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How to write a professional bio about yourself

Writing a professional bio might feel like a big task, especially considering how important it is for your online presence. Your bio is often the first thing people see—whether they’re potential clients, employers, or collaborators. But don’t worry. With the right approach, you can create a bio that shows off your achievements and gives a glimpse of who you are.

This guide will help you write a great bio, give you some examples to get inspired, and show you how tools like AI Assist can make the process easier.

Why your professional bio matters

Your professional bio is a personal introduction that tells the story of who you are, what you do, and why you do it. It's more than just a resume—it’s an opportunity to connect with your audience on a more personal level. A well-crafted bio can:

• Build credibility: A strong bio establishes your expertise and trustworthiness in your field.
• Enhance visibility: When optimized for search engines, your bio can help others find you more easily online.
• Create connections: Your bio gives people a glimpse into your personality, values, and interests, making it easier for them to relate to you.

Given its importance, writing a professional bio is something you should approach thoughtfully. Let's explore the key elements to include in your bio and how to structure it effectively.

Critical elements of a professional bio

Start with your name and current role.

Begin your bio with a clear statement of who you are and what you do. This provides immediate context and sets the tone for the rest of your bio.

Example: “Jane Doe is a seasoned marketing strategist with over a decade of experience in digital campaigns and brand management.”

Highlight your professional achievements

Mention your key accomplishments, but keep them relevant to your audience. This could include awards, notable projects, or contributions to your industry.

Example: “She led the rebranding efforts for several Fortune 500 companies, increasing brand awareness by 30%.”

Share your mission or values

Your bio should reflect what you do and why you do it. Sharing your motivations or values helps readers understand what drives you professionally.

Example: “Jane is passionate about helping businesses find their voice in crowded markets, believing every brand has a unique story.”

Include relevant education or certifications

While not always necessary, including your educational background or certifications can add to your credibility, especially if they directly relate to your field.

Example: “She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a certification in digital marketing from Google.”

Add a personal touch

A touch of personality can make your bio more relatable. Share your interests, hobbies, or personal life, but keep it professional.

Example: “When she’s not strategizing for brands, Jane enjoys hiking with her two dogs and exploring new cuisines.”

Include a call to action

End your bio with a clear next step for your audience, whether it’s contacting you, visiting your website, or connecting on social media.

Example: “Connect with Jane on LinkedIn to discuss potential collaborations or learn more about her work.”

Professional bio examples to inspire you

Here are a few examples of professional bios that effectively balance professionalism and personality:

Example 1: “John Smith is a software engineer specializing in AI and machine learning. Over the past eight years, he has developed cutting-edge algorithms that have improved data processing speeds by 50%. John is passionate about the potential of AI to solve real-world problems and holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from MIT. Outside work, he enjoys volunteering at local coding workshops and playing chess. Connect with John on GitHub to see his latest projects.”

Example 2: “Samantha Lee is a creative director with a knack for transforming brand identities. With a background in graphic design, she has spearheaded the creative vision for campaigns that have garnered international recognition. Samantha’s work is driven by a belief in the power of design to communicate compelling narratives. She is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate who advocates for sustainable practices in the creative industry. Samantha can be found traveling or working on her photography portfolio when not in the studio. Reach out to Samantha through her portfolio site to collaborate.”

Using AI Assist to draft your bio

Writing a professional bio can be challenging, especially if you’re unsure where to start. This is where AI tools like AI Assist come in handy. AI Assist can help you generate a first draft of your bio based on crucial information you provide, such as your name, role, achievements, and values.

Here’s how you can use AI Assist to draft your bio:

• Input your details: Enter basic information about yourself—your name, current position, and key accomplishments.
• Select the tone and style: Choose the tone you want for your bio, whether formal, casual, or somewhere between.
• Review and refine: Once AI Assist generates a draft, review it and make adjustments to ensure it accurately reflects your personality and professional identity.

AI Assist can save you time and provide a solid foundation to build on, but it’s essential to personalize the draft to make it yours.

Why your bio should be part of your online presence

Having a professional bio is just the first step. To maximize its impact, you must ensure it’s visible to the right audience. Here’s how to incorporate your bio into your online presence:

• Social media profiles: Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social profiles with your bio. This helps potential employers or collaborators get a quick snapshot of who you are.
• Personal website: If you have a personal website, ensure your bio is prominently featured on the About page. This is where visitors often go to learn more about you.
• Professional networks: Join relevant professional networks and include your bio in your profile. This can enhance your visibility within your industry.

Your online presence is an extension of your professional identity. By strategically placing your bio across various platforms, you ensure that the people who matter most can easily find and connect with you.

Start creating your professional bio today

Writing your bio doesn’t have to be complicated. With a simple plan, some inspiration, and some help from tools like AI Assist, you can create a bio that genuinely reflects who you are.

Ready to improve your online presence? Give B12's AI-powered tools a try. Sign up now and see how a great bio can make a big difference.

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office. A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office. A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.

• Sean McNamara
• Howard Klausner
• Dennis Quaid
• Mena Suvari
• C. Thomas Howell
• 7 User reviews
• 6 Critic reviews
• 22 Metascore

Top cast 99+

• Ronald Reagan

• Nancy Reagan

• Nelle Reagan

• Viktor Petrovich

• Jack Reagan

• Jack Warner

• Reverend Cleaver

• George Schultz

• Margaret Thatcher

• Young Reagan

• Older Nelle Reagan

• Leonid Brezhnev

• John Barletta

• Margaret 'Mugs' Cleaver

• James Baker

• William P. Clark
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Dennis Quaid is 70, while Ronald Reagan was 69 when he first became president.
• Connections Featured in Greg Kelly Reports: Jon Voight (2021)

User reviews 7

• Aug 29, 2024
• When was Reagan released? Powered by Alexa
• August 30, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA (Berlin Wall scene)
• MJM Entertainment
• Rawhide Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $25,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 15 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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The 10 Worst Movies of 2024 So Far, According to Letterboxd

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All things considered, 2024 has been an exceptional year when it comes to high-quality filmmaking. Both massive blockbuster franchises like Dune: Part Two and Inside Out 2 are doing just as well with critics as they are with audiences, and even smaller, artsy films like I Saw the TV Glow and Kinds of Kindness are seeing widespread acclaim. With even more exciting films yet to be released, including Nosferatu , Anora , and Joker: Folie à Deux , 2024 is all but assured to be a great year for exciting and high-quality filmmaking.

However, for every acclaimed masterpiece and box office success, there has also been a selection of films that accomplished the opposite, be disastrous critical misses whose only notoriety is infamy. Whether it be largely anticipated films that failed to live up to the hype or poorly executed misfires that were always going to flop with audiences, 2024 has already had numerous terrible films , and fans on Letterboxd haven't been afraid to show their takes on these trainwrecks.

10 'Descendants: The Rise of Red' (2024)

Letterboxd average rating: 1.8/5.

The Descendants franchise has proven to be one of the most successful and acclaimed Disney Channel franchises of recent memory, taking a unique modern coming-of-age spin on classic Disney characters. However, the latest spin-off film released straight to Disney+, Descendants: The Rise of Red , proved to be a major disappointment in the eyes of fans despite its record-breaking numbers . The film follows the daughters of the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella, Red and Chloe, traveling back in time to undo the events that turned the Queen of Hearts into a villain.

While its concept proved to be exciting for fans, everything surrounding the execution and differences from the main series quickly turned many die-hard Descendants fans away from this spin-off. Each of the films in the main series was largely the vision of director Kenny Ortega and his lack of involvement with the spin-off results in a lack of style and inherent charm. The film's lack of a true climax or ending, alongside the toned-down undertones and LGBTQ+ themes, made it a wildly divisive and unenjoyable experience for many fans of the franchise.

Descendants: The Rise Of Red

Watch on Disney+

9 'Night Swim' (2024)

Letterboxd average rating: 1.7/5.

Horror movies with strange and comedically absurd concepts are far from new; some of the most beloved horror movies of all time derive from seemingly ridiculous concepts. However, sometimes, a premise proves to be so mind-bogglingly idiotic that it completely suspends all notions of reality, taking the film in a downward spiral. One such case is Night Swim , this year's signature January horror film, which follows the story of a mysterious force that does all of its killing in a backyard swimming pool.

Night Swim lives up to its idiotic premise in the best, so-bad-it's-good way possible, finding ways to make an already dumb concept even dumber with its arrays of twists and self-serious thematic. Even well after its release, it's still baffling that a horror movie where the imposing threat is a killer swimming pool not only exists but was given a wide release in theaters and distributed by Blumhouse. It's certainly worth a watch to see just how chaotic it gets, but Letterboxd users have been quick to point and laugh at just how moronic it all is .

Not available

8 'Borderlands' (2024)

Adapted from the successful videogame franchise, Borderlands attempted to tap into the same levels of chaotic, violent mischief that made the games such a smash hit but couldn't translate it to the big screen. Loosely based on the story of the first game of the series, the film follows a group of ragtag bandits and misfits as they travel across the destructive wasteland planet Pandora. Between all the psychos and hostile aliens, the planet actually holds a secret vault that is said to have untold riches and secrets of the universe.

Borderlands harkens back to a previous era of videogame movies where studios simply didn't care about how well they adapted the story or characters of the source material, hoping name recognition would be enough to lead them to success. The ironic part is that, on top of butchering the story of the games and neutering the violence to a PG-13 rating, the film's humor is mostly in line with the series' approach, which is largely dated by now; what was funny in 2012 simply doesn't work 12 years later. Borderlands is a waste of everyone's time , not even having the type of so-bad-it's-good value some of the year's worst releases have.

Borderlands

Watch in Theaters

7 'Mother of the Bride' (2024)

Letterboxd average rating: 1.6/5.

One of the tried and true types of low-effort cliché filled films that has overwhelmed Netflix over the years is the romantic comedy, with their clear bottom-of-the-barrel film of this year being Mother of the Bride . The film follows what initially seems to be a standard tropical wedding in Thailand before the revelation that the mother of the bride and the father of the groom used to date in the past. As they attempt to avoid each other, they end up unintentionally rekindling their relationship, placing a strain on the standard wedding proceedings.

While on the surface, Mother of the Bride doesn't seem to do that much differently than other low-effort generic romantic comedies, its execution and premise quickly enter into a realm of discomfort. It doesn't take a genius to see the film heading towards this older couple getting back together, putting into question the central marriage, considering the couple getting married is about to become step-siblings. It serves to sour what was already a largely underwhelming experience, making Mother of the Bride a noticeable dud compared to Netflix's other rom-com offerings .

Mother of the Bride

Watch on Netflix

6 'Indian 2: Zero Tolerance' (2024)

One of the biggest trends that help set Letterboxd apart from other online film sites is its increased focus on films from all cultures, thanks to its global user base and heightened awareness of global filmmaking. While this normally results in getting more eyes placed on exceptional international filmmaking , it can also have the opposite effect, showing off the worst that other cultures have to offer; such is the case for Indian 2: Zero Tolerance .

Indian 2 is the type of cheap, obvious cash grab that is often seen in Hollywood filmmaking instead of the normally rich and exciting world of Indian cinema.

A sequel to the acclaimed action thriller from 1996, Indian 2 is the type of cheap, obvious cash grab that is often seen in Hollywood filmmaking instead of the normally rich and exciting world of Indian cinema. On top of the obvious attempts to garner goodwill from past projects, Indian 2 was rife with controversy , from outdated politics to an accident causing multiple deaths on set . To many audiences, Letterboxd users included, Indian 2 simply came across as not only unnecessary but actively going against what made the original film so great .

5 'Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie' (2024)

Image via Netflix

SpongeBob SquarePants as a franchise has had massive fluctuations of quality in recent memory, with the main series remaining enjoyable but spin-off shows like The Patrick Star Show and Kamp Koral being hated by fans. Easily the most widely maligned and hated piece of SpongeBob media lately has been the spin-off movie, Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie , which by all accounts was a massive downgrade from the previous SpongeBob films. The film sees Sandy and SpongeBob traveling to Texas to save Bikini Bottom from a dastardly new villain who stole the entire town from the ocean floor.

SpongeBob has been a series that is largely defined by its humor and characters, making it all the more awful that The Sandy Cheeks Movie is some of the unfunniest that the franchise has ever been . While it attempts to breathe new life and depth into Sandy, it does so only by introducing annoying new side characters and creating an unnecessary origin that goes against classic episodes of the series. The film was also in dicey waters after it was leaked in its entirety at the beginning of the year , disappointing fans from the get-go before not changing a thing when it was officially released 8 months later.

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

4 'The Tearsmith' (2024)

Letterboxd average rating: 1.5/5.

The last thing romance movies are usually trying to accomplish is to unnerve and gross out their audience, but Netflix's The Tearsmith utterly fails at that. The Italian romantic drama follows the blossoming romance between Nica and Rigel, two young adults who were adopted together after spending a painful childhood together in an orphanage. Despite their familial ties to one another, the duo simply cannot help but instigate and explore the emotional feelings they have toward one another.

"Step-sibling romance" is the type of premise that sounds less like an actual romantic drama and more like a joke that would be made on a sketch comedy series. Still, The Tearsmith goes all in on its borderline incestuous romance , making the brother/sister dynamic between the two all the more apparent as it guides and shapes the narrative of the film. Instead of coming across as a sensual forbidden romance, the film comes across as gross and uncomfortable , cementing it as one of the lowest-rated Netflix original movies on Letterboxd .

3 'Madame Web' (2024)

Superhero movies have had a rocky and chaotic reception throughout the 2020s, with a mixed bag of high highs like The Batman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 , as well as low lows like Morbius and The New Mutants . Madame Web joins the ranks as one of the worst entries the genre has seen, with a chaotic and muddled production creating a goldmine of so bad it's good pandemonium . The film follows paramedic Cassandra Webb, who, after obtaining the power to see into the future, sees herself protecting a trio of young women from a mysterious villain set on killing them.

Madame Web feels like the full culmination of every issue and downside plaguing modern would-be franchises in the wake of the success of the MCU, failing to scratch the surface of understanding what made it work so well. There are certainly attempts to tell an exciting chapter to flesh out Sony's Spider-Man universe, but the stilted performances, baffling editing decisions, and regurgitated references make it a comically bad misfire. Madame Web will only continue to grow in infamy as time goes on, much like Morbius before it.

2 'The Mouse Trap' (2024)

One of the strangest and most unexpected horror trends of the 2020s has been the usage of newly available public domain characters as the killers in cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel slashers, popularized by Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey . The Mouse Trap , previously titled Mickey's Mouse Trap , is the latest of this trend, seeing the classic Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse as a deranged killer.

Blood and Honey was already at the bottom of the barrel in terms of these cheap public domain cash grabs, yet The Mouse Trap managed to one-up that film in its dull, uninspired attempts to make money off of a recognizable name. It does the absolute bare minimum in terms of character motivation, scares, or even just basic pacing, going beyond what could be a fun, so-bad-it's-good experience and just becoming a boring, underwhelming slog to get through . One would hope that this would mean the end of this subgenre of public-domain horror, but with many more on the way , this dire trend is sadly only just beginning.

Mickey's Mouse Trap

Rent on Amazon

1 'Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate' (2024)

Letterboxd average rating: 1.2/5.

There is no greater way to completely rile up and enrage a group of film fans than for a long-awaited sequel to not just disappoint but completely ignore and spit in the face of everything a classic stood for. This shocking juxtaposition is what quickly shot Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate into being one of the lowest-rated movies on Letterboxd, tarnishing the legacy of its predecessor , one of the most rewatchable animated movies of the 2010s . Coming out 14 years after the original film, this sequel's low budget made it dead on arrival and an embarrassment on all fronts.

Clearly, Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate wasn't created because there was an inspired, new story to tell with these characters. Instead, executives noticed that there was a rise in popularity for the original Megamind that could be siphoned for profits for Universal's streaming service, Peacock, and rushed out a TV budget movie to capitalize. Even aside from the budgetary issues, the story and character dynamics go against everything that the original film was about , feeling less like a long-awaited next chapter and instead a slap across the face.

Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate

Watch on Peacock

NEXT: The 10 Lowest-Rated Movies on Letterboxd

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'She wanted to live a good life': Parents of Indian doctor raped and murdered on night shift

The rape and murder of a trainee doctor in India’s Kolkata city earlier this month has sparked massive outrage in the country, with tens of thousands of people protesting on the streets, demanding justice. BBC Hindi spoke to the doctor’s parents who remember their daughter as a clever, young woman who wanted to lead a good life and take care of her family.

All names and details of the family have been removed as Indian laws prohibit identifying a rape victim or her family.

"Please make sure dad takes his medicines on time. Don't worry about me."

This was the last thing the 31-year-old doctor said to her mother, hours before she was brutally assaulted in a hospital where she worked.

“The next day, we tried reaching her but the phone kept ringing," the mother told the BBC at their family home in a narrow alley, a few kilometres from Kolkata.

The same morning, the doctor’s partially-clothed body was discovered in the seminar hall, bearing extensive injuries. A hospital volunteer worker has been arrested in connection with the crime.

The incident has sparked massive outrage across the country, with protests in several major cities. At the weekend, doctors across hospitals in India observed a nation-wide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), with only emergency services available at major hospitals.

The family say they feel hollowed out by their loss.

“At the age of 62, all my dreams have been shattered," her father told the BBC.

Since their daughter's horrific murder, their house, located in a respectable neighbourhood, has become the focus of intense media scrutiny.

Behind a police barricade stand dozens of journalists and camera crew, hoping to capture the parents in case they step out.

A group of 10 to 15 police officers perpetually stand guard to ensure the cameras do not take photos of the victim's house.

The crime took place on the night of 9 August, when the woman, who was a junior doctor at the city's RG Kar Medical College, had gone to a seminar room to rest after a gruelling 36-hour shift.

Her parents remembered how the young doctor, their only child, was a passionate student who worked extremely hard to become a doctor.

“We come from a lower middle-class background and built everything on our own. When she was little, we struggled financially," said the father, who is a tailor.

The living room where he sat was cluttered with tools from his profession - a sewing machine, spools of thread and a heavy iron. There were scraps of fabrics scattered on the floor.

There were times when the family did not have money to even buy pomegranates, their daughter's favourite fruit, he continued.

"But she could never bring herself to ask for anything for herself."

“People would say, ‘You can’t make your daughter a doctor'. But my daughter proved everyone wrong and got admission in a government-run medical college," he added, breaking down. A relative tried to console him.

The mother recalled how her daughter would write in her diary every night before going to bed.

“She wrote that she wanted to win a gold medal for her medical degree. She wanted to lead a good life and take care of us too,” she said softly.

And she did.

The father, who is a high blood-pressure patient, said their daughter always made sure he took his medicines on time.

“Once I ran out of medicine and thought I’d just buy it the next day. But she found out, and even though it was around 10 or 11pm at night, she said no-one will eat until the medicine is here,” he said.

“That’s how she was - she never let me worry about anything."

Her mother listened intently, her hands repeatedly touching a gold bangle on her wrist - a bangle she had bought with her daughter.

The parents said their daughter’s marriage had almost been finalised. "But she would tell us not to worry and say she would continue to take care of all our expenses even after marriage," the father said.

As he spoke those words, the mother began to weep, her soft sobs echoing in the background.

Occasionally, her eyes would wander to the staircase, leading up to their daughter's room.

The door has remained shut since 10 August and the parents have not set foot there since the news of her death.

They say they still can't believe that something "so barbaric" could happen to their daughter at her workplace.

"The hospital should be a safe place," the father said.

Violence against women is a major issue in India - an average of 90 rapes a day were reported in 2022, according to government data.

The parents said their daughter’s death had brought back memories of a 2012 case when a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang-raped on a moving bus in capital Delhi. Her injuries were fatal.

Following the assault - which made global headlines and led to weeks of protests - India tightened laws against sexual violence.

But reported cases of sexual assault have gone up and access to justice still remains a challenge for women.

Last week, thousands participated in a Reclaim the Night march held in Kolkata to demand safety for women across the country.

The doctor’s case has also put a spotlight on challenges faced by healthcare workers, who have demanded a thorough and impartial investigation into the murder and a federal law to protect them - especially women - at work.

Federal Health Minister JP Nadda has assured doctors that he will bring in strict measures to ensure better safety in their professional environments.

But for the parents of the doctor, it's too little too late.

“We want the harshest punishment for the culprit," the father said.

“Our state, our country and the whole world is asking for justice for our daughter."

Raped Indian doctor's colleague speaks of trauma and pain

Protest at indian railway station over alleged abuse of girls, india gang rape victim's death sparks outrage, the rape victim’s mum fighting for india’s daughters, what do delhi rape hangings mean for women.

How to Make a Personal Film: One Man’s Journey to Make an Autobiographical Film

We have an article today by filmmaker Albert Dabah on making a personal film. If you’re at all interested in making autobiographical type films, then this article will be very interesting to you. Take it away, Albert!

My name is Albert Dabah. For the last 40 years I’ve been creating a variety of video projects for clients at my company Simba Productions .

Over that time, I found that I was motivated to create a narrative project in addition to video work . After almost 20 years of planning, writing, and finally production, I completed my film Extra Innings last year.

Extra Innings is in many ways autobiographical. It is very personal and unique to me and my story. I was spurred to create it because I wanted to share my own experiences, and so much of what went into the final film – characters, impactful moments, conflicts – were based on events that I recall from my past.

This made it easier to create the film in some ways, yet also a lot harder. Condensing many years into a two hour film is quite challenging, particularly on a very modest budget. You have to narrow down what is most important to the story when it all feels important.

From the very first moment through to distribution, creating a film is always an incredible challenge – but creating such a personal, autobiographical film presents a variety of more unique obstacles and considerations.

Raising Money

How you’re going to fund your film is obviously a concern for any production, not just one that’s personal to you. However, making a film of such an autobiographical nature comes with both benefits and drawbacks when it comes to raising money.

For example, basing the film on my own life added an additional financial pressure. Extra Innings is a period piece set in the 1960s.

While some indie film s can save money by utilizing a modern setting (and thus have easier access to ready-made props and costumes), a period piece meant putting a much larger part of our budget towards time- accurate clothing, props, and locations.

In that sense, fundraising was essential to get the film looking how it needed to.

Chances are that knowing the film is based on a true story will help drive interest in it. It’s helpful to identify who would relate to or support the messages of your film and keep them in mind as potential contacts.

SAVE became a fiscal sponsor and supported us with the fact that we could now receive donations for the film. Partnering with SAVE was tremendous validation for me to continue.

By gaining SAVE as a sponsor, I could go to like minded people who may have had similar losses. Part of the money raised would go into making the film , and a certain percentage would go to SAVE. The people who did donate would then get a tax credit.

Fundraising was also made simpler by the resources available online. We decided to utilize Indiegogo as our source for donations. This worked well for our film due to its long term nature.

Family and friends, as well as interested parties, could donate for up to years afterwards with no problems.

That sort of risk – that investors and audience members alike will dislike your film because its personal nature alters the choices you make, or because you make choices that many directors would consider too extreme – is one you have to consider when you think about starting a personal project like this.

The Scriptwriting Process

The scriptwriting process for a personal project is an interesting challenge. It is important to dramatize a story that is autobiographical because you are creating a narrative based off of a true story. It is not a documentary.

You have the ability to use dramatic license to enhance certain actions of characters and situations. This is part of the fun of writing and helps create a more enjoyable film .

In the beginning, I wrote several different outlines of events that happened in around a 20 year period. Since it was based on my family, I wrote the characters and the characteristics that I wanted them to portray first.

Casting Your Film

My past experience casting with all kinds of actors, both film and Broadway, gave me the confidence to conduct my own casting. You should have a good idea of what the inside and outside of your character is: what he looks like and how he talks, acts, speaks, etc.

I always ask actors to give a different version of their reading that might be the total opposite of what you are actually looking for so you can see their range and abilities.

Additionally, I usually allow actors to improvise. Give the actor the opportunity to showcase his talent because he may bring a characteristic that you never thought of.

Even if an actor can act well, he has to look the part and fit the description of the character that you desire.

Personal Film – Conclusion

I hope that this discussion of my process creating Extra Innings has been helpful to learn a little about the quirks and pitfalls of creating a film based on your own life or on personal material. It’s an interesting beast for sure, but so rewarding when you make it all happen.

Our goal has been to get as many eyes on Extra Innings as possible. The storyline is one that is very relevant to today, and we’ve been very pleased by the response to the film.

We are now sending our film to festivals, reaching out to mental health organizations and Jewish Community Centers around the country, as well as using social media to promote the film.

So far Extra Innings has won “ Best Film ” at both The Manhattan Film Festival, as well as “Best Narrative Feature”, “Best Actor”, and “Best Supporting Actress” at the Jersey Shore Film Festival.

We want to reduce the stigma of mental illness and ultimately save lives, and using Extra Innings to start a discussion about mental illness is the way that we are trying to do that.

If you’d like to know more about Extra Innings , you can follow us at our Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook pages. You can also visit the Extra Innings website here for news and upcoming screenings.

Have A Great Idea? Make It a Reality Through These Methods

How To Make The Leap From Directing Videos to Directing Features

Matt Crawford

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How To Develop A Biopic: A Fast And Easy Way To Get Ready To Write

By marilyn horowitz, 1. write a synopsis, 2. read it aloud, 3. create an outline for your story as a film, about marilyn horowitz.

Marilyn Horowitz is an award-winning New York University professor, author, producer, and Manhattan-based writing consultant, who works with successful novelists, produced screenwriters, and award-winning filmmakers. She has a passion for helping novices get started. Since 1998 she has taught thousands of aspiring screenwriters to complete a feature length screenplay using her method. She is also a judge for the Fulbright Scholarship Program for film and media students. In 2004 she received the coveted New York University Award for Teaching Excellence . Professor Horowitz has created a revolutionary system that yields a new, more effective way of writing. She is the author of six books that help the writer learn her trademarked writing system, including editions for college, high school, and middle school. The college version is a required text at New York University and the University of California, Long Beach.

Professor Horowitz has written several feature-length screenplays. Her production credits include the feature films And Then Came Love (2007). Her new novel, The Book of Zev is available on Amazon.

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How to Sell Your Life Story to a Producer

Last Updated: August 6, 2024 Approved

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 92% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 64,441 times.

Whether you experienced a single exciting or traumatic event, had an amazing adventure, or simply lived a long and rich life, you believe you have a story to tell. Maybe you've watched television movies or feature films based on true stories and thought "My story is more interesting than that." But there's a lot of work that goes into getting your story into the right hands. If you want to sell your life story to a producer and see it adapted for film or television, you first must develop a pitch. Do what's necessary to protect your rights so you can maximize the profits that potentially could come your way.

Developing Your Pitch

• Your outline can be as detailed or as skeletal as you like. Keep in mind that just because you include a particular fact or detail doesn't necessarily mean it will make it into a feature or television movie, if you end up selling your story.
• While your life is chronological, it may not follow the same lines a story would. Think about a story you've heard or a movie you've seen that had a good story line, and map your life story out along similar lines.
• A standard movie is broken into three acts, with the characters in the story following a similar trajectory. You may not think of the people in your life as characters, but in the movie of your life story they would be.
• Pull out episodes or events from your memory that will serve as a build-up to the ultimate climactic event. Those will make up the first act of your story.
• The climax will be the pivotal moment or event that provoked some sort of change, or from which you learned some sort of lesson.
• The third act of your story will encompass those events that draw together the climax and provide closure to the entire story.

• Think about a summation of the life story you want to tell in terms of how you would tell it to a friend with whom you were having a cup of coffee or a drink.
• The synopsis includes the entire story – the beginning, the middle, and the end – in a very brief way without a lot of details.
• Don't worry if you're not a strong writer – it's not as though the synopsis is going to be published. Simply focus on using active language to describe what happens in the story of your life.
• Write your synopsis in the third person, and strive to take yourself out of the story as much as possible and look at it from the standpoint of someone else who doesn't know you.
• Think about the aspects of your life that would be interesting or gripping to other people – those are the points you want to highlight in your synopsis.

• One way to think of a logline is as the punchline to a joke – only without the joke. This is a sentence or two that's going to tell the producers to whom you pitch what your story is about and what viewers ultimately should get out of it.
• Imagine if you overheard a punchline but never heard the joke itself. A good punchline would intrigue you and make you want to hear the joke so you could laugh along with everybody else. This is the same thing you're striving to do with your logline: make the producers want to see (meaning make) the whole movie.
• You can find examples of these sorts of summaries on many of the film sites online, such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes. Read the short summaries of movies you know to get a feel for the type of logline you can use for your life story.
• It can help to think about the genre of the story you're trying to tell – would it be a thriller, an adventure, or a romantic comedy? Your logline should be angled toward that genre.
• Keep in mind that some stories have elements of several genres, which would lend themselves to several loglines that emphasize each of those themes in turn. If you can't sell your story as a romantic comedy, for example, you might be able to sell it as a drama.

Protecting Your Rights

• Particularly if some event in your life has garnered local – or even national – media attention, you may have already received calls from people interested in buying your life rights.
• Under no circumstances should you so much as contemplate making a deal with someone to produce your life story without at least talking to an attorney.
• Not only can a good copyright attorney help you protect your rights before you start trying to sell your life story to a producer, they can review contracts and make sure you're going to get what you want and be fairly represented in any deal you sign.
• If you don't know any copyright or intellectual property attorneys, start your search on the website of your state or local bar association. There should be a searchable directory of attorneys licensed to practice in your area.
• Most bar associations also have an intellectual property section for attorneys who specialize in that area of law, so it's a good idea to focus on members of that section.
• Don't worry about trying to find a lawyer in L.A. or New York City (unless that's where you happen to live) – a local attorney will be easier for you to keep in touch with and may have lower rates.

• You can find examples of life rights contracts online, or if you've hired an attorney they may have a few samples to go over with you.
• Keep in mind that when you sign a life rights contract to sell your life story, this means the producer – or the writers or directors they hire – will have the right to change various aspects of your story if they believe it would make a stronger film.
• By selling your life rights, you lose the ability to sue the producer or anyone else associated with the film for defamation or invasion of privacy if you end up having problems or disagreements with the way your life is portrayed on film.
• These are serious issues that you should think long and hard about before you decide you want to sell your life story to a producer. While you may have some control over the story, in most cases you'll have to give up all rights or the producer will simply walk.

• You can register your outline (also known in film circles as a "treatment") and synopsis for copyright protection by visiting the U.S. Copyright Office's website at copyright.gov.
• If you file your application online, copyright registration is only $35 and protects the words themselves as you've written them, as well as derivative works.
• This means no one can make a film based on your outline or synopsis without your permission, or you can sue them for copyright infringement.
• Keep in mind you can't sue anyone for copyright infringement in federal court unless you have a registered copyright.
• Since it's your life story, you may have a state lawsuit for invasion of privacy or defamation, depending on the content of the film. However, if you got significant publicity as a result of the events that are recounted in the film, you have a higher burden of proof that is substantially more difficult to meet than the burden of proof for private individuals.
• These written materials also can be registered with the Writer's Guild of America for a similar amount of money, which provides them with additional protection in the film community.
• While registration may be one of the simplest and cheapest things you do to protect your story, it also may turn out to be the most important – especially as you start sharing your story with producers you hope will adapt it for film.

Selling Your Story

• Many movies or television specials based on true life stories happen because the producers optioned the film rights for a biography or autobiography that was already a bestseller.
• For this reason, it's almost always a good bet if you want to sell your life story to a producer to get it out in print first.
• A bestselling book may seem out of your reach, but you may be able to hire a ghost writer and put out a self-published book for a few thousand dollars.
• If a book seems out of your reach, you might want to look to local or regional interest publications to start garnering media attention for your story.
• Build a presence on social media and attract friends and followers with tales from your life that you'd ultimately like to see made into a movie.
• Keep in mind that producers ultimately are fairly conservative people when it comes to buying stories and making movies. The more you can demonstrate that there's already a proven demand for you and your story, the better chance you have of selling your life story to a producer.

• For example, if you want to write the screenplay, it might be a good idea to go ahead and get started. You probably will have better odds getting a producer to bite if there's already a script, even if it's one that will need a lot of work.
• If there are specific actors you imagine playing roles in the movie of your life story, you might want to consider getting in touch with their agents and getting them on board with the project first. It can be good to have someone "inside Hollywood" in your corner, not to mention the fact that actors often produce movies as well.
• Generally speaking, you'll have a better chance at selling your story if you've got something – whether that's a particular actor who's attached or a working screenplay – than if you've got nothing but an idea.
• If you want control over the movie or a final okay on the finished product, you probably will have to settle for less money in exchange.
• You also should keep in mind that producers typically will be reticent to have any significant degree of input from someone with little to no knowledge or experience in making movies.

• For example, if you're a middle-aged woman who has gone through a harrowing or traumatic relationship or life crisis, you may want to try your luck with television networks such as Lifetime that frequently produce television movies based on true life stories.
• To find producer's names, look up films that are similar to the film you think could be made from your life story. Find out the production companies and the names of the producers, then search for ways to query them.
• You'll want to build a lengthy list of producers to whom you want to pitch before you start, because you have to assume that most, if not all, of them won't even respond to your initial pitch.

• Never send a full script, or even a synopsis, to a producer or anyone else unsolicited. Thick packages containing scripts often will simply be thrown in the trash unopened, because no one wants to risk being exposed to the content and potentially ending up in a copyright infringement lawsuit because they produce an unrelated film with substantially similar elements.
• Introduce yourself in your cover letter, provide your logline and maybe another sentence or two about your life story – but that's it. The shorter, the better.
• Include a sentence or two describing the publicity you've received as a result of your story, either in the press or through a published biography.
• Close your letter by encouraging the person to whom you're writing to contact you if they're interested in hearing more, and then wait for them to come to you.
• If you have newspaper clippings, you may want to include a copy of one or two short stories to show the level of public interest in your story.
• Be prepared to send many of these letters out and never hear anything back from anyone. You may want to follow up by making a phone call or sending an email, but don't hound them.
• If you don't hear anything back, it's safe to assume they're not interested. Strike that name off your list and move on to the next one.

Selling an Option

• Option contracts can be a great way to earn money without having to give up all the rights in your life story (unless the option is exercised).
• However, option contracts take your ability to advertise and sell your product elsewhere for a specific period of time. Some producers will purchase options on works to simply take them off the market so it can't be made by someone else. [13] X Research source

• See what plans the producer has for your project. Ask about the sort of budget the producer thinks is feasible. Ask for the producer's thoughts on casting. The more answers the producer has, the more serious they are about making the project a reality.
• Try to find out what other projects the producer has options on with a similar subject matter. If the producer already holds rights to a project similar to yours., they may want to purchase an option to shut your project down.

• Most option contracts also include a provision allowing the producer to extend the option period for another year. In some cases, your contract might include multiple extension periods. [14] X Research source
• A common option provision might state: "The option shall be effective during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending one year later (the “Initial Option Period”). The Initial Option Period may be extended for an additional six months by payment of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) on or before the Initial Option Period expiration date."

• When you agree on an amount, it will be paid when the option contract is signed. This amount will either be folded into the purchase price (if the producer exercises their option) or will be separate. In general, the first option payment is often folded into the purchase price while subsequent extension payments are not.
• A common price provision may look like this: "In consideration of payment of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), Writer hereby grants the Producer a six (6) month exclusive option to purchase all motion picture, television, ancillary and exploitation rights in and to the Property, in order to develop and produce an original motion picture based on the Property, provided that any sums paid under this Section shall be credited against the first sums payable on account of such purchase price."

• Your exercise provision might read: "Producer may exercise this Option at any time during the Option Period, as it may be extended, by giving written notice of such exercise to Owner and delivery to Owner of the Purchase Price."

• "If the Producer does not timely exercise the option during its original or extended term, the option shall terminate and all rights in the Property shall immediately revert to the Writer. The Writer shall retain all sums paid."

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://johnaugust.com/2004/selling-a-story-if-youre-not-a-screenwriter
• ↑ https://www.earlytorise.com/how-to-sell-movie-ideas-to-hollywood/
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/learn-how-to-write-a-synopsis-like-a-pro
• ↑ https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/hiring-copyright-attorney.html
• ↑ https://www.marklitwak.com/purchasing-life-story-rights.html
• ↑ https://www.indiewire.com/2013/08/how-to-develop-a-pitch-an-excerpt-from-the-hollywood-pitching-bible-35788/
• ↑ https://filmmakermagazine.com/76650-how-to-find-a-producer/#.V3x-Aldr2Ao
• ↑ https://scriptmag.com/features/producers-pov-how-and-where-should-i-pitch-my-tv-show
• ↑ https://www.filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-entrepreneurs/idea-for-movie/
• ↑ https://www.dklex.com/options-for-plays-musicals-motion-pictures-and-television-programs.html
• ↑ https://lehmannstrobel.com/articles/acquiring-story-rights/

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How To Write a Biopic

If you're getting bogged down thinking about what to write , you might consider crafting a biopic. But, what is it and how do you write a biopic? The biopic - or biographical motion picture - is one of the most straightforward films to plot in terms and structure. It's often a clear as the hero's journey .

How to write a biopic

But you need to make many other practical considerations, from securing the rights to any book on which the film is based to historical research and moral questions about balancing truth and accuracy with an exciting and dramatic plot.

What is a biopic?

What is a biopic? A biopic is a film that tells the story of someone's life, a character study . The film can be an accurate, embellished or partially fictionalized account.

Biopics of famous people are standard, but biopics can also depict the lives of ordinary people whose achievements are not widely known.

They are often based on a property - a bestselling biography or autobiography. But this is not a requirement.

Since biopics are based partly on real-life, they require some historical research and knowledge of the subject. Savvy viewers or those familiar with the subject and biopic genre conventions will feel cheated if too many vital details are missing or the film feels sloppy.

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom - the political biopic

One of the best biopic examples is Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , based on the former South African President's own 1994 autobiography. This is a political biopic.

Political biopics dramatize the real-life struggles of political or heroic figures and thus humanize their achievements. They help educate as well as entertain.

Biopics based on autobiographies don't attempt to give us a rounded view of what happened; they aim to convey the point of view of the person whose story we are telling.

This is a criticism that historian Dr. Vincent Hiribarren , a lecturer in world history at King's College London, leveled at Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , in an interview with BBC History magazine:

"...the film was mainly based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography. So, yes, it clearly depicted Mandela's understanding of the apartheid years. Or, at least, what he wanted to let us know. As the film is not based on Mandela's life but on Mandela's own words, criticism leveled at Mandela's autobiography can also be directed at the film."

Key scenes rouse us and help us see Mandela as a hero who risked his life for the struggle against apartheid, including his " prepared to die " speech. He stated his willingness to face the death penalty at his trial for sabotage and organizing against the Apartheid regime.

We also see the triumphs of Mandela. He is released from prison, and we also see him sworn in as president .  

The key to writing a good biopic is not necessarily to write a balanced script but one that conveys the point of view of the subject; we must understand their motives and how events played out for them.

The personal as political - Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour is another political film that takes us into the heart of a character who changed the course of history, Winston Churchill.

Once again, we see his point of view from his accession to power in 1940 until the start of the Blitz, which helps us understand the history of Britain in World War II through his lens. The conflict of the film is both internal and external.

Churchill, faced with Germany's continuing invasion of Europe and no assistance from the United States, is conflicted about whether to fight on even in the face of seemingly impossible odds or to negotiate a peace with Germany as parliament and his rival Lord Halifax prefers, to prevent extensive loss of life.

We, as viewers, know how Churchill's plans will turn out if we decide to continue fighting because we have the benefit of hindsight. The mark of an excellent historical film is that it places us at that moment and makes us realize that the decisions he took - which might seem obvious to us - were not as straightforward at the time.

If you are writing a biopic of a historical figure, consider the relationship between history and your character. What does this character say about contemporary opinions? Think also about what it says about the time in which you are writing.

Top tip: Try not to research too heavily before you've put pen to paper. You may feel tempted to try and squeeze in every last detail you can. This can be jarring to the reader. If you're not sure of a particular historical fact, write a note for yourself, and you can always research this yourself later.

Adaptations of memoirs - Lion

Biopics don't necessarily have to be based on heroic or political figures. These might be harder to write since so much has already been written about these characters before.

Instead, you can find a person who has an extraordinary story that would interest a broad audience. How do you determine what makes an exceptional story?

Like stories, a biopic must have a strong enough conflict and enough twists and turns for it to be interesting to the reader. With the rise of self-publishing and social media, many people now promote their own stories, but there might not be enough commercial interest in such biographies. They might think they are interesting, but they aren't. How do you get around this?

First of all, you can choose a story to adapt with a gripping enough conflict and hook. Lion, starring Dev Patel, and based on the autobiography of Saroo Brinkley, A Long Way Home is a great example. It tells the story of five-year-old Saroo from an impoverished village in rural India who is separated from his mother at age 5, getting lost on a random train.

Unable to correctly remember the name of his village, he is finally taken into care in India before being adopted by an Australian family. Years later, by the power of the internet, he manages to track down his long-lost family.

The story has a gripping hook, a likable main character, and a great climax and resolution.

Alternatively, you can choose the life story of someone and embellish it, adding in extra twists and turns and, if necessary, changing some of the names. Remember, though, simply changing the names of characters in an existing book doesn't give you license to use it purchasing the rights.

Property and copyright issues

If you are basing your biopic on a book - either self-published or published - then you must enter into negotiations for the book's rights before you start writing your script. Otherwise, it could be a wasted effort, and another writer or company could turn the book into a script before you.

Traditionally published authors usually grant their book's film and TV rights to their agent, not their publisher, who can negotiate a deal on their behalf. Self-published authors generally retain these rights themselves.

If the book has been successful - a New York Times bestseller, for instance - these rights could be valuable, and you could face stiff competition to secure them. It would be unlikely to succeed if you have no previous background in scriptwriting and no established relationship with the author or agent.

With a less successful book, you may struggle to find a TV or film executive willing to take on your script when you pitch it . This is because the book - and therefore the story - has not been proven to be commercially viable. There's a greater risk for them there.

Remember that agents and writers don't usually sell the rights to their works to a screenwriter or production company. Instead, they give the production company or the writer an 'option' for a fixed period .

This is where the writer or agency rents out the rights for a fixed non-refundable fee. Production goals and financing goals are usually attached as a condition of the lease period continuing. If the production company, for instance, doesn't get the green light for the film or doesn't reach the production stage within a year, then the rights revert to the agent or the writer.

Consider these issues carefully before you embark on turning a book into a biopic. Make sure turning the biography into a film is a viable option before you part with your cash or your time.

Ready to write your biopic?

Writing a biopic can be a great writing exercise. Now that you understand how to write one, try out our screenwriting software for free today and get started writing your next masterpiece.

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Harry is a professional writer. His first novel The Talk Show was published in the U.S and the U.K by Bloodhound Books in 2021 and he is currently working on adapting it for screen. He's also written for Media Magazine - a UK magazine for students of A-level Film, Media and Television Studies. In addition, he was a senior ghostwriter at Story Terrace from 2015- 2021, the private memoir firm.

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How to Write a Biopic Screenplay — Research & Writing TIps

W riting a biopic screenplay can present an enormous challenge for even the most veteran screenwriters. That’s because biopics often involve legal and circumstantial challenges that aren’t an issue with other forms. Don’t fear though: we’re going to show you how to write a biopic screenplay step-by-step. By the end, you’ll be ready to write a biopic screenplay either as a spec, or a script intended for production. 

Watch: Anatomy of a Screenplay — Ultimate Guide

Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.

How to Write a Biopic

Start with a subject.

Before we break down how to write a film bio, perhaps we should ask the question: what is a biopic ? A biopic, short for biographical picture, is a movie about a person’s life. The primary subject of a biopic doesn’t have to be a celebrity; it could be a mailman who saved a child from a burning building, an accountant who accidentally discovered an embezzlement scheme, or a high school football coach who rallied a small-town together – it doesn’t matter.

The only thing that does matter is that your primary subject did something extraordinary within the setting of your story. 

The vast majority of biopics are about people who are at least somewhat famous. That doesn’t mean your biopic has to be about Winston Churchill or some other legendary figure. It can also be about somebody who achieved fame for doing something extraordinary in their field. Take Susannah Grant’s Erin Brockovich screenplay for example: the title subject became famous for her role in the Pacific Gas and Electric class action lawsuit.

How to Write a Biopic Screenplay  •  Erin Brockovich Trailer

Erin Brockovich is proof that you can write a viable biopic screenplay about an unknown subject so long as they were involved in something extraordinary. Erin Brockovich grossed nearly five times its budget at the box-office, was nominated for four Academy Awards and won Best Actress for Julia Roberts.

How to Write a Film Bio

Research is everything.

After you decide on a subject for your biopic, you should begin formal research. Remember: it is of the utmost importance that you find reputable sources during your research. But what is a reputable source?

Well, it’s never a bad idea to start with the horse’s mouth. Find out everything you can from the primary subject whether by talking to them, watching interviews or reading their content. If they’re dead, try to contact business contacts, estates, etc. When you get information on a subject from someone closely associated with them, we call that a primary source.

There are a myriad of strategies to use when researching a biopic, but  remember that the number one most important thing is organization.

WRITING A BIOPIC

Write the script.

Now that you’ve completed your research, dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s, you’re ready to start writing the script. Before you begin, review the proper  screenplay formatting guidelines  so that your script will comply with the industry standards. You can reference back to this article throughout writing to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.

Biopic genre screenplays are generally 90-120 pages, but some are much longer than the industry standard. We imported the  Lawrence of Arabia  script into  StudioBinder’s screenwriting software  to get a better idea of the breadth of an epic biopic. In this excerpt, you’ll notice that dialogue plays an essential role in relaying  exposition and character.

How to Write a Film Bio  •   Read the Lawrence of Arabia Script

Two things should be noted about the Lawrence of Arabia script: the first is that if you’re serious about writing a biopic screenplay, you should read it. The second is that this draft is the shooting script – so be mindful that all of the camera movements and transitions you see shouldn’t be in your screenplay. That may be a relief to hear, considering that the Lawrence of Arabia shooting script is over 260 pages long!

Now that we’ve taken a look at a classic biopic, let’s look for inspiration from something more contemporary. Steven Zaillian has written a few of the greatest biopics of all-time, like American Gangster   and Schindler’s List – but his 2019 The Irishman script might be the most famous of them all.

Let’s take a look at a quick video that explains some of Zaillian’s strategy for writing the script for The Irishman .

How to Write a Biopic Screenplay  •  The Irishman Screenwriting Strategy

As Zaillian says, “I had never read anywhere else that Hoffa couldn’t stand for somebody to be late but those details became an important part of scenes.” This teaches us an essential lesson about writing biopics; which is: sometimes we learn essential aspects of character from the most unlikely of circumstances. So as you write, incorporate all the weird intricacies you can find. Say your subject drinks tomato juice every morning – that’s something you want to put in the script. These are things that stick with us because they create specificity.

How to Write a Biopic Screenplay: Step 4

Check your facts and legal options.

Now is the point where you have to consider whether you want to leverage your biopic as a “portfolio piece” or a spec script for sale. The good news is that whatever you decide, your decision isn’t binding. No matter what, you’re always going to be able to keep the script in your portfolio to show off to prospective employers. But if you’re dead-set on getting your script in a producer’s hands, here’s what you need to know.

1. Be mindful of optioning  

If you choose to adapt your screenplay from a book about a subject, then you’re going to need to get an option. The book publisher technically has the rights to the story and they will need to agree to lease the rights for the film adaptation; whether that’s directly to you or the studio you sold the spec script to.

Biopic Genre Films  •  What Screenwriters Should Know About Optioning

2. get the blessing of the subject  .

No matter which way you cut it, you’re going to want to get the blessing of your primary subject. In the film Stronger , the primary subject Jeff Bauma helped promote the film.

How to Write a Film Bio  •  Jake Gyllenhaal Playing Jeff Bauma in Stronger

If the subject has passed, then you’re going to want to get the blessing of their estate or closest living relatives. 

3. Distribute works cited  

It may sound trite to say that you should attach a “works cited” or bibliography with your biopic, but you should attach a works cited or bibliography with your biopic. This will show producers that you took your research seriously.

How to Write a Biopic Screenplay  •  Why citations are so Important

4. pursue different avenues  .

There isn’t just one way to get your biopic produced; there are dozens. Consider submitting your script to organizations like The Black List – there you’ll be able to share your story with other aspiring and professional writers. 

How to Write a Film Bio  •  How an Underground Script List Changed Movies

Contact scholars on the subject in a clear and polite manner – the worst they can do is not respond. And if worst comes to worst, put the script on the back-burner and come back to it later.

How to Write Everyday

Writing a biopic screenplay requires an insane amount of work. For you to be successful, you need to be a disciplined writer. In this next article, we break down some tips and tricks for becoming a more disciplined writer, by exploring how to build productive habits. By the end, you’ll be ready to write everyday in a surgical manner.

Up Next: Successful Habits for Screenwriters →

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How can a studio make a biographic film like The Social Network?

Do the film makers take permission of all the real people (that were portrayed in the film) before making the film?

If not, is it okay / legal for anyone to make such a film - considering that it portrays (down to using the real names of) people who are alive during the screening of the movie - especially if many of the parts of the film are " apparently " inaccurate?

I tried searching in relation to The Social Network and could not get any definite answer. What I got was this following quote from IMDB :

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not involved with this film adaptation of author Ben Mezrich's biographical novel 'The Accidental Billionaires', neither did he meet Jesse Eisenberg prior to, or during, the movie shoot.

2 Answers 2

No one owns the story of their own life. It is absolutely legal for people to write unauthorized biographies, make documentaries or dramas about someone without needing their permission. You do not need permission to portray a real person in a work of art such as a book or movie - this happens all the time.

As for accuracy, in most countries you have recourse to the law if you think you have been libeled by someone in a work of art. However the level of proof and the necessity to demonstrate damage to your reputation may be high depending on the country you attempt to do this in - it is for example easier to claim libel in the UK compared to the USA. Freedom of speech is enshrined in law in many countries and works against rights to privacy or being libeled.

Finally it is often simply not worth fighting something like this, the negative publicity of trying to stifle the creator of a work of art can at times be considerable. Taking to the courts to defend your privacy can draw attention to your situation or your discomfort more .. see the Streisand Effect .

The fact that this book and the movie are about a lawsuit, would make any defamation claim that might be brought by Mark Z even bigger news - therefore likely to be worse publicity, even if he could prove libelous damage against him. Given that he is a very successful businessman, it is probably not worth his time and effort pursuing it.

• Thank you for your answer. So as I understand it, Mark Zuckerberg was probably never consulted nor gave permission to make this film. The only reason he probably wouldn't sue is that it would be too much of an effort for him. However, this seems like a pretty big risk that the filmmaker might have taken. Also, thank you for pointing out the Streisand Effect :) Learnt something new today! –  saurabhj Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:30
• @saurabhj - no problem. I am sure that Mark did not approve the movie. Thanks for the question. –  iandotkelly ♦ Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:36
• 1 @saurabhj - the movie was adapted from a book called The Accidental Billionaires which was written by Ben Mezrich. One of his primary sources was Eduardo Saverin, one of the four co-founders of Facebook and one of the people who has lawsuits against Facebook (it was settled out of court). –  djmadscribbler Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 16:01
• @saurabhj - the fact that the movie is about a lawsuit, probably makes it even harder for Mark Z to make any sort of serious claim against it... it would simply be too big a news story. Better to largely ignore it. –  iandotkelly ♦ Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 16:14
• @saurabhj - and there is no guarantee he would win. In many cases it might be his word vs someone else. As I understand it, in the US courts you have to prove that you are libelled, and then that you have suffered material damage to reputation - i.e. you've lost money, but questions on that are probably best asked on a legal site, not a movie site. –  iandotkelly ♦ Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 21:15

It's possible to libel living people, as Metro­GoldwynMayer discovered in 1934 when Princess Irina Alexandrovna Youssoupoff sued them for defamation over Rasputin and the Empress , claiming "she was clearly recognizable in the film as Princess Natasha, whose intended, Prince Chegodiefl, murders "the mad monk" in a palace on the Moika River." MGMy were found guilty and heavily fined.

After this, film makers began claiming their films were entirely fictional, whether they were or not. Natalie Zemon Davis said on 12 April 1987 at Duke University during the Fifth Annual Patricia Wise Lecture of the American Film Institute:

Since 1934, any number of films have used some version of this disclaimer: "The events and characters depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental." Raging Bull has the formula at its end, even though its subject, Jake LaMotta, is listed as a consultant and the film is remarkable in its evocation of the boxing milieu and the constraints of manliness in Italo­American families of the 1950s. Platoon also has the formula at its end; yet it is based on the experiences of the director, Oliver Stone, in Vietnam. It has even been praised by veterans, among them a career Marine writing in the New York Times , for "its authentic portrayal of infantrymen." And Andrzej Wajda's Danton , after the guillotine has done its work and the credits have told who played the various revolutionaries and who served as historical consultant, flashes its final message (or at least it does in the American version): "The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any resemblance to the names, character, or history of any person is coincidental and unintentional." Clearly, the "coincidence" and "fictitious" disclaimers are in. adequate summaries of the truth status of many films to which they are appended. Nor do they fully protect against a defamation suit, as the makers of the World War II movie They Were Expendable were to learn when sued by Commander Robert Kelly in 1948, and as the makers of The Bell Jar learned when sued earlier this year.

As for The Social Network , Jim Emerson says on the Chicago Sun-Times scanners blog :

So, as with any work of fiction or nonfiction based on historical events, whether it's Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" or Bob Woodward's latest book ("The Social Network" was fictionalized from accounts in the "nonfictionish" book "The Accidental Millionaires" by Ben Mezrich), Fincher and Assayas's films are fictions that derive much of their texture from precise observations of time and place, even if the characters' personalities and interactions are matters of artistic license. That's art. (And forget about eyewitness accounts; they're about as likely to be "accurate" as something the filmmakers just made up.) For legal as well as artistic reasons, there's also this familiar-sounding mantra, quoted from the end credits of "The Social Network": While this story is inspired by actual events, certain characters, characterizations, incidents, locations and dialogue were fictionalized or invented for purposes of dramatization. With respect to such fictionalization or invention, any similarity to the name or to the actual character or history of any person, living or dead, or any product or entity or actual incident is entirely for dramatic purposes and not intended to reflect on any actual character, history, product or entity.

In other words, the filmmakers are saying: "Yes, we know exactly what kind of beer the real Zuckerberg drank on that particular occasion and what sandals he wore and, no, we don't care that he actually had a girlfriend all through college and is still with her at the time of this movie's release. We have decided to include the former details and not the latter because this is the movie we want to make."

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How to Write a Great Biopic: Pitfalls Screenwriters Should Avoid

How to Write a Biopic: Pitfalls Screenwriters Should Avoid

From BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY to JUDY, the biopic is a seriously popular modern movie genre. But having such a concrete story to work from in the telling of someone’s life isn’t always as carefree as it seems.

With the number of biopics increasing, also on the rise are the clichés and easy options for the screenwriters writing them. Familiar patterns have emerged that don’t always feel the most effective ways for creating drama around the famous protagonist.

In screenwriting , the biopic can be a great way to test your skills – taking a ready made story and putting it through the grinder of a feature length script.

So what are the key points to remember when coming to write a biopic?

Make Your Biopic More Than a Wikipedia Page

The research for your biopic might come in many different forms.

It might be detailed and exhaustive before you start, with you spending your time in libraries or archives.

Or you might be learning as you write, finding as much as you can online or in books, youtube clips or documentaries.

Vitally important to remember though is that you are writing drama . Too often writers fall back on the luxury of having a ready-made plot in the facts of the protagonist’s life.

Where is the drama in your biopic?

A film has to be more than just a comprehensive overview of the protagonist’s life from A to Z.   In researching factual events it can be seductive to merely feature and represent them.

However, as a screenwriter it is your job to find and convey drama. Otherwise, what is the difference between your representation of the facts and the Wikipedia page doing the same thing?

So what are the potential ways of avoiding falling into such traps?

• Search for both the external and internal conflict for the protagonist. 
• Don’t feel the pressure to get across every fact. Pick and choose the moments that feel important and relevant to the story you are trying to tell.
• Have a driving purpose. What’s the point of this biopic? What’s the movie theme ? What does the story of their life have to say thematically?
• If the character was not famous, would this story and the way you are telling it be interesting?

Your decision to dramatise your famous protagonist’s life should be justified by drama being present .  

What distinguishes your dramatisation from a potential documentary about the same subject?

Asking these questions may help you find the drama and conflict present in your chosen character’s story and provide the way to dramatic, cinematic storytelling.

Judy Trailer #2 (2019) | Movieclips Trailers Watch this video on YouTube

Don’t make your main character the only character.

Your chosen protagonist might be a real force of nature like Martin Luther King or someone who personifies charisma like Judy Garland. 

However, no man or woman is an island.

• Who are the characters that surrounded your protagonist?
• Are those characters well known too?
• Are they unheralded but essential presences lurking in the background of the protagonist’s life?

Whilst a biopic is a great way of getting to grips with a strong lead character, it can also be a great way of exploring subsidiary characters.

These characters might have less time spent on them. However, the time they get they make the most of. Such characters will typically play a decisive role in the main character’s life. For example, t hink McCartney to Lennon or George W.Bush to Dick Cheney . 

In a prestige picture these supporting characters can also provide important roles for character actors who excel outside the lead role.

• Is there a role within your biopic that has enough meat for an actor to get into. One that could get them a supporting role nomination?

It might seem cynical to think so long term.

But really it’s just about putting meat on the bones of your script. This meat will give the creative team, and consequently audiences, something to get their teeth into.

There might be a juicy main meal inherent in the story but who can be the delicious sides to compliment the main dish?

Don’t Overthink Your Audience

Your famous protagonist might come with their own ready-made audience.

• They might be the lead singer of a famous band, with a dedicated and loyal following (think Freddie Mercury and Queen).
• They might be a well known politician or public figure (think Dick Cheney or Neil Armstrong ).

Whatever your subject’s fame or popularity, you need to find a balance in not patronising the audience in telling them about the character and not taking what they might know for granted.

You run the risk of straying into Wikipedia territory again if you stick too rigidly to getting across the facts of the character’s life. However, you also want to make the story informative for those seeking to learn about this character.

So what to look out for and potentially avoid?

• Too many in-jokes or references that only the most dedicated fans will understand. One or two of these sly references are fine. However, overwhelm your script with such references and you risk alienating many potential audiences.
• Overly expositional dialogue or scenes where the sole purpose is to inform of a key moment or event. Such moments and events might be crucial to the character’s life but they also need to be moving the story on at all times.
• Relying on the perceived power and popularity of the subject at hand.

On this last point, for example, a song might be beloved and powerful. But hearing a version performed by the actor playing the singer is not the same as hearing the actual thing.

• So always think – what is this moment revealing to the audience about the character that real life footage cannot?
• What can the actor get across to an audience that isn’t present in real life footage of a performance?

Rocketman (2019) - Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures Watch this video on YouTube

Don’t take your structure for granted.

The three act structure feels particularly appealing when it comes to depicting someone’s life. After all, a life always has a beginning, a middle and an end.

And indeed, this linear approach can certainly be effective within film.

However, don’t take it for granted that your character’s life has to be told in such a linear way. There might be an alternative screenplay structure that is more potent in conveying the character’s life and experiences.

For example:

• Could you start at the end of the character’s life and work backwards?
• Would flashbacks between the past and present be effective in the telling of the story?
• Would using a fourth-wall break so the character can narrate to the audience be effective?

If employing an alternative structure just make sure there is thematic justification for using it.

• For example, if jumping back and forth from the present to the past, are the two equally matched dramatically speaking?
• Or if using a fourth-wall break, does potential narration and intimacy with the audience reveal something important about the character?

Biopics With a Difference

Whilst many biopics seem to follow a familiar formula, there are those that break the mould.

Let’s look briefly at three examples of biopics that do something a little different within the genre…

‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’

Melissa McCarthy takes the lead role in the 2018 bio about writer Lee Israel , Can You Ever Forgive Me? The film is a snapshot of biographer Lee Israel’s life and of a time which came to define her.

When down on her luck as a writer, Lee turns to forging famous letters. In this she finds a lucrative new source of income in the face of mounting bills.

• The film doesn’t need to give a whole overview of Lee Israel’s life, as so much is said by catching her in this difficult and pivotal time in her life.
• We are given clues as to her background, life and career without having to see these things represented literally.

Just the messy state of her apartment gives us a clue into the life she has been living as well as to her mental state.

The piles of books, the way she neglects her health, her relationship with her cat. These behaviours tell us a great deal about her life.

‘I’m Not There’

Todd Haynes’ 2007 biography of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There , is possibly the most unconventional biopic ever made. Six different actors, from Christian Bale to Cate Blanchett, play the famous musician.

• These differing depictions of Dylan are never intended to be literal. Instead, they seek to represent different facets of his public persona.
• Often these versions of Dylan aren’t explicitly highlighted as being him but hinted as being Dylan like characters.

In this bold approach, the film aims to say something about Bob Dylan’s storytelling, as well as about fame and the public persona of an artist.

The film shows just how far from a literal telling of a person’s life a biography can stray and yet still say something insightful about that person.

‘The Social Network’

David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin ‘s 2010 film The Social Network, about the genesis of Facebook, is a biopic responding to the place that Facebook holds in contemporary culture.

Even though Facebook has moved on substantially since The Social Network premiered, the film perfectly captures a moment in time within American culture. The portrayal of Mark Zuckerburg is a cipher for this moment in time.

• The film doesn’t waste time giving us much of an idea of Mark’s backstory. We meet and see Mark when we need to.
• The portrayal of Mark sums up a generation of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, rather than being strictly factual and linear about Mark’s life.

Whilst this provoked some notable objections , it perhaps explains why the film is still so resonant even if its relevance has faded.

The film asserts that Mark Zuckerburg didn’t just found Facebook in 2004, he is 2004.

In Conclusion

Yes, a biopic is an attractive prospect for a screenwriter . It comes with a readymade story, a strong protagonist and an in-built audience.

However, these attributes can often obscure the essentials elements of writing a script in the first place. These essentials are, chiefly, finding and representing drama.

As you’re getting to know your subject intimately, don’t just fall back on the obvious characteristics or actions that make them stand out.

Look closer and find the subtext beneath their famous personas and the drama that makes them tick.

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How to Make a Documentary: Step-by-step Guide

Starting your journey in documentary filmmaking can often feel overwhelming. It can be challenging knowing where to start. So in this blog, I'm going to share my 12 essential steps for making a documentary, filled with practical advice and insider tips to help you turn your idea into a compelling film.

Learn How To Make a Documentary With No Experience

Don't worry, you don't have to be a pro to make a documentary film. In fact, I started out just like you—with no experience and a lot of questions. Since then I’ve gone on to create documentaries that have won awards, sparked social change, and attracted high-paying clients (you can check out my work here ). And that's why I founded the Documentary Film Academy : to help beginners like you make their first documentary film.

To get started, I've put together a free filmmaking training which you can access here: 10 Secrets to Creating Cinematic Documentaries

Learn How To Make a Documentary: Step-by-step

By the time you finish reading this blog, you'll understand the steps you'll need to take to make a documentary from start to finish. I'll guide you through picking a story, filming it, and sharing it with others. I'll be focusing on how to tell a great story, even if you don't have any expensive camera equipment.

How To Make a Documentary: 12 Essential Steps for Beginners

1. documentary research.

The best documentaries are the ones that come from a personal place. So, before anything else, you need to find a story idea that gets you excited and has interesting characters.

Do some initial research online and in your local libraries and bookstores to get an idea of what's out there. But don't just read about stories—watch them too! Not only will this give you a better understanding of the kinds of films that excite you, but you'll also get some great ideas for your own project.

2. Choose a documentary narration style

I want to point out that there are many ways to categorise documentaries. 

For example, film critic and theorist Bill Nichols categorised docs into six modes - Poetic, Expository, Observational, Participatory, Reflexive and Performative. 

I could have just taught you these, but Nichols’ modes are written from an academic perspective and overlap narration style with subject matter and visual techniques, and for teaching purposes, I think it is simpler to explain each of these elements separately. 

So, instead, I have simplified Nichols’ modes down into four categories focussing purely on narration style as the distinguishing factor. 

So, let's get into it, here are the four main narration styles I use, when making a documentary:

• Interview-led documentaries are based on interviews with key people involved in the topic of the film. This type of documentary is typically used to explore a particular issue or event in depth.
• Presenter-led documentaries are narrated by a presenter, who guides the viewer through the story. They can be used to tell any kind of story, from historical dramas to travel vlogs.
• Observational-led documentaries are filmed entirely as if the viewer is an unseen observer, with no voiceover narration or interviews. This type of documentary is often used to capture reality in unscripted situations.
• Narrator-led documentaries use a narrator to guide the viewer through the film, often providing additional information and insights that wouldn't be possible in an observational or interview-led documentary.

It’s important to remember that often documentary films take elements from at least two, if not more of these styles. So when you’re looking for the best way to tell your story, don’t feel you’re limited to just one way of doing it.

Discover the pros and cons of each narration style here : Documentary Storytelling: Narration Style

3. Use a three-act documentary structure

Now that you have a good understanding of the documentary filmmaking process, it's time to start thinking about your story. The best way to start is by using the Three-act Structure.

The Three-act Structure is a classic storytelling model that divides your documentary into three parts: Act 1 (Setup) , Act 2 (Development) , and Act 3 (Climax & Resolution) . Each part has its own set of goals, which will help you map out the structure of your documentary.

For the beginning, your goal is to introduce your main characters and setting, and set up the conflict that will drive the rest of the film. In the middle, you'll explore the conflict in more depth, and introduce new characters and subplots. And for the end, you'll resolve the conflict and tie up all of the loose ends.

Dive deeper into documentary structure here: Master the Art of Documentary Storytelling in Three Acts

4. Find your documentary crew

Once you have your idea and equipment, the next step of documentary filmmaking for beginners is to find your team. You need to start assembling a group of like-minded individuals who are passionate about the topic you have chosen and can help make your project a success.

When looking for crew members, it's important to consider what skills and insight they can bring to the project. Are you looking for an editor? A sound recordist? A cinematographer? All of these people play a key role in creating a successful documentary film.

Learn more about how to find your film crew here: How to Find a Film Crew to Help You Make Your Documentary

5. Create a documentary treatment

After you have thoroughly researched the topic of your documentary and gained a well-rounded understanding of it, you can then begin putting together a treatment. Creating a treatment involves outlining the central focus and narrative of your documentary. It should include the main characters, key themes, what type of footage you want to capture, and any other information necessary to illustrate your vision.

A well-thought-out treatment is essential in helping you to organize your filming process, as it serves as an effective roadmap for when it comes time to begin shooting. It also gives potential crew members or collaborators an idea of what your documentary is going to look and feel like once it's completed.

You can learn more about how to create a documentary treatment here: How to Create a Compelling Documentary Treatment

6. Create a documentary schedule & budget

With the research and planning phase complete, it's time to create and stick to a schedule and budget. This is one of the most important steps in documentary filmmaking and sets the foundation for the rest of your project.

To put together your documentary schedule, break down each stage of production into manageable tasks that you can easily tackle in a set amount of time. Use any deadlines that are already in place as benchmarks, then plan out all necessary tasks from pre-production to post-production.

For creating your budget, consider things such as equipment rental, personnel costs, legal fees, travel expenses, etc. Make sure you add 10% of the total budget for any unexpected costs that may come up along the way. Having an estimated budget plan will help ensure you stay on track and on budget throughout production.

7. Choose camera equipment for your documentary

I’ve seen so many filmmakers starting out getting completely stressed out about what camera to buy to help them make their documentary and they hope it’s going to be a shortcut to improving their skills and validating themselves as a filmmaker. But the truth is, and I’m sure you’ve heard this before, it’s far more important to master your skills as a filmmaker than invest in an expensive camera. So use whatever camera you have available to you, whether that a mobile phone or your friends Mirrorless camera. But if you are looking to invest in a camera, you can get my free documentary camera guide here .

8. Start shooting your documentary

Once you’ve finished your preparation, it’s time to start filming. As you film, be sure to get a variety of shots from different angles and distances. I like to use something called the 5 shot rule to help with this:

• So first up you’ll want to film a close-up of your subject’s hands to show what is being done. 
• Then film a close-up shot of your subject’s face . 
• Then a wide shot shows where the scene is taking place . 
• Then an over-the-shoulder shot of your subject.
• And lastly, an unusual shot to show the scene unfolding - it’s up to you what camera angle you use. Just be creative with it, whether that means climbing up a tree to get a high angle, crawling on your belly to get a low angle or tilting your camera to get a dutch angle.

Using the five-shot rule will help you decide what angles to use when filming a scene, it’s especially useful if you have limited time to film. Once you’ve mastered the 5-shot rule, you can add, subtract and mix up the angles you use when filming a scene and start to develop your own visual style.

Keep in mind that even if your footage isn't perfect, don't worry – that's what editing is for! The goal here is just to capture enough material to make sure you can tell your story in the most compelling way possible.

9. write a paper edit for your documentary.

The next step in the documentary filmmaking process is to write a paper edit. This is the process of watching all of the footage you've shot and creating a paper edit. A paper edit is simply a written document that outlines the structure of your documentary film and includes notes about each scene. It's also where you can make notes about transitions, music, and sound.

Writing a paper edit can be time-consuming but it's an essential part of the filmmaking process. It will help you to stay organized and ensure that you have all of the footage you need for your documentary film before moving on to the editing stage.

10. Begin editing your documentary

Once you have all of your footage, it’s time to begin editing your documentary. This is where all the pieces and parts of your film come together to tell the story you want to tell. The process can be broken down into four steps: importing elements into the editing software, adding beats to the timeline, building the framework of your film, and refining and re-editing.

When you begin editing, start by importing all of your footage into your preferred editing software (I use Adobe Premiere Pro ). Once your elements are inside, you’ll want to get familiar with each clip and start building an overall structure for the documentary. As you work through this step, consider where each beat should go using the three-act structure and what order they should be presented in to create a compelling story.

Once you have a basic framework built out onto the timeline, it’s time to refine and re-edit the film until it’s ready for its big debut!

Dive deeper into documentary editing: 6 Steps to Editing a Powerful Documentary

11. Colour grade, choose music & design soundscape for your documentary

The next step in the documentary filmmaking process is color grading, music, and sound design. Once you’ve finished editing your film and have picture lock, it's time to give your documentary its final touch.

Color grading can make a huge difference in the look of your film by enhancing certain elements or creating a unique tone. With color grading, you can manually adjust the colors of your video to give it a desired look and feel.

After color grading comes music and sound design. You can find existing music or work with a composer to create a bespoke score for your documentary—and don't forget about sound effects! Sound design is essential for setting the mood and creating an immersive experience. This could mean adding ambiance or creating sound effects from scratch.

12. Market & share your documentary film

When you have your documentary all finished and ready to go, the next step is to get it out there! You’ll want to start marketing your documentary using social media, email blasts and other forms of outreach. Generating buzz around your film is key to getting people interested in watching it.

Next, you should consider submitting your film to festivals or putting it online for people to watch. There are a few different options available when it comes to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Vimeo, offering different levels of exposure and royalties. It all depends on what your end goal is with the film—do you want as many people as possible to see it? Or do you want to make money from it? Knowing this will help you decide which distribution route is best for you.

Documentary Filmmaking Checklist

Making your first documentary can be tough with so much to do and plan. It's easy to get lost and hard to know what to do next. That's why I've created an easy-to-follow  documentary filmmaking checklist . You can access it here: Documentary Filmmaking Checklist

How To Learn Documentary Filmmaking

So, now that you know the process of making a documentary, how do you learn to do all these things? Start by watching a variety of documentaries to grasp the core elements that captivate audiences. For structured learning, consider enrolling in a filmmaking course. At the Documentary Film Academy, we offer several, but for a comprehensive understanding of the entire documentary-making journey, our Documentary Fundamentals  course is ideal. Also, engaging with seasoned filmmakers can also provide invaluable insights and tips. Participate in filmmaker communities or groups to collaborate and exchange ideas. And get out there and practice by making your own films.

How Can I Start Making My Own Documentary?

Embarking on the journey of documentary filmmaking is a blend of passion, research, and technique. To create your own documentary, as I mentioned in this blog, start with a compelling story idea that deeply resonates with you. Dive into research, choose a narration style that best fits your vision, and structure your story using the classic three-act model. Assemble a dedicated crew, plan meticulously, and use the equipment at your disposal. Remember, it's not about having the most expensive camera gear but the story you're telling. Take the leap and just start with the gear and experience that you have. You'll make mistakes along the way, but each time you'll learn something new and it'll make you a better filmmaker. So just get started.

How To Make a Documentary By Yourself

In the age of digital storytelling, many beginner filmmakers ask, "Can I make a documentary by myself?" The answer is a resounding yes! With the advancement of technology, tools that were once exclusive to professional studios are now accessible to individual creators. Smartphones with high-resolution cameras, user-friendly editing software, and online platforms for research and distribution have democratised the filmmaking process. Making a documentary by yourself, however, requires more than just technical skills. It demands passion, dedication, and a clear vision. You'll wear many hats: researcher, producer, director, cinematographer, editor, and marketer. While the journey might be challenging, the ability to tell a story that's uniquely yours, without external influences, can be incredibly rewarding. However, despite the allure of going solo, it's always a good idea to seek help when needed. Collaborating with or seeking guidance from those with more experience can provide invaluable insights and elevate the quality of your work. So, if you're considering going solo, embrace the challenge, but don't hesitate to lean on the expertise of others to let your story shine!

Good luck and I can't wait to see what you create!

Written by Sebastian Solberg

Sebastian is an award-winnin g documentary filmmaker whose credits include   One Breath  and the BAFTA-nominated film  The Eagle Huntress .  His passion for fostering emerging talent led to the creation of the Documentary Film Academy, an online community and educational platform designed to empower the next generation of filmmakers.

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How to Write a Biography: A Step-by-Step Guide

By Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

What is a biography, a step-by-step guide to writing a biography, tips for how to write a great biography, conclusion on how to write a biography.

Writing a biography can be a rewarding endeavor, but it can also feel a bit daunting if you’ve never written one before.

Whether you’re capturing the life story of a famous person, a family member, or even yourself, creating a compelling biography involves a mix of thorough research, narrative skill, and a personal touch.

So, how exactly do you write a successful biography? 

In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials to help you craft a biography that’s both informative and engaging, as well as our top tips for how to make it truly shine.

A biography is a detailed account of someone’s life.

A well-written biography needs to be objective and accurate. At the same time, it needs to depict more than just the basic facts like birth, education, work, relationships, and death—it should also portray the subject’s personal experience of those events.

So, in addition to being a good researcher, a good biographer also needs to be a good storyteller. You should provide insights into the subject’s personality, motivations, and impact on the world around them.

What’s the Difference Between a Biography, a Memoir, and an Autobiography?

Understanding the distinctions between different genres of life writing is crucial for both writers and readers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences between a biography and other related genres.

Biography: a detailed account of a person’s life, usually written in the third-person POV and supported by extensive research 

Autobiography: a self-written account of the author’s own life, usually written in the first person POV and following a chronological order 

Memoir: a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events that took place in their life, usually in the first person POV and in an introspective and personal way

Narrative nonfiction: a book that tells true stories using the techniques of fiction writing, such as character development, narrative arc, and detailed settings

Best Biography Examples to Study

The best way to learn how to write well is to read other successful books within the genre you’re writing. 

Here are five great biographies to add to your reading list. For a longer list, check out our article on the 20 best biographies to read . 

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand: the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian and World War II hero.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: a comprehensive and engaging account of the Apple co-founder’s life.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: the biography that inspired the hit musical, providing a deep dive into Hamilton ’ s life and legacy.

Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford: a nuanced story that uncovers the family connection between the three Millay sisters and their mother.

Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston: the story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade.

As with writing any book, writing a biography is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s easier to think of it as a series of smaller steps than as one big challenge to tackle. 

Let’s break down the process step by step.

1. Choose Your Subject

Decide who you want to write about. It could be a well-known celebrity, a historical figure, or someone close to you.

In addition to figuring out who you’re writing about, this is also the step where you figure out why you want to write about them. Why is this a story worth telling, and what makes you interested in it? 

Maybe the subject of your biography overcame major hardships in life to achieve success, and that story will inspire others facing similar struggles. Or maybe they made a really unique contribution to the world that not enough people know about, and you want to shine a bigger spotlight on that impact.

Knowing why you’re telling this story will help you make the right decisions about how to research, outline, draft, and edit your biography.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding your target audience is a crucial step in writing a good biography. You should tailor your biography to the interests and knowledge level of your audience.

A biography for a general audience will differ from one written for experts in a particular field. For example, two biographies about Emily Dickinson would be vastly different if one is written for young children and the other is written for adult poets. 

3. Conduct Research

Dive deep into your research. Use a variety of sources to get a well-rounded view of your subject’s life. Take detailed notes and organize your findings.

Gather as much information as you can about your subject. This includes primary sources like interviews, letters, and diaries, as well as secondary sources such as books, articles, and documentaries.

Here are some primary sources to look for: 

Letters and diaries: These provide intimate insights into the subject’s thoughts, feelings, and daily life, and can often be found in family archives, libraries, and historical societies.

Birth, marriage, and death certificates: These documents can provide crucial dates and familial relationships.

Census data: Census records can provide demographic information and track changes over time.

Property records: These can reveal where the subject lived and owned property.

Employment and school records: These records offer formalized insights into the subject’s education and career.

Military records: If applicable, military records can provide information on service, ranks, and honors.

Photos and videos: Look for photographs and videos in public libraries, historical societies, online databases like the Library of Congress, and family photo albums.

Historical newspapers: Access archives of local and national newspapers for articles, interviews, and obituaries related to the subject.

Digital archives: Use online resources like ProQuest, Chronicling America, and newspaper databases available through public libraries.

You can also look for secondary sources, which provide more context and perspective, such as:

Existing biographies: Search for existing biographies and books about the subject or their era. How does your project stand out from the crowd? 

Academic articles and papers: Access journals through university libraries, which often have extensive collections of scholarly articles.

Documentaries and biographical films: You can often find these on streaming services or public television archives.

Websites and blogs: Look for reputable websites and blogs dedicated to the subject or related fields.

Social media platforms: The things people say on social media can offer insights into public perception about your subject.

Finally, you can also conduct your own interviews. Talk to the subject if they’re still alive, as well as their friends, family, and colleagues. You can ask them for personal anecdotes to add more color to your book, or more information to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. 

4. Ask Engaging Questions

Great biographers start from a place of curiosity. Before you start writing, you should know the answers to the following questions: 

What makes your subject’s story worth telling?

What was your subject’s childhood like? 

What were your subject’s early interests and hobbies?

What level of education did your subject achieve and where did they study?

What was your subject’s personality like?

What were their beliefs and values? 

How did your subject’s personality and beliefs change over time?

What were the major turning points in your subject’s life? 

How was your subject affected by the major political, cultural, and societal events that occurred throughout their life?  

What did their career path look like?

What were their major accomplishments? 

What were their major failures? 

How did they contribute to their field, their country, or their community?

Were they involved in any major controversies or scandals?

Who were the most important people in the subject’s life, such as friends, partners, or mentors?

If the subject is no longer living, how did they pass away?

What lasting impact did the subject leave behind? 

5. Create an Outline

An outline helps you structure your biography. You can write an extensive outline that includes every scene you need to write, or you can keep it simple and just make a list of high-level bullet points—whatever works best for your writing process. 

The best structure to use will depend on the shape of the story you’re trying to tell. Think about what your subject’s life looked like and what core messages you’re trying to leave the reader with.

If you want to keep things simple, you can simply go in chronological order. Tell the story from the birth of your subject to the death of your subject, or to the present day if this person is still living. 

You can also use a more thematically organized structure, similar to what you would find on a Wikipedia page. You could break your book down into sections such as major life events, personal relationships, core accomplishments, challenges, and legacy.

Or, if you want to be more creative, you can use a nonlinear story structure, jumping between recent events and older flashbacks based on which events feel thematically tied together. 

6. Write Your First Draft 

Now that you have an outline, it’s time to sit down and write your first draft.

Your opening chapters should hook the reader and give a preview of what’s to come. Highlight a compelling aspect of the subject’s life to draw readers in.

In your middle chapters, cover all the key events you need to include about your subject’s life and weave in themes and anecdotes that reveal their personality and impact.

In your final chapters, wrap up your biography by summarizing the subject’s legacy and reflecting on their overall significance. This provides closure and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Remember that it’s okay if your first draft isn’t perfect. Your goal is simply to get words down on the page so you have something to edit. 

7. Make Developmental Revisions

Now that you’re done with your first draft, it’s time to make big-picture revisions.

Review your biography for coherence and organization. Does the overall structure make sense? Are there any arcs or themes that aren’t given enough attention? Are there scenes or chapters that don’t need to be included? 

8. Make Line Edits

Once you’ve completed your developmental edits, it’s time to make smaller line edits. This is your time to edit for grammar, punctuation, and style.

Make sure you keep a consistent voice throughout the book. Some biographies feel more conversational and humorous, while others are serious and sophisticated. 

To get through your editing faster, you can run your manuscript through ProWritingAid , which will automatically catch errors, point out stylistic inconsistencies, and help you rephrase confusing sentences. 

Don’t be afraid to ask others for feedback. No good book is written in a vacuum, and you can ask critique partners and beta readers to help you improve your work.

What makes a great biography stand out from the rest? Here are our best tips for how to take your manuscript to the next level.

Tip 1: Focus on Key Themes

Identify the central themes or patterns in the subject’s life—the ones that will really make readers keep thinking about your book. These could be related to the subject’s struggles, achievements, relationships, or values.

Tip 2: Balance Facts and Narrative

A good biography should read like a story, not a list of facts.

Use narrative techniques like imagery, character development, and dialogue to create a compelling and coherent story.

Tip 3: Add Your Own Perspective

Biographies need to be objective, but that doesn’t mean the author has to be entirely invisible. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging. 

Letting your voice shine can help illustrate the subject ’ s character and bring their story to life. It will also help make your biography stand out from the crowd. 

Tip 4: Create a Timeline

Organize the key events of the subject’s life in chronological order. This will help you see the bigger picture and ensure you cover all important aspects.

Tip 5: Be Considerate

Because biographies are about real people, you should be mindful of who will be impacted by the story you’re telling, especially if your subject is still alive or still has living family members.

If the subject is still alive, ask them for permission to tell their story before you start writing. This also helps ensure that you don’t get sued. 

Writing a biography is a journey of discovery, not just about the subject, but also about the craft of storytelling.

By combining thorough research, a clear structure, and engaging narrative techniques, you can create a biography that not only informs but also inspires and captivates your readers. 

Don’t forget to run your manuscript through ProWritingAid so you can make sure your prose is as polished as possible. 

Now, pick your subject, gather your resources, and start writing—there’s a fascinating story waiting to be told.

Good luck, and happy writing!

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Hannah Yang

Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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How to Write a Character Bio (With Examples!)

If you’re starting a new roleplay (RP) or Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG), then one of the things you will be expected to provide is a character biography. If you aren’t familiar with writing character bios, then you might be a little stumped on what exactly needs to be included, and what is better left out. 

Although there is no perfect, established way of writing a biography for a character, there are a couple of things you could do to make it more effective and useful to your fellow roleplayers and TTRPG players. But first, you should make sure you understand exactly what a character bio entails before writing your own.

This article is specifically about creating character bios for roleplays, tabletop games, and other collaborative writing settings. If you’re looking for how to create a character for a story, try checking out How to Make Characters Interesting, Complex, and Unique instead.

What is a Character Bio?

A character bio, also known as a character profile or character biography, is a brief overview of your character that you can provide to others prior to the start of a game or roleplay. It gives them an introduction to your character before the narrative actually begins, which makes it easier to create plots and interact between characters. 

Generally, a character bio includes basic information about the character, such as their name, appearance, and behavior, but it can also include topics such as backstory and motivations. Bios can look different depending on what they are being used for, the genre of the story, and the other players’ preferences. 

Why is a Character Bio Important?

Character bios make it much easier for other players or RP partners to get to know your character. By providing information on your character up front, you can allow others to get to know them, build relationships between characters, and come up with ideas for the story based around your character’s information.

In addition to that, having a good character bio can be helpful to reference later, especially if they are part of a long campaign. Bios help keep your characters consistent and true to their original design. Even the best writers forget things about their characters over time, so it’s a good idea to write everything down anyway. When I take notes on my characters, I usually keep the character’s bio at the top of the page and simply add to it as events unfold in the story. 

How Long Should a Character Bio Be?

One of the most important things to keep in mind when writing a character bio is that it should be short . You need to keep it clear, concise, and brief. You aren’t trying to give away your character’s life story, after all. You just want to break the ice and introduce them to the other players and characters. After all, if you gave away all their secrets at the beginning, there wouldn’t be any mysteries to uncover over the course of the story. 

As a general rule, you should try to keep your character bios shorter than a page (which is typically about 300-500 words). If you make it much shorter than that, you likely wouldn’t be doing your character justice. If you wrote much more than that, however, most people probably wouldn’t get around to reading the whole thing. Character bios aren’t exactly known for being riveting literature. 

What to Include in a Character Bio

When you’re writing your character’s bio, you don’t need to create an entire novel about their life and exploits. You only need to include the details that are important for others to know from the beginning. Some things aren’t even important enough to share at all. 

Although some people have preferences about the ways they want character bios to be formatted, this is the generally accepted formula for writing a good character bio.

The Most Basic Character Elements

The first thing you should establish in your character’s bio is the most basic elements of who they are. That includes things like their:

• Species (if applicable)

You don’t need to get fancy here. This is the easy part—just give the basic information and move on to the next section.  

The Character’s Physical Description

Next, you’ll want to give a basic description of what the character looks like. For this section, you’ll want to consider their:

• Physical details
• Clothing style

You can cover this information in bullet points, but I find that it is much more effective to write this part in paragraph format. That makes the bio feel more like an introduction to the character, and less like some kind of legal document.

If you need some pointers for designing your character, check out Tricks for Describing a Character’s Appearance (With Examples) . 

Remember to keep this part brief. Physical appearance is only one small part of a character, and you don’t want to waste too much time and energy describing what they look like—especially since you don’t want their bio to be too long.

The Character’s Personality

Obviously, most of the character’s personality should come out as you are playing them, but it’s still a good idea to give your RP partners or TTRPG players an indication of their personality before the game or RP begins. 

As with the other sections, this part should be kept brief. You just want to cover the most important aspects of their personality. You know, the traits and behaviors that define who they are. That could be anything from “grumpy” or “hot-headed” to “innocent” or “creepy.” Just give a few adjectives to describe them, and describe some of their dominant behaviors. This section shouldn’t be any longer than a few sentences. 

The Character’s Backstory

This section is the tricky part. You want to explain enough of your character’s backstory to explain how they got where they are in the present day, but you don’t want to give away too much and make your character a completely open book. Not only that, you want to make sure the information you are providing is meaningful to the story, and not just useless facts. 

When summarizing the character’s backstory for their bio, you should cut out everything except for the bare bones. The details aren’t important now (and you can reveal more over the course of the story anyway). Instead, draw attention to a few milestones in the character’s life, whether that relates to family, education, tragedy, or something else. 

What happened in their past to turn them into the person they are at the beginning of the story? Focus on those points, and leave out all the rest. 

If your character doesn’t have much of a backstory yet, you might want to check out this article before moving on: How to Create Compelling Character Backstories . 

What Motivates the Character

When you’re creating a bio for a character, you’ll want to consider their motivations and goals. A character without a direction is boring, so make sure you have some idea of what your character wants before the story begins. Do they want to start their own business? Hunt ghosts for a living? Avenge their dead brother? What is going to motivate your character to actually do something ? 

This part of the bio is often labeled as “present day,” or it’s lumped in with the backstory section. Regardless of how you choose to format it, the point is worth drawing attention to by itself. This part is particularly important for RPs and TTRPGs because it gives partners and fellow players the context they need to understand how this character operates.

The Character’s Quirks and Flaws

I cannot stress this enough: every character needs to have flaws.

All characters need flaws. No one is perfect, so none of your characters should be either. Even if your character is perfect in one regard, they need to be flawed in some other way. The best sharpshooter in the world might be afraid of snakes. The world’s most mesmerizing dancer might have self-confidence issues. 

Quirks are also important! They operate a lot like flaws, though they don’t interfere with the character’s ability to live their life normally. Having a weird sense of humor or a tendency to fidget isn’t necessarily flawed behavior, but it is worth mentioning in this section as well. 

Flaws and quirks are indispensable when it comes to creating interesting characters. They create conflict, and make characters more realistic and sympathetic. Without those details, your characters just won’t resonate with other players. Or worse—you’ll get accused of creating a Mary Sue . 

If you want more information on creating flaws for characters (and why they’re so important for stories), check out How to Create Complex Flaws for Characters .

Miscellaneous Traits and Abilities

Finally, you’ll probably want to include a miscellaneous category at the end of the bio. Depending on your personal preference and the genre of story you’re creating, this part could also go closer to the top. You could also use a different term, or include this category as part of the character’s basic info.

This is the section in which you include anything important that wasn’t covered in the other sections. This could include things such as the character’s:

• Magical Abilities
• Special Skills 
• Languages known

Basically, this section is meant to cover anything else that your RP partners or TTRPG players need to know about your character. 

What NOT to include in a Character Bio

That “miscellaneous” category probably has you scratching your head. If that’s supposed to cover the other important parts of your character, how do you know where to stop? 

There are many things that you should never include in a character bio, but there are two distinct reasons why things should be left out: either the point is boring and doesn’t matter, or it is much more fun to reveal that particular piece of information over the course of the story instead. 

Here are some things that should be left out of character bios because they are uninteresting :

• Their Zodiac sign
• Every single detail of their appearance or personality
• Their entire life story
• Their birthday
• Their entire family tree
• Their favorite food/color/etc

Here are the things that should be left out because they would make good plot points later :

• Their secrets
• Their relationships with other characters
• Their strengths and weaknesses
• Their past trauma or struggles

Character Bio Examples

Character bios don’t have to show off your best writing skills. The point isn’t to impress the pants off the other players, and it’s definitely not to prove you’re a better writer than anyone else. You aren’t showing off, you’re just providing a resource on your character that is necessary for the game or RP. 

With that said, here are some examples of character bios to give you a better idea of how to apply all this information. 

Sample Character Bio 1

Name: Rory Bannon

Sex/Gender: Male

Species: Human (Superhero)

Superpower: He can float.

Power Drawbacks: He’s not very good at controlling his ability, and it is dependent on his mood. Sometimes, he will begin to float when he gets excited. 

Appearance: Rory is tall and lanky, and his limbs almost look too long for his body. He has brown hair with a stripe of orange in the front. He has a goofy smile, and he holds a lot of childish optimism in his sunny green eyes. He always wears a suit no matter where he goes, believing that dressing for success is the first step to achieving it. 

Personality: He’s chipper and optimistic, and all his friends agree that he’s a bit of a hopeless romantic. He’s a dreamer, and his head is often stuck in the clouds. 

Backstory: Rory is an only child from a loving home. He decided to attend a school for young heroes to learn how to control his powers, with the full support of his doting parents. 

Goals: He wants to learn how to control his powers and use them to help others.

Quirks: He’s gotten pretty good at floating up—just not at coming back down again. 

Sample Character Bio 2

Name: Alice Howard

Nicknames: Red, Little Red, Pumpkin (by her father)

Sex/Gender: Female

Appearance: Alice is the preppy, pretty girl at school, with a figure that makes boys drool. Her long hair is a gorgeous shade of reddish-brown, and delicate freckles dot her petite, pale features. She is careful to keep her makeup perfect, and she is always pushing the limits of what her school’s dress code allows.

Personality: Despite her looks, Alice is remarkably insecure. She thrives off compliments and bases her entire self-worth on what others think of her. One bad pimple is enough to get her to skip school, and she takes even the smallest insults to heart. Despite how she feels about beauty and her own self-image, she always tries to be uplifting and encouraging to other girls, and would never say anything nasty about the way someone looks. 

Backstory: Alice lives with her grandparents since both of her parents are deployed Marines. Her grandparents are getting quite old, and they often require her help more often than she needs them. She does her best to be responsible, but she often regrets that she can’t get out as much as other girls her age. 

Goals: Alice has a history of bad relationships. All she wants is a good boyfriend and real friends. 

Quirks: She has a tendency to be clingy and physically affectionate with her friends. 

Misc: Alice’s one true love is food, specifically greasy, tex-mex food. 

Sample Character Bio 3

Name: Samson Anders

Nickname: Sams

Species: Half-human, half-demon

Height: 6’2”

Hair: Long, Brown

Eye Color: Hazel

Skin Color: Medium-light

Physical Details: He has a large scar over the left side of his neck and collarbone, and multiple smaller scars all over.

Personality: Harsh, cold, and unapproachable. He has a softer side for those he cares about.

Past: He isn’t one to talk about his past. Most of his friends know that he had a rough childhood, but no one knows the details.

Present: He is living with a friend in a one-bedroom apartment, and the duo are professional ghost hunters. 

Goals: Secretly, he hopes to learn more about his demonic side.

Quirks/Flaws: He tends to grow out his facial hair when he is feeling down, simply because he can’t be bothered to shave.

Structuring Biographical Documentary Films

Last week I had the privilege of moderating The Lab’s Rough Cut series in San Francisco. The documentary-in-progress, Dreaming in Circus , was a biography of Tony Steele, a 72-year-old world-famous flying trapeze artist. Director Darin Basile, a first time filmmaker, had found a wonderful character in Tony, but he was wrestling with the film’s choppy structure. He encountered a problem that many makers of biographical documentaries face. How do you structure what often ends up being two stories?

I ran into this problem in my own biographical documentary of Marlon Riggs, a gay black film maker with AIDS who created soul-searching art at a furious pace. I Shall Not Be Removed: The Life of Marlon Riggs had two stories:  past and current.  The first story in these kinds of bio pics chronicles the public figure’s rise to fame and illustrious career.  The film material primarily relies on talking heads, photographs, archival footage, and (with the case of the Marlon Riggs biography) movie clips. Often with this type of biography there is a second story, beginning when the director picks up the camera and begins filming the subject, often late in the subject’s life. This story or portrait relies primarily on verite footage and talking heads.

Here’s the rub: if you structure your documentary chronologically, you face the problem of a bifurcated structure, an archive-heavy first half and a verite-heavy second half. Of course it is possible to make this shift in style work to your advantage, which is what I did in I Shall Not Be Removed, the Life of Marlon Riggs . The build up to the verite scenes energized the second half of the documentary. But generally in biographies, the real narrative and the meaty plot events happen early in the film, leaving the second half weak on plot twists, and thus less engaging. Director Basile’s instinct to weave both the past and present day stories was a good one, but resulted in a choppy  and at times episodic feel.

Our Rough Cut audience had several suggestions. The best solutions as I see it are three-fold. First, keep each of the two timelines relatively chronological. Multiple backstories, which might have worked fine in a single storyline, tend to disorient the viewer who is being asked to track dual arcs. Second, if the back and forth is a bit bewildering, then stay with each storyline longer. In other words, don’t cut from story A to story B and back to story A again quite as often. Third–and here you will rely on a clever editor and astute story consultant–craft seamless transition from one storyline to another through the use of transitional devices such as music stings, special effects, cuts on wipes, etc.

Even as a work in progress, Dreaming in Circus is a highly inspirational film. I hope you will see this fine documentary when it is tightly crafted and polished. For more information on how to craft a biographical documentary, check out my online self study course, Editing the Character Driven Documentary , on my website.

Go to http://www.newdocediting.com/land/editingdocumentaryecourse/

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What Is A Biographical Movie Film?

With many prominent figures throughout history, biographical films have become increasingly popular. The telling of these people’s stories and lives is a desirable narrative that many of us have an interest in. When making a biographical movie , there are many things to consider and include to make it a success. In this article, we will discuss the main influences of what makes a good biopic to help develop your knowledge. 

From The Danish Girl to The King’s Speech, there has been no shortage of biographical film releases in recent times. With many being received well, these representations of people’s lives have become a common genre within film. Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018 became the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Receiving awards such as the BAFTA for Best Sound and Leading Actor as well as Oscars for the same categories. Biopics can be as successful as any film and if done well, become extremely celebrated. 

When making a biographical film though, there are many elements to consider before diving straight in. Despite many successful biographical movies, there have been many failures too. Portraying someone’s life truthfully but engagingly and entertainingly can be a task, one never to be overlooked. 

More than often, the narrative of a film is created by the writer. Already being provided with a narrative can immediately present challenges. We will first take a look at what defines a biopic and then discuss the process needed to make it successful. 

What Is A Biographical Movie? 

A biographical movie portrays the life of a non-fictional or historical figure. 

However, this version of their life story is often dramatized to create a more appealing film . The essence of that person’s life however must be kept throughout. Docudrama films and historical drama films differ from biopics by focusing on whole events or periods. Biopics focus solely on a single person’s life and their most important moments. 

The movies use the real name of the figure and tell the events of their life. They give audiences an insight into what these people went through and often the hardships they experienced during their lives.  

It is noteworthy that a biopic is not written by the main characters themselves. The list of good autobiography movies is rare with people seldom wanting to write about themselves. 

What Makes A Good Biographical Movie? 

Now that we’ve touched on the subject it’s time to get into what makes a good biographical movie.

Of course, there is no secret recipe for making the next triumphant biopic. Who the biopic is about, what era they lived in, and what they achieved will all impact your target audience and how well people will perceive your film . Despite this, there are still a few aspects that should ring true for all biographic movies. We go into more detail about these below.

Research 

Getting your facts right is fundamental. No matter how you’re portraying their life, the relevant events and their impacts need to be told factually. There is no need to include every excruciating detail, but the overall truth needs to be present. 

Research of course is the first stage in making a good biopic. If anything, you need to find out if there is substantial available information to make a full narrative. Whether focusing on a specific event or their whole life, you need enough content to make a full movie . It is also important to check if you’re legally allowed to make a movie about the person’s life. Do you need to ask their family for permission? Do you need to ask them for permission? Check this first before contributing any resources or time to your film. 

Drama 

Even though we’ve just discussed the importance of factuality, you still need an enticing and engaging film . Their narrative must still be dramatized to become successful. When writing a biopic, people tend to fall into a false sense of security that they have an already well-established story on their hands. Even though this is true, it is still necessary to find drama within their story and portray this among the facts to combine it into a coherent but invigorating story.

No dramatic events should ever be materialized. Look deeply into the real events of the protagonist’s lives and play on these moments. Were they hated by a group of people? Did they have a turbulent home life? Everyone’s story will have a little drama somewhere. Find it and use it to your advantage. At no point should the film feel whitewashed, however.

If the protagonist experiences an extremely harsh life, for example, you cannot portray it as a life of adventure and fun. Getting the balance between creating an appealing story whilst factually portraying someone’s life is imperative for being well received. 

Find Your Direction

As we’ve discussed, a biopic is a mix of facts and drama. The way you balance between the two is arguable between producers . However, one aspect of making a good biopic is true for all films. You need a solid direction to work towards.

No matter your protagonist, you should focus on a key element in their life. For example, in The King’s Speech, the focus was the king’s ability to work past his stutter. In Snowden, the focus is Edwards’ determination to make public the CIA technology he helped to create.

Every biographical film should have a strong focus that the entire plot is based around. Include only the facts that are relevant to this focus and treat the structure of the film as a drama leading up to the most prominent moment within this focus. 

Consider The Other Characters 

Your protagonist is of course the focus of your film . But no prominent figures’ stories played out without other influential people. You must include these people if they had a significant influence on the focus of your narrative. When looking at The Imitation Game, Joan Clarke had a significant role to play in cracking Enigma ciphers with Alan Turning. Her narrative is essential to Turning’s story so must still be told in your version. 

When researching the protagonist’s life for your biographical movie, you will come across many people who influenced their lives. Only include the characters that strongly impacted their lives and the direction of the story you’re focused on. 

Consider Audience Response 

This may seem obvious, but you need to consider how different audiences will react to your movie . A clear example of this would be; Is the antagonist a good person? Even if you want to cover the life of someone controversial, you need to judge if the public’s opinion towards them is strong enough that they might avoid your film altogether.

Another example would be the reaction from audiences who are very knowledgeable about the protagonist. If you dramatize their life to an extreme level, your portrayal of them could be unsatisfactory to fans and give your movie a bad name. This is a less prominent, but nonetheless important point to remember.  

How To Make A Biographical Movie

We’ve covered all the essential aspects involved with making a good biopic. Now you’ve got your protagonist, focus, and added a little drama, you’re ready to start collecting them all into a movie .

We will look at a step-by-step process on how to collect and compress your information into a coherent story. 

Biographical Movie – Synopsis 

Firstly, you want to create a synopsis. List all the relevant events in the protagonist’s life to your story, missing out on any small details. In this stage, you want to be extensive. With dedicated research, you want to broadly discuss the events and include every fact whether it seems important or not. You should end up with a messy and extremely long synopsis. To first create a focused story, you need to look at the wider, but precise picture.

Fundamentally, you are creating an extensive, factual story. Not following a screenplay structure as of yet, it should be completely uncensored. 

Review 

Now, review your synopsis. You need to ensure you’ve got their story correct before adapting it into a screenplay . Go over and read aloud your synopsis again and again. Make sure the story includes everything you want it to. You need to make sure this is perfect before you start to alter and mold the narrative. 

Another way to ensure your synopsis includes everything you need is to get someone else to go over it. Find someone knowledgeable of the protagonist and see if they agree with the points you have included. 

Structure 

Structure can be an often overlooked aspect of a movie . With many successfully following a linear structure of beginning, middle, and end, why would you consider following an alternative structure? When making a biopic, an alternative to the usual structure might have a greater impact. 

Following a non-linear structure could convey the main points of your protagonist’s life more impressively. For example, starting with the end of the protagonist’s life and following with the events leading up to this moment might be a good alternative. There is no right structure to follow, but consider if an alternative would fit your biographical film better. 

It is time to start adapting your synopsis into a screenplay. Take your synopsis and try to alter it to follow your chosen structure, likely composed of 3 acts. Set an outline for the story you want to create and fit the synopsis points within it. 

There are numerous different techniques writers will recommend following when making your screenplay. Find the one that best works for you.

A common way of grouping your synopsis into 3 acts is by giving the acts categories. Act 1 usually focuses on the goals of the protagonist, Act 2 then can look at the main struggles in reaching these goals. Act 3 of course would then focus on the protagonist reaching their goals or failing to in some cases. Whichever method you use, you want to ensure you include all the relevant information in a coherent way. 

Draft 

You now have the direction, acts, and relevant facts all ready to be written into a biographical movie screenplay. This is where you want to add the drama and make the story exciting.

You have the basis for your biographical film , it’s time to make it into the next blockbuster. Remember when doing this the points we covered in the previous section. Stay true to the protagonist’s life but dramatize key events within it. Don’t rely on an already provided storyline, you need to make it your own. 

Now You Know How To Make A Biographical Movie 

You’ve now got the knowledge to start making your very own biographical film. There is no shortage of amazing true stories to be told and we want more. Biopics have become beloved films portraying some of the most influential figures alive or past. Not only do these stories make great films, but they play an important role in telling history. Learning about past events in an educational setting can be laborious and uninteresting. Telling the story of prominent figures in an invigorating way allows us to understand their impacts on the world whilst enjoying a movie. 

Whether you’re making a movie about Julius Caesar or Lady Gaga, the guide we have provided should give you a good basis for making a successful biopic. Portraying people’s lives in an adapted way whilst satisfying these people’s biggest fans can be hard. Not appealing to a general audience can often occur when trying to please knowledgeable fans. Likewise, changing the narrative significantly to appeal to a general audience can anger fans. We never said making a biographical movie would be easy, but considering all these points is important for a writer. 

Closing Thoughts On A Biographical Movie

That concludes our guide on how to make a biographical film. We hope you have enjoyed reading and are feeling wiser on the subject. If you enjoyed this article, why not check out another on our  blog ? To get you started, we recommend our  Film Terminology Glossary , Pre-Production Checklist For Filmmakers , and our guide on How To Become A Set Designer .

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Mon, 03/24/2008

Whose Story Is It, Anyway? Obtaining a Subject's Life-Story Rights

By Tom Isler

It read like a Hollywood script. One day, an unassuming black teenager is picked up off the streets of Winston-Salem, North Carolina by policemen searching for a suspect in the murder of a 25-year-old white woman. Though innocent, he's charged and convicted of the crime by an all-white jury. After all legal channels for appeal are exhausted, and despite exculpatory DNA evidence, the man's lawyer realizes the only way he can free his client is to find the real murderer himself. He does. After nearly two decades of incarceration, the wrongly convicted man is released from jail with nothing but forgiveness in his heart for the people who denied him the prime of his life.

"It's almost more dramatic than a Hollywood version, because you'd see a Hollywood movie and go, ‘That can't be true. He doesn't come out like Gandhi afterwards!'" says filmmaker Ricki Stern, who, with co-director Annie Sundberg, chronicles this true story of prejudice and injustice in the 2006 documentary The Trials of Darryl Hunt , which was distributed by THINKFilm and broadcast on HBO. "Yes, he is kind of like Gandhi afterwards."

Stern and Sundberg knew the story could attract attention from Hollywood, so the filmmakers negotiated deals to acquire the rights to the life stories of Darryl Hunt and his lawyer, Mark Rabil. In the event that a remake was produced, Stern and Sundberg wanted to make sure that they would be compensated for the 10 years they spent following the case; that the subjects, with whom the filmmakers had grown quite close, would be taken care of properly; that they would have a say in who got permission to retell Hunt's story; and that they could dictate, to a certain degree, their own involvement with the adaptation.

Increasingly, documentaries are being viewed not just as properties to distribute but as development material for producers looking to make feature film adaptations, stage productions or television series. More and more, documentary filmmakers are obtaining life-story rights from their subjects so that they will hold all of the cards when producers come calling. "It's a hot issue right now," says Victoria Cook, an entertainment lawyer and partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Keil & Selz in New York City. "There's a lot of activity in the remake doc market."

Some high-profile examples: New Line Cinema is working on an adaptation of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters , Seth Gordon's documentary about video game legends (with Gordon attached to direct the adaptation). The latest documentary from Peter Gilbert and Steve James, At the Death House Door , about a former Death Row chaplain in Texas, is being reworked for a feature by IFC, which funded the documentary. And Brett Morgen's Chicago 10 , which blends animated re-creations, archival footage and public-domain court transcripts to tell the story of the 1969 "Chicago Seven" trial, has been optioned for a remake, to be directed by Steven Spielberg.

Why would filmmakers need to get life-story rights from their subjects? Roz Lichter, a New York-based entertainment lawyer, explains that, legally, producers making a fiction film based on a documentary subject are under no obligation to sign any deals with the documentary filmmakers, who, in many cases, uncovered the story in the first place and proved it could be told in a cinematically compelling way. Feature film producers need to negotiate with documentarians only if they want to promote their feature as based on the nonfiction film, or if they plan to tell the story in largely the same way the documentary does.

Even then, some studios will take their chances. W. Wilder Knight, an entertainment lawyer with Pryor Cashman in New York who worked on Marilyn Agrelo's Mad Hot Ballroom , says the feature film Boys Don't Cry closely tracked the structure and narrative told in Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir's documentary, The Brandon Teena Story . But he advised the filmmakers against suing the studio. "My clients ramping up for major litigation against a major studio is not the best use of time," Knight explains. "That falls into the life-is-short category."

Stern and Sundberg found themselves in a similar situation concerning their most recent documentary, The Devil Came on Horseback , about a former US Marine captain in Darfur. The film's subject, Brian Steidle, didn't sign over his life-story rights to Stern and Sundberg, opting instead to write a book, which he ended up selling to the production company 72 Productions for a feature adaptation. The company didn't buy the remake rights for the documentary, although Stern is convinced the film played a role in the production company's pursuit of Steidle's book. "If you've had a doc made about you, you can't deny the influence of that on people looking to make a fictionalized version," Stern maintains. The production company did sign a separate agreement with Stern and Sundberg to be able to market the film in connection with the documentary.

To make sure that documentary filmmakers don't get overlooked, lawyers advise filmmakers to secure life-story rights from their subjects whenever possible and package them together with the adaptation rights. Cook says a package deal is attractive to studio executives, who are generally looking to minimize the risk of litigation and limit the effort they have to expend to obtain all underlying rights to a project, and can actually make adaptation deals more likely.

Although documentary filmmakers can always go back and negotiate deals with subjects when an offer arises, setting up an agreement in the beginning is preferable, according to Cook.

While potentially advantageous, however, it's not always practical, Stern warns. "You run the risk of alienating [subjects] if you're coming at them with a legal document" before you ever start shooting, she explains. Stern and Sundberg advise starting the conversation about best- and worst-case scenarios for the film and possible offshoots only as early as feels comfortable.

Life-story rights are somewhat of a misnomer because no one owns their own stories. Facts can't be copyrighted or trademarked, and, just as producers don't always need remake rights to make a fiction film based on a documentary, neither do producers technically need a subject's permission to make a movie or TV program about his or her life. (Think E! True Hollywood Story or, in the literary world, the unauthorized biography.) But studios that don't secure life-story rights from subjects are opening themselves up to potential lawsuits-claims of libel, defamation or invasion of privacy. Thus, life-story rights deals, at their core, are promises by subjects not to bring such claims against the studios.

The agreements can be set up in a variety of ways. Subjects can restrict the deals to certain periods of their lives, or they can retain certain rights, such as the right to tell the story in book form, even if they give a studio permission to develop everything else from feature films to video games. Studios, understandably, want agreements to be as broad as possible to maximize the potential revenue they could extract from the project.

In typical life-story rights agreements, subjects grant producers permission to fictionalize certain elements of their stories. They also agree to consult with producers, furnish them with materials that could be helpful in the writing process, and help promote the film. In return, subjects receive a payment when the deal is signed-anywhere from $1 to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the situation--with more promised if the project goes into production, typically a percentage point or two of the film's total budget.

If subjects sign over their life-story rights to documentary filmmakers, the filmmakers can turn around and option the rights to a studio, and the rights will revert back to the filmmakers if the studio doesn't move forward with the project after a certain period of time.

Although the legal agreements generally aren't that complicated, closing the deals can be. "They are the most frustrating agreements you can negotiate," Knight says. "People begin to think their rights are worth many, many millions of dollars when, in fact, they're not." The other difficult part is convincing subjects to give up virtually all control over how they are portrayed on screen.

If subjects or filmmakers demand too much, they risk jeopardizing the entire project.

"You try to find a sweet spot where you're satisfying yourself and your subject, but you're also making it palatable to producers who are going to be purchasing those rights," says filmmaker Jesse Moss, who obtained life-story rights from the subjects of his documentaries Speedo and Con Man .

In reality, subjects and documentary filmmakers never see a big payday from the studio unless the remake goes into production. "Not a lot of money changed hands," Moss recalls of his initial deal with Speedo, a demolition derby driver from Long Island, New York. "I didn't have any money. It was a modest sum, and I said, ‘Look, if this film gets made, we'll both do well and if it doesn't, then nothing happens.'"

Although Warner Bros. optioned Speedo for a remake, the project never went anywhere, Moss reports. Currently, he's is working on a script for a fictionalized version of Con Man for Paul Giamatti's production company.

Few documentaries optioned by studios ever make it into production. Which is why Morgen, who obtained life-story rights from the subjects of his documentary On the Ropes , about amateur boxers in New York-another remake that was never realized-is so adamant that documentary filmmakers look out for their subjects when life-story rights deals are first brokered. "As filmmakers, we'll go off and have our careers, but for the subject, this is probably their best chance," he says. Paying a subject only $1 to option life rights, promising much more on the back end, is, in Morgen's opinion, "exploitative."

But sometimes that's the only way deals can get done, and, for some subjects, at least, that's really all they care about. Before a special screening of The Trials of Darryl Hunt at New York University last year, Hunt addressed the issue of giving up his life-story rights to the filmmakers. He said he felt he owed Stern and Sundberg. "There's no way I could have told this story," he said. "There's nothing in this world I could give them that would compensate them for what they've done for me."

Concerning a fiction film of his life, Hunt said the goal was to have his story heard. And fiction films undeniably have a further reach than documentaries. Stern confirms there has been some interest from various parties, but no real progress. "Annie and I got sidetracked with other projects," she says.

But to Stern, there's no mystery why documentary subjects would want to give documentary filmmakers their life-story rights. "They know we will do our best to keep the integrity of their journey intact," she says. "They're not film producers. They don't want to be film producers. They might as well work with people they know and like and trust to make the best possible movie."

Tom Isler is a writer and filmmaker in New York.

How To Write an Autobiography 2024 (Tips, Templates, & Guide)

Your life story has value, merit, and significance. You want to share it with the world, but maybe you don’t know how .

Here’s how to write an autobiography:

Write an autobiography by creating a list of the most important moments, people, and places in your life. Gather photos, videos, letters, and notes about these experiences. Then, use an outline, templates, sentence starters, and questions to help you write your autobiography .

In this article, you are going to learn the fastest method for writing your autobiography.

We are going to cover everything you need to know with examples and a free, downloadable, done-for-you template.

What Is an Autobiography?

Table of Contents

Before you can write an autobiography, you must first know the definition.

An autobiography is the story of your life, written by you. It covers the full span of your life (at least, up until now), hitting on the most significant moments, people and events.

When you write your autobiography, you write an intimate account of your life.

What Should I Include In an Autobiography?

If you are scratching your head, baffled about what to include in your autobiography, you are not alone.

After all, a big part of how to write an autobiography is knowing what to put in and what to leave out of your life story. Do you focus on every detail?

Every person? Won’t your autobiography be too long?

A good way to think about how to write an autobiography is to use the Movie Trailer Method.

What do movie trailers include?

• High emotional moments
• The big events
• The most important characters

When you plan, organize, and write your autobiography, keep the Movie Trailer Method in mind. You can even watch a bunch of free movie trailers on YouTube for examples of how to write an autobiography using the Movie Trailer Method.

When wondering what to include in your autobiography, focus on what would make the cut for a movie trailer of your life:

• Most important people (like family, friends, mentors, coaches, etc.)
• Significant events (like your origin story, vacations, graduations, life turning points, life lessons)
• Emotional moments (When you were homeless, when you battled a life-threatening condition, or when you fell in love)
• Drama or suspense (Did you make it into Harvard? Did your first surgery go well? Did your baby survive?)

Autobiography Structure Secrets

Like any compelling story, a well-structured autobiography often follows a pattern that creates a logical flow and captures readers’ attention.

Traditionally, autobiographies begin with early memories, detailing the writer’s childhood, family background, and the events or people that shaped their formative years.

From here, the narrative typically progresses chronologically, covering major life events like schooling, friendships, challenges, achievements, career milestones, and personal relationships.

It’s essential to weave these events with introspective insights.

This allows readers to understand not just the what, but also the why behind the author’s choices and experiences.

Towards the end, an effective autobiography often includes reflections on lessons learned, changes in perspective over time, and the wisdom acquired along life’s journey.

Example of the Structure:

• Introduction: A gripping event or anecdote that gives readers a hint of what to expect. It could be a pivotal moment or challenge that defines the essence of the story.
• Childhood and Early Memories: Recounting family dynamics, birthplace, cultural background, and memorable incidents from early years.
• Adolescence and Discovering Identity: Experiences during teenage years, challenges faced, friendships formed, and personal evolutions.
• Pursuits and Passions: Describing education, early career choices, or any particular hobby or skill that played a significant role in the author’s life.
• Major Life Events and Challenges: Chronicles of marriage, parenthood, career shifts, or any significant setbacks and how they were overcome.
• Achievements and Milestones: Celebrating major accomplishments and recounting the journey to achieving them.
• Reflections and Wisdom: Sharing life lessons, changes in beliefs or values over time, and offering insights gained from lived experiences.
• Conclusion: Summarizing the journey, contemplating on the present state, and sharing hopes or aspirations for the future.

How To Write an Autobiography Quickly: Strategies & Templates

Want the quickest way to organize and write your autobiography in record time? You can literally write your autobiography in 7 days or less with this method.

The secret is to use done-for-you templates.

I have personally designed and collected a series of templates to take you from a blank page to a fully complete Autobiography. I call this the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

And it’s completely free to download right from this article. 🙂

In the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint, you get:

• The Autobiography Questions Template
• The Autobiography Brainstorm Templates
• The Autobiography Outline Template

Here is an image of it so that you know exactly what you get when you download it:

How To Write an Autobiography: Step-by-Step

When you sit down to write an autobiography, it’s helpful to have a step-by-step blueprint to follow.

You already have the done-for-you templates that you can use to organize and write an autobiography faster than ever before. Now here’s a complete step-by-step guide on how to maximize your template.

• Brainstorm Ideas
• Order your sections (from medium to high interest)
• Order the ideas in each section (from medium to high interest)
• Write three questions to answer in each section
• Choose a starter sentence
• Complete a title template
• Write each section of your by completing the starter sentence and answering all three questions

Brainstorm Your Autobiography

The first step in writing your autobiography is to brainstorm.

Give yourself time and space to write down the most significant people, events, lessons, and experiences in your life. The templates in the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint provide sections for you to write down your brainstormed ideas.

This will help you organize your ideas into what will become the major sections of your book.

These will be:

• Y our most significant events and experiences.
• The people who impacted you the most.
• The challenges you have overcome.
• Your achievements and successes.
• The lessons you have learned.

The “other” sections on the second page of the Brainstorm template is for creating your own sections or to give you more space for the sections I provided in case you run out of space.

As I brainstorm, I find asking myself specific questions really activates my imagination.

So I have compiled a list of compelling questions to help you get ideas down on paper or on your screen.

Order Your Sections (From Medium to High Interest)

The next step is to order your main sections.

The main sections are the five (or more) sections from your Brainstorm templates (Significant events, significant people, life lessons, challenges, successes, other, etc). This order will become the outline and chapters for your book.

How do you decide what comes first, second or third?

I recommend placing the sections in order of interest. Ask yourself, “What’s the most fascinating part of my life?”

If it’s a person, then write the name of that section (Significant People) on the last line in the How to Write an Autobiography Outline Template. If it’s an experience, place the name of that section (Significant Events) on the last line.

For example, if you met the Pope, you might want to end with that nugget from your life. If you spent three weeks lost at sea and survived on a desert island by spearfishing, that is your ending point.

Then complete the Outline by placing the remaining sections in order of interest. You can work your way backward from high interest to medium interest.

If you are wondering why I say “medium to high interest” instead of “low to high interest” it is because there should be no “low interest” parts of your autobiography.

But wait, what if you met the Pope AND spent three weeks lost at sea? How do you choose which one comes first or last?

First of all, I want to read this book! Second, when in doubt, default to chronological order. Whatever event happened first, start there.

Here is an example of how it might look:

Order The Ideas in Each Section (From Medium To High Interest)

Now, organize the ideas inside of each section. Again, order the ideas from medium to high interest).

Within your “Significant People” section, decide who you want to talk about first, second, third, etc. You can organize by chronological order (who you met first) but I recommend building to the most interesting or most significant person.

This creates a more compelling read.

Keep in mind that the most significant person might not be the most well-known, most famous, or most popular. The most significant person might be your family member, friend, partner, or child.

It comes down to who shaped your life the most.

So, if your “significant people list” includes your dad, a famous social media influencer, and Mike Tyson, your dad might come last because he had the biggest significance in your life.

Write Three Questions to Answer in Each Section

Ok, you’ve done the heavy lifting already. You have the major sections organized and outlined.

Next on your autobiography to-do list is to choose and write down three questions you are going to answer in each section. You can write your questions down in the provided “boxes” for each section on the template outline (or on another piece of paper.

This is easier than it might seem.

Simply choose one of the sample autobiography questions below or create your own:

• Why did I choose this person/event?
• What does this person/event mean to me?
• How did I meet this person?
• Where did it happen?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• What is the most interesting part?
• How did I feel about this person or event?
• How do I feel now?
• Why does this person or event matters to me?
• How did this person or event change my life?
• What is the most challenging part?
• How did I fail?
• How did I succeed?
• What did I learn?

Questions are the perfect way to write quickly and clearly. I LOVE writing to questions. It’s how I write these blog posts and articles.

Choose a Starter Sentence

Sometimes the hardest part of any project is knowing how to start.

Even though we know we can always go back and edit our beginnings, so many of us become paralyzed with indecision at the starting gate.

That’s why I provided sample starter sentences in your How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

Here are the story starters:

• I began writing this book when…
• Of all the experiences in my life, this one was the most…
• I’ve been a…
• My name is…
• Growing up in…
• It wasn’t even a…
• It all started when…
• I first…
• I was born…

Keep in mind that you do not need to begin your book with one of these story starters. I provide them simply to get you going.

The key is to not get bogged down in this, or any, part of writing your autobiography. Get organized and then get writing.

Complete a Title Template

At the top of the How to Write an Autobiography Outline is a place for you to write your book title.

Some authors struggle forever with a title. And that’s ok. What’s not ok is getting stuck. What’s not ok is if coming up with your title prevents you from finishing your book.

So, I provided a few title templates to help juice your creativity.

Just like the story starters, you do not need to use these title templates, but you certainly can. All you need to do is fill in the title templates below and then write your favorite one (for now) at the top of your outline. Presto! You have your working title.

You can always go back and change it later.

How to Write an Autobiography Title templates:

• [Your Name]: [Phrase or Tag Line]
• The [Your Last Name] Files
• Born [Activity]: A [Career]’s Life
• The Perfect [Noun]: The Remarkable Life of [Your Name]

Examples using the Templates:

• Christopher Kokoski: Blog Until You Drop
• The Kokoski Files
• Born Writing: A Blogger’s Life
• The Perfect Freelancer: The Remarkable Life of Christopher Kokoski

Write Your Autobiography

You have your outline. You have your title, templates, and sentence starters. All that is left to do is write your autobiography.

However, you can use tools like Jasper AI and a few other cool tricks to craft the most riveting book possible.

This is the easy way to remarkable writing.

Check out this short video that goes over the basics of how to write an autobiography:

How To Write an Autobiography (All the Best Tips)

Now that you are poised and ready to dash out your first draft, keep the following pro tips in mind:

• Be vulnerable. The best autobiographies share flaws, faults, foibles, and faux pas. Let readers in on the real you.
• Skip the boring parts. There is no need to detail every meal, car ride, or a gripping trip to the grocery store. Unless you ran into the Russian Mafia near the vegetables or the grocery store is perched on the side of a mountain above the jungles of Brazil.
• Keep your autobiography character-driven . This is the story of YOU!
• Be kind to others (or don’t). When writing about others in your story, keep in mind that there may be fallout or backlash from your book.
• Consider a theme: Many autobiographies are organized by theme. A perfect example is Becoming . Each section of the book includes “becoming” in the title. Themes connect and elevate each part of the autobiography.
• Write your story in vignettes (or scenes). Each vignette is a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each vignette builds. Each vignette should be described in rich sensory language that shows the reader the experience instead of telling the reader about the experience. Each vignette is immersive, immediate, and intimate.
• Include snippets of dialogue. Use quotation marks just like in fiction. Show the dialogue in brief back-and-forth tennis matches of conversation. Remember to leave the boring parts out!
• Choose a consistent tone. Some autobiographies are funny like Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Others are serious such as Open by Andre Agassi. Your story (like most stories) will likely include a mix of emotions but choose an overall tone and stick with it.
• Don’t chronicle, captivate . Always think about how to make each section, each chapter, each page, each paragraph, and each sentence more compelling. You want to tell the truth, but HOW you tell the truth is up to you. Create suspense, conflict, and mystery. Let drama linger until it becomes uncomfortable. Don’t solve problems quickly or take away tension right away.

How Do I Format an Autobiography?

Most autobiographies are written in the first person (using the pronouns I, me, we, and us).

Your autobiography is written about you so write as yourself instead of pretending to be writing about someone else.

Most autobiographies are also written in chronological order, from birth right up to your current age, with all the boring parts left out. That doesn’t mean you can’t play around with the timeline.

Sometimes it’s more interesting to start at a high moment, backtrack to the beginning and show how you got to that high moment.

Whatever format you choose, be intentional, and make the choice based on making the most compelling experience possible for your readers.

How Long Should an Autobiography Be?

There are no rules to how long an autobiography should be but a rough guideline is to aim for between 200 and 400 pages.

This will keep your book in line with what most readers expect for books in general, and will help get your book traditionally published or help with marketing your self-published book.

How To Write a Short Autobiography

You write a short autobiography the same way that you write a long autobiography.

You simply leave more out of the story.

You cut everything down to the bones. Or you choose a slice of your life as you do in a memoir. This often means limiting the people in your book, reducing the events and experiences, and shrinking your story to a few pivotal moments in your life.

How To Start an Autobiography

The truth is that you can start your autobiography in any number of ways.

Here are four common ways to begin an autobiography.

• Start at the beginning (of your life, career or relationship, etc.)
• Start at a high moment of drama or interest.
• Start at the end of the story and work backward
• Start with why you wrote the book.

Good Autobiography Titles

If you are still stuck on titling your autobiography, consider going to Amazon to browse published works. You can even just Google “autobiographies.”

When you read the titles of 10, 20, or 50 other autobiographies, you will start to see patterns or get ideas for your own titles. (HINT: the title templates in the Autobiography Blueprint were reverse-engineered from popular published books.

Also, check out the titles of the full autobiography examples below that I have included right here in this article.

Types of Autobiographies

There are several different kinds of autobiographies.

Each one requires a similar but slightly nuanced approach to write effectively. The lessons in this article will serve as a great starting point.

Autobiography Types:

• Autobiography for School
• Autobiography Novel
• Autobiography for a Job
• Short Autobiography
• Autobiography for Kids

Therefore, there is actually not just one way to write an autobiography.

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Are They The Same?

It’s common to feel confused about a memoir and an autobiography. I used to think they were the same thing.

But, nope, they’re not.

They are pretty similar, which is the reason for all the confusion. A memoir is the story of one part of your life. An autobiography is the story of your full life (up until now).

What Is the Difference Between an Autobiography and a Biography?

An autobiography is when you write about your own life. A biography, on the other hand, is when you write the story of someone else’s life.

So, if I write a book about the life of the President, that’s a biography.

If the President writes a story about his or her own life, that’s an autobiography.

What Not To Include In an Autobiography

Autobiographies are meant to be a snapshot of our lives that we can share with others, but there are some things that are best left out.

Here are three things you should avoid including in your autobiography:

1) Anything That Readers Will Skip

Your life may not be filled with non-stop excitement, but that doesn’t mean you need to include every mundane detail in your autobiography.

Stick to the highlights and leave out the low points.

2) Character Attacks on Others

It’s okay to discuss conflicts you’ve had with others, but don’t use your autobiography as a platform to attack someone’s character.

Keep it civil and focus on your own experiences and how they’ve affected you.

3) Skipping Highlights

Just because something embarrassing or painful happened to you doesn’t mean you should gloss over it in your autobiography.

These are the moments that shape us and make us who we are today, so don’t skip past them just because they’re uncomfortable.

By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your autobiography is interesting, honest, and engaging.

How To Write an Autobiography: Autobiography Examples

I have always found examples to be extremely instructive. Especially complete examples of finished products. In this case, books.

Below you will find examples of published autobiographies for adults and for kids. These examples will guide you, motivate you and inspire you to complete your own life story.

They are listed here as examples, not as endorsements, although I think they are all very good.

The point is that you don’t have to agree with anything written in the books to learn from them.

Autobiography Examples for Adults

• A Promised Land (Autobiography of Barack Obama)
• If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t) (Betty White)
• It’s a Long Story: My Life (Willie Nelson)
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (Rob Lowe)
• Becoming (Michelle Obama)

Autobiography Examples for Kids

• This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (NOT Disability) (Aaron Philips)
• Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid (Mikaila Ulmer)

Tools to Write Your Autobiography

Here are some recommended tools to help you write your autobiography:

Final Thoughts: How To Write An Autobiography

Thank you for reading my article on How to Write an Autobiography.

Now that you know all of the secrets to write your book, you may want to get it published, market it, and continue to upskill yourself as an author.

In that case, read these posts next:

• Can Anyone Write A Book And Get It Published?
• The Best Writing Books For Beginners 2022 (My 10 Favorites)
• Why Do Writers Hate Adverbs? (The Final Answer)
• How To Write a Manifesto: 20 Ultimate Game-Changing Tips

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How to Shoot Video Biographies

Allen Bronstein, cofounder of MobileMovieMaking, has recently been shooting short video biographies. While these typically capture the lives of older subjects or even people who have died, the form can be used to tell the story of anyone of any age. In the following interview, Allen provides advice that filmmakers can use to celebrate the lives of family members, friends, neighbors, and anyone else they care about.

MMM: Does the term “legacy video” refer to what you’re doing?

Allen: I  prefer to think of them as mini biographical documentaries.   Being a storyteller I’m looking for a way to talk about a persons life and accomplishments in terms of who they’ve become or achieved in their lives.  I’ve done videos about famous or accomplished people, but the real unsung heroes are the housewives  and caretakers who sacrifice for others.   Everyone’s life matters.

MMM: Why is this kind of video important?

Allen:  We all need recognition.   If done properly it validates the person’s life and their reason for being in concrete terms.  It’s not just some passing thought or feeling, but a tangible thing that’s been seen and documented.   It  really happened.   It’s also a gift that one can leave for future generations so they can “see and hear”  who you are and also know where they’ve come from.

MMM: What are the visual elements?

Allen: I’ve used old video footage and home movies,  live interviews, old photos, awards, newspaper and magazine articles, and even keepsakes  (tickets to events or performances), anything that is meaningful to the individual.    The secret is to listen and find the story behind the object and use that object to reveal the person.

MMM: Do you have a standard script?

Allen: No. Every subject is different.   It’s the challenge of finding and telling the person’s story  that makes this so exciting for me.

MMM: What tips do you have for interviewing a person?

Allen: Treat it as if it were an informal conversation. You want your subject to relax and forget that they’re being interviewed. You want them feel like they’re just talking to you.

MMM: When does it make sense to interview other people about the subject?

Allen: If the subject has died or is unable to talk, you can often get important information from family members or others. But even when the subject is available, sometimes other people provide really interesting perspectives that enrich the story.

MMM: Can you tell us something about your editing approach?

Allen: In my opinion, shorter is better. I usually aim for a finished biography of eight to ten minutes.

MMM: If a person’s had a long and rich life, how do you squeeze it into such a short video?

Allen: The secret is limiting the scope of the story to one, two, or three topics. Trying to cover everything tends to dilute rather than enhance the story.

MMM: So that means you leave out clips that you’ve shot?

Allen: Yes, that’s an important part of the editing process.

MMM:  Are there other editing techniques that you rely on?

Allen:  The main one is the Ken Burns Effect. Named for the famous documentarian who made the Civil War series,  it allows the filmmaker to add movement to still images, for example, zooming in or out. The tool is built into iMovie and other editing software. [You’ll find a helpful Ken Burns Effect tutorial created by David A. Cox here .]

MMM: How do you choose the music?

Allen:  If possible, I have the subject choose it or  someone who is close to the person. It helps keep my ego and personal choices out of the process. This approach can reveal another dimension of the subject’s personality because for many people, music is an important part of their lives.

MMM: How did you get into producing biography videos?

Allen:  I was asked to do a memorial video for a Superior Court Judge and musician and discovered that I truly loved the challenge of tell people’s stories that reveal who they are in a way that touches people’s hearts and minds. I love the process of creating personal documentaries —because everyone is important!

You can find out more about Allen’s work at  www.yourlifematters.video

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11 Tips to Spice up your Character Bios (FREE Template)

Character bios may seem like busy work, but they’re crucial outline tools that bring light and life to your stories..

If everyone has a story to tell, then every character in those stories needs to be made up of stories of their own, so the tale comes across as real and engaging.

The more detail you give your character, the more the audience can identify with them and the easier it'll be for your project to find its way to the big or small screen. To get your characters in shape, I recommend writing a character bio for them.

Today, we'll go over character bios, mini character bios, and we'll even give you some tips and tricks to deepen your characters with our character bio worksheet. They're the same as character profiles, so if you came here looking for those, you're in the right place.

So let's dive in!

What is a Character Bio?

A character bio, or character profile, is a few sentences or pages that make up your character's story. They help embellish your character's traits and aid in character development and mapping out your character's arc . The bio should give the person reading it a way to personally connect with the character. It should not matter whether or not they are a protagonist or an antagonist ; the bio needs to provide information that makes that person more human. These bios don't have to occur on the screen. But they should be known by the writer, director, and actor to give depth and meaning behind every choice, and be available to provide backstory as needed in the script.

Mini Character Bios

A mini character bio is a one-sentence summary of who that character is, for example, "Bruce Wayne is a billionaire philanthropist who dresses like a Bat to avenge his parents' death at the handle of a criminal." Your mini character bio can help when you're pitching your characters . But if you're creating a bible or a treatment , you might want to write a longer character bio, so development executives know exactly what to expect from the characters in your screenplay.

How to Expand your Character Bio

Since screenwriting is an economical way to get ideas across, we often lose out on the art of expanding our character bios. But we have to be ready to give the long-form version of these biographies because they'll help inform the people playing our character and the casting search. They also are great in helping us define the hoops and hurdles people need to go through to arc. If we now why our characters are a certain way, we can help change them moving forward.

11 Tips for Your Character Bios

When you're expanding your character biographies, it can be hard to think about all the details you need to make a complete person. I've assembled 11 tips and tricks to help you add to your characters' stories. I'll provide examples for each, and we can go through them on the worksheet we provide to help you brainstorm.

1. Personal information

This one is pretty easy. What should we know about your character? Height, weight, hair, personal style - give us the police description of who we are looking at and why they stand out in the crowd. Try to avoid cliches, such as labeling the women hot or beautiful, and telling us how muscular the men are. Sure, if you need to describe a superhero, maybe they're jacked and hot, but go a step further. What else can we know about them?

For example, what do we know about Steve Rogers when we meet him? Sure he's puny, but how big is his heart? Consider digging deep when you get here.

2. Their family

As Dom Torretto can tell you, you're nothing without your family. So whether you're the Dad playing catch with his son in Field of Dreams, or the Joker's dad putting a smile on your face, or the mother from Oedipus , all the way to Stranger Things , let us know about the characters' family.

3. Strengths?

Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound and is faster than a speeding bullet. Elle Woods knows how to accessorize. What is your character good at? A lot of the story is going to focus on people overcoming things, and the way to plan that out is to see what they're good at and make sure the obstacles butt up against that. So pick out what you think your characters are good at and make sure that shines.

4. Weaknesses?

What's your character's kryptonite? Elle Woods relies too much on what people think of her and doesn't think enough about what she can accomplish. These weaknesses will help guide your story structure . Keep your character bio fresh by talking about your character has problems with so that we have places for them to arc.

While this might get confused with weaknesses, it's a little more personal. Maybe your weakness is kryptonite, but a character flaw would be being willing to save everyone without taking time to save yourself. Think about Peter Parker - his flaw is that he values being a hero over being a kid, and that means sacrificing a lot of his relationships. This inability to show up for his friends is a huge character flaw. And if we include that in the character bio we will know how to craft our story, or even future movies or tv episodes, around this flaw.

6. What’s their backstory?

Everyone comes from somewhere. The backstory is important because we are the sum of our parts. Your characters are the same way. Tell us where they came from and when their strengths, weaknesses, flaws, and family come from. This should be an amalgamation of all the tips - and an explanation for who the character is today. Think about Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. She's a fierce warrior with issues because Thanos raised her and took her from her fallen planet.

7. Why Do We Care?

Seriously. Why? Empathy is the strongest emotion. It's what connects us to your characters. Every character bio needs empathy. We need to know what these people are going through that makes them accessible to us. Michael Scott started as a character who we kind of hate, but then we realized he just wanted love. Michael was a guy afraid of dying alone, and who doesn't relate with that! Once we found empathy with Michael, he came into America's homes and became one of the most popular characters of all time. And this counts for villains too. We understood Killmonger's intentions, had empathy for his struggle, and it made Black Panther a deeper movie.

8. What do they want?

Wants and desires drive your character's intentions. They're arguably the most critical part of the character bio. The reason we watch your show or movie is to see characters reach for their goals . So knowing what drives them gives your story a ton of purpose. So what does your character want? It could be like Thanos, to rule the universe, or it could just be a small goal that drives a bigger story, like Mud's desire to get his boat running.

9. What’s in their way?

Obstacles, and how they attack them, are the definition of a character. So it's time to define who this person is and what stands in their way from being the fulfillment of their dreams. Indiana Jones wants to be the guy who found the ark, but he has to beat the Nazis to get there. Just like Chiron wants love but coming out and being a gay man is frowned upon in his community. So each character has to overcome what stands in front of them to fulfill who they are in their bio.

10. How do they arc?

We talk about character arcs here. It's the backbone of the story and should align with the story map . When it comes to the bio, we want to know where they start and where they're going. This matters especially in television because if you're staying with these characters for several seasons, we need to have illusions toward where they are going. Think about the Cheers dynamic with Sam and Diane, or even Blackish's Bo and Dre. Who are these people when we meet them? What puts a strain on their relationship and what can we do to bring them closer and tear them apart?

11. Do they have a secret?

The last character bio tip and trick that I love is to give your character a secret. What's something they don't share with the world, or something we could reveal, that deepens who they are in our eyes? You could use a character secret generator , but it's probably better to just get to know your characters. I love big reveals, like Snape's obsession with Harry's mom. But you can have little things too, like Jon Snow being a Targaryen. Wait, that's not so small, but maybe something small like an alter ego, or maybe they have a hidden fear or love. Let your character's secrets get them in trouble, add some emotion, and dictate the path of your story.

Character Bio Worksheet

What’s next join our free drama pilot seminar.

Want to learn how to write a TV pilot? You've come to the right place.

Breaking into Hollywood with a writing career is one of the hardest things you can do. Fewer and fewer movies are being made every year, and now, many young writers are turning to television to find jobs. But to get a job in television, you need a sample. Samples are speculative pilot scripts that your agent or manager can hand to showrunners to prove your worth.

So get writing, and make sure every character has a bio that matters!

I can't wait to read what you write next!

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• The Best Original Character Bio Template (250+ Traits Sheet ... ›
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Learn the Secrets of Perfecting Parody with 'Challengers' Spoof "Putters"

Shane barbera breaks down the art and craft of parodying summer's favorite tennis throuple..

It goes without saying that Challengers took the world by storm with it's take on hot people playing tennis and kissing. The tennis? The sexual tension? The banger score? The tennis ? We love Challengers , but it goes without saying it would be way funnier if instead of tennis, our favorite throuple played mini golf instead.

Lucky for the world, we have "Putters".

Shane Barbera's Challengers parody not only perfectly goofs Luca Guadagnino's horny masterpiece with a razor sharp sardonic tone, but also goes the extra mile to do so with some impressive artsy behind the camera. Like any great parody, the jokes sell bigger when the filmmaking at their heart is skillful.

Below, we chat with Shane about his process making "Putters", as well as the art and craft of parody. Check it out, and then watch "Putters" for yourself below the below. But you have to read first! I'll be watching...

Editor's note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.

NFS Interviews "Putters" Creator Shane Barbera 

No Film School: What are some of the general challenges of writing parody?

Shane Barbera: I think a challenge of writing parody is making fun of the source material without the parody becoming completely derivative.

A good parody can stand on it’s own, either telling a new story, or retelling the story in an original way. In "Putters" I largely do this with a completely unrelated b-story about the birth of the universe through the end of civilization. It parodies the time-jumps from Challengers in an outlandish way, while telling a new story that wasn’t at all present in Challengers .

When I sent my rough cut out for notes from friends, a few suggested I lose the b-story and just make it a pure Challengers parody. For me, that b-story in the film made it uniquely my voice and not an arbitrary parody that anyone could make.

Another challenge of writing parody falls on the opposite end of the spectrum,—making sure that you acutely make fun of specific flagship moments in the subject of your parody. I only watched Challengers once in a theater on a date, and we were making out for probably 20 percent of the film. I think paying less attention might have actually helped because my memory captured the big moments that probably everyone remembers and not the other minutia.

When I decided I was going to write a parody of Challengers , the writing process was about six days long. The first four days I was ruminating on what jokes and scenes I wanted to hit, jotting notes down as I went about my day. The actual typing of the screenplay I did over two days. I wrote it while concurrently reading the Challengers ' screenplay to make sure I was hitting all the major beats in the right order. The timeline of Challengers jumps all over the place, so it’s easy to forget the order of events.

NFS: The filmmaking is perfectly sarcastic in tone while still honoring Challengers. What was that process like?

Barbera: My take on Challengers is that the cinematography, soundtrack, and editing are amazing. As a filmmaker, Challengers was a really fun movie to parody because I could be really creative with the cinematography and editing.

The final scene of Challengers is especially creative and was the key scene I felt I needed to ace—the ball’s perspective, the time-ramps, the final jump-hug moment. I made sure to recreate all of these moments in "Putters".

In terms of the story of Challengers , it’s a little soapy and melodramatic, but it’s not a completely cookie cutter love triangle story. It’s a bisexual love triangle, and I feel like you don’t see that a lot in films. That makes it interesting. There are undertones in the film that the true romance is between the two men. I parody that in "Putters" by making the two men overtly into each other and pushing the woman away.

When it comes to parodying the characters of Challengers , I took each of their core attributes and heightened them a lot. In Challengers Art is a bit of a cuck, Patrick is a fuckboy, and Tashi is cold and aggressive. I especially heightened the Tashi character in "Putters". She’s fully a middle school bully, whipping out wedgies, copy-cat mocking people, etc.

Another key component of Challengers is that it’s sexy . Sexy tennis. Hot people, dripping sweat, grunting and moaning, all hooking up with each other. Mapping that onto mini golf is ridiculous and fun and easy laughs. A dinky family recreational activity but now it’s sexy and intense? Yes please.

"Putters"

NFS: Love the dino and future time jumps. Was that AI? It was integrated perfectly, so curious to hear more about the method.

Barbera: All the extreme time jumps to the past and future in the film were made with stock footage I got from Motion Array.

I searched for stock footage as I was writing the script, and wrote those parts of the script around the stock footage I was able to find. For instance, I knew I wanted a post-apocalyptic future scene, and while I was looking for stock footage of that I found a bunch of dancing skeleton videos.

Once I saw that there was no going back.

NFS: How many times did you watch Challengers to get the perfect cadence and shot refs to replicate?

Barbera: I only watched Challengers once, in a theater on a date, and was paying more attention to the date than the film a good chunk of the time. But when I buckled down to create this parody, I rewatched a lot of clips from the film on YouTube, specifically the opening (I do a shot for shot match of the opening in "Putters"). I also watched back the hotel scene, the ending, and the trailer.

The cinematography and editing of the Challengers ending is so unique and creative, it was one of the main things that made me want to parody this film and take a stab at replicating that magic.

NFS: What are some of your common rules and instincts for writing, directing, and editing comedy?

Barbera: If it makes me laugh and smile a lot then I feel like I’m onto something. I keep a running notes file on my phone. Whenever something really funny happens that I think could be a comedy video, I write it down. I also generate a lot of comedic ideas from doing live improv comedy.

There’s probably endless different ways to make something funny, but some of the main ways I do it are (with examples from "Putters"):

Heightening the Absurdity:

• Tashi was cold and aggressive, now she’s a middle school bully.
• Challengers time jumps a lot, "Putters" time jumps to the Jurrasic period.

Juxtaposition:

• Mini golf is usually tame, now it’s intense and sexy.
• A mini golf romantic rivalry micro story juxtaposed with a macro story of the birth and death of the universe.
• Wiggling your putter against your golf ball before every putt.
• A future of dancing skeletons.

When it comes to directing comedy, I like the characters to feel real amidst absurd circumstances. I think the more serious and committed the characters are to their own personal truth, the more the audience will be invested in them, and the comedy can shine through. You need a status quo that can be disturbed by the comedic moments. If it’s all crazy all the time it’s just confusing, and confusion is a killer of comedy.

Editing comedy can be tricky. You spend so much time with the project that what was once funny to you now evokes no emotion whatsoever. I think you just need to have faith that if it was funny to you when you wrote it, filmed it, and first saw the footage, then it’s probably still funny to a new viewer. Then once you have a cut, share it with some friends to get a fresh pair of eyes on it for notes and feedback.

NFS: Any advice for aspiring alt comics making short films for the bones of the future?

Barbera: My advice would be to just keep making stuff. Consistency is key. If you can, find or create a community with fellow filmmakers to give yourself a deadline.

Here in LA, I use Sethward’s Show & Tell Screening Spectacular as a deadline to make new videos for. It’s a monthly backyard comedy screening that just had its 10 year anniversary. If you’re in LA, I’d highly recommend checking it out, if you’re not, I’d try to find or form something similar to it! Screening your films regularly is also a great way to get feedback and encouragement. I spent two months really burning myself out making "Putters" (I need to work on balance in my life and not always hyper-focusing on a project until it’s done), but screening it in front of a huge crowd that had a huge reaction to it, and getting lots of complements after the show, really made it feel like all the hard work was worth it. It gave me motivation to go do it again on the next project.

When you just throw your video up online you don’t really get to experience people’s reactions to it and it can be disheartening if it doesn’t get a lot of attention.

Anyway, moral of the story, keep making stuff. It’s the only way to improve as a filmmaker. From my experience, working as an assistant in the film industry will get you nowhere creatively and will eat up all your time and energy. I’d much rather not work in the film industry and be making my own projects than working in the industry but not making anything creative. And if you focus on making your own work, eventually someone in the industry will recognize your talent and give you a job. That’s what happened to me at least.

I’ve been working as a video editor for the past seven years, but I never sought out to become an editor. After working three years in various production assistant roles, I left LA and got a 9 to 5 job, and spent most of my free time making short films (the biggest of which was a parody of Stranger Things , called " Weirder Stuff "). Eventually a production company saw my work and gave me a chance as an editor for a week while one of their editors was out on vacation. They liked my work and kept me around, and I’ve been working as an editor ever since.

Watch "Putters" NOW

Keep up with all Shane's online stuff with this online info: YouTube: @shanebarbera | Instagram: @shanebarbera

| Website: www.shanebarbera.com

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