‘‘Real people’s lives rarely fall into a three-act structure’: Writing biographical drama for British television’ by Hannah Andrews (2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, p43)
Morgan: Quote from a UK press conference for Rush, reported by indieLondon. Accessed: https://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/rush-peter-morgan-interview/
Benedict: The Center for Literary Fiction, Writers on Writing series, ‘Research in Fiction – Necessary But Dangerous’. Accessed: https://centerforfiction.org/writing-tools/research-in-fiction-necessary-but-dangerous/
Fillis: Journal of Screenwriting, ‘Real people’s lives rarely fall into a three-act structure’: Writing biographical drama for British television by Hannah Andrews (2018, Vol 9, Issue 1, p46)
Kearns Goodwin: ‘Lessons of Presidential Leadership’. Academy of Achievement Interview (28 June 1996). Accessed: https://achievement.org/achiever/doris-kearns-goodwin/#interview
Newman: The Guardian, ‘Secrets of the TV writers’ room: inside Narcos, Transparent and Silicon Valley’ by Tim Adams (23/9/2017). Accessed: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/sep/23/secrets-of-the-tv-writers-rooms-tv-narcos-silicon-valley-transparent
Mann: Vanity Fair, ‘Michael Mann and Eric Roth Love the “Adventure” of Research’ by Rebecca Ford (3/1/2024). Accessed: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/michael-mann-and-eric-roth-ferrari-killers-of-the-flower-moon-awards-insider
McKee: Story by Robert McKee (1999 ed. p72-76)