In the final part of the series, we move away from conducting research to discussing the process of pulling everything together.

When to stop researching

At some point, you need to stop researching and start writing!

This may be because you’ve hit a wall, or it may be a point at which productive research has crossed into procrastination.

Sometimes it’s easier to read another book or watch another video than to roll up your sleeves and tackle the possibly daunting task of assembling all your research into a fictionalised screen story.

Whether you reach that point a month or a year into the process is really up to you and the project you’re planning. Some projects will require a lengthy deep dive into a subject or historical period, while others may just require you to read up on a bit of background.

Overall, the question you should ask yourself about your level of research is:

‘Do I have enough material to get started with the process of structuring and drafting my screen story?’

If you’re not sure whether you’re ready to stop researching, try writing a broad, rough mini treatment of your story (i.e. the screenplay in prose form). If you frequently hit a dead end due to not having enough information on hand, you might need to spend a little longer on the research process.

Remember that both research and writing are fluid processes. You may find that, as you write, your story takes an unexpected turn that opens up a fresh knowledge gap that requires you to conduct additional research.

Take some time to reflect

Once your research process reaches a natural end, or pause point, it is a good idea to take some time – a few days or a couple of weeks – to review what you’ve done and decide your best course forward. Use this time to:

• Put all your research in order: Update your organisation system so everything is correctly categorised and easy to find.
• Read over your notes: Refresh your memory and note down anything you specifically want to highlight.
• Make a master list of particularly useful resources: This could be anything which provides specific detail that you want to incorporate into your script.
• Take a break: Use the time to mentally shift from the role of researcher to that of writer.

Working without notes

If you’ve been immersed in the research process for a considerable length of time, or you have extensive prior knowledge of the events in question, you should have quite a lot of retained information in your memory that you can recall at will.

This is a great stage to reach, as it means you can start to draft your story without having to constantly return to your notes.

There are likely to be details that you need to look up as you go, but the more familiar you are with your story’s ‘world’ and your main characters, the easier the writing process should become.

Research gaps

Once you’ve begun to get your research in order, you might find certain gaps appearing. If these questions are preventing you from moving ahead then take a little time to fill them in.

However, if you are getting bogged down with the research process and just want to move forward with the creative aspect of your story, then you could adopt the research-as-you-go method.

Indeed, many writers like to plan, structure, draft and research as they go along, putting the creative process, character development, and the story at the heart of what they’re doing and filling in any knowledge gaps as they arise.

Part of your writer’s journey is to find out your best way of working.

If you need more help developing your story, check out our Writing the Fact-Based Film 101 guides. These cover some basic concepts which can help you turn all that research into a compelling screen story.