Utilizing writing skills is an integral part of life, but many people don’t know how to get better at it – even writers! Additionally, many writers are not inclined to watch movies because they don’t think they have the time. They tend to feel guilty about watching movies and TV because they think they should be doing something more productive.

What writers fail to realize is that watching movies can give them the ability to develop articles and manuscripts that can capture the reader’s attention. Furthermore, it is essential to understand that people respond or react differently to visual arts versus reading since movies offer a more concrete image in their minds. When you apply the proper procedures of watching movies, you can significantly improve your writing skills and assuage your guilt at the same time!

How Watching Movies Can Help Improve Your Writing Skills

Study the pacing in movies

Pacing, also known as tempo, is the rate of movement and stream of events that happens as the movie progresses. In simple words, it is the speed at which a movie’s plot moves. If a film has slow pacing, it tends to feel long, and viewers can lose interest quickly. On the other hand, if the pacing is too fast, it can leave the viewers blitzed with too much information very quickly; it can also leave the viewers wanting more and feeling that there was a lot of storytelling or background information that was glazed over.

Pacing can also be applied in writing. However, it is very easy to watch and consume a movie in one or two hours. One good thing about pacing is that there are a lot of subplots. So, anytime you are watching a movie, try to ask yourself questions. For example, think of how the main character of the film was identified.

Besides the subplots, there is the climax. Try identifying negative aspects of the movie too, and keep track of how the movie makes you feel; at what points did you lose interest in the film? These parts exist, and they mean that the writer didn’t do their best job in certain areas. You can use them to critique your own writing.

The goal here is to identify successful writing practices to keep your audience or readers engaged in the plot.

Real dialogue

You will probably identify good dialogue when you hear it. Imagine sitting in a film, and the scene is intense; however, the dialogue delivery is very poor. You will not only hit the brakes but also be cringing at the film the entire time.

Some writers have a hard time when it comes to writing dialogues. Some films are known for great dialogue, while others have the worst dialogue deliveries. In these movies, not only is the dialogue poor, but the character delivering it is not doing it well. 

To get better at natural dialogues, try to visualize a real conversation. This will help you write content that flows with the situation. Consider movies that have excellent dialogue delivery and the ones that have poor dialogue delivery. Try to identify the distinctions in both films.

That way, when writing your content, you will create a flow of words and avoid making mistakes made by the writers of the floppy movies. Try as much as possible to bring consistency in the dialogues and avoid redundancy when writing.

Making a dialogue too wordy makes it lose its effect. Consider going through a list of famous dialogue in movies from DistroTV to improve your writing.

Enhance character development

The audience gets bored every time the character fails to face enough conflict. The character of a movie must constantly be growing and moving in a particular direction.

Character development is how you create a convincing and realistic fictional character by giving them sensitive wisdom. This is regardless of whether the character is human, animal, or an animated object. Character development aims to provide the character with something to strive for so they have a direction.

Improve your memory

Just like writers, movie directors face a tough time making their movies an unforgettable experience. When creating a movie, the main goal is that the character and the dialogue stick with the audience. That way, whenever they decide to come up with a sequel or when the audience hears the movie is from the same director, they will be tempted to watch it to get the same experience.

It is for such experience that some websites dedicate themselves to movie dialogues. So, whenever there is a blockbuster, you will find them quoting some scenes in all fonts and shapes on their social media accounts like Instagram.

The same applies to writing pieces; consider going through movie reviews and identifying the scenes that make them unforgettable. Then, use that scene in your writing until you become used to writing like a pro.

Spectacular visuals

The best part about films is that you can actually picture the words used in dialogues. A lot of writers struggle when reading content to improve their writing vocabularies. The good news is that movies will help you picture a specific situation and allow you to easily use the image to move your mind into recognizing creative words.

The spectacular visions will also help improve your memory. It is much simpler to remember a picture and incorporate words into it than memorizing a long essay. This explains why many people are better at writing about movies than study papers.

So, whenever you are writing a piece and feel stuck, try to picture yourself in that specific situation. This will help keep your creative juices flowing, and you can quickly write about the situation.

Enhanced storytelling methods

Every movie comes in different Genres that offer diverse information about the characters and plots of the film. If you are a writer who loves watching movies, you can get many ideas about the world just from watching movies from different genres

This knowledge will later help you get new storytelling techniques that you cannot understand by sticking to your genres and specialty area.

Elimination of misunderstandings

If you are like most writers out there, you are usually confused when coming up with stories. However, movies can build your ideas about the word to simplify the writing process. Watching a terrible movie teaches you more about the shameful features that came up in the plot. For example, you can quickly realize that the film has a weak pace and at the same time develop ideas about the improvements that can be made.

As a writer, you then become attentive and try to as much as possible to avoid any scene that might confuse your audience. Remember that horrible movies can be easy to study than books that take a lot of time to write.

Create your writing flow

Look at the scenes of the movie you are watching and compare them to your writing. Does your writing have a good flow, or are you just jumping from one point to the other? Remember that this doesn’t mean you don’t have creative liberty. However, you must ensure that your writing has a satisfying flow from the beginning to the end; otherwise, you will not have an audience.

Apply the stories into your writing

Stories have the power to connect people like nothing else. So, consider using a story from a scene to show a point you want to make in your own piece. In other words, you can take the tone and scene setting and apply it to a similar situation in your work.

Use watching film to find new ways to tie storylines together.

Be more entertaining

You must be entertaining as a writer because your goal is to attract attention. But, also, remember that you are not the only writer; there are many writers out there that are competing for attention. Notice what works in successful movies. What gets your attention?

Determine what you really enjoy about a movie and apply it to your writing to make it more entertaining but always make sure to keep it in your own voice. Try new things while still making sure you’re being authentic. Just practice – you’ll get the hang of it!

Get an improved understanding and use of stylistic devices

Watching old movies, especially the ones produced in the 1950s, gives you knowledge about the use of dialogue. It is obvious that the characters in the film don’t mean what they say. However, they use imagery to show different attitudes and set the movie’s pace.

Movie characters tend to take on various postures and perform different actions to accompany dialogues while establishing other characters. As a writer, watching movies will help you learn and follow the conversations with paralinguistic communications to create a better-written copy. Sometimes watching scenes with the volume off can be helpful. What are the characters doing that lets you know what they are thinking and feeling beyond their words?

Get more website traffic

Do you know that you can drive more traffic to your website by using movie references and titles in headlines? So, try using upcoming blockbuster movie titles and see how your traffic will increase.

The Bottom Line

Writers should watch movies properly and study every artistic feature that is useful in writing. The same thing applies to watching shows. By watching movies or shows, you get to become a better writer who has is both discerning and skilled. You will also be able to eliminate misunderstanding, develop new storytelling methods, know how to use stylistic devices, and create great written copy to capture the readers’ minds.

And for those looking to refine their writing skills further, tools like ProWritingAid can assist in enhancing your editing process, ensuring your final product captures your readers’ attention effectively.

This collaborative post may contain affiliate links.