10 Screenwriting Tips from Edgar Wright on how he wrote Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead

Edgar Wright is an English director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his comedic Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy consisting of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), made with recurrent collaborators Simon Pegg, Nira Park and Nick Frost. Edgar Wright also co-wrote and directed the action comedy film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and he adapted The Adventures of Tintin (2011) for Steven Spielberg. His latest film is the psychological horror film Last Night in Soho (2021).
01. Aim to recapture the thrills that you felt watching your favorite films at the cinema.
02. Writing that comes from your heart will always turn out better than what you think you ought to write about.
03. Be methodical about plotting out your screenplay. You need a clear idea of where you’re heading so you don't get lost or bored along the way.
04. Keep “creatively procrastinating” by researching until your treatment document starts turning into a screenplay.
05. Use genre films like a trojan horse. Sneak in bigger ideas into films that seem superficial at first.
06. Comedy comes out of character. If your character’s voice and their strengths and weaknesses are well defined, comedy will naturally emerge from them.
07. In this day and age, where all of the tools to get your films seen are at your disposal, but also at the disposal of your competitors, it is time to focus on being your most unique self to stand out with your film.
08. Having affection for the genre is what will make people take your genre film seriously and not mistake it for a parody.
09. Put a different part of yourself into each character in your screenplay.
10. When co-writing, someone needs to be the bad cop and negotiate how much time you can spend in the writing room if the good cop spends too much time joking and playing around with ideas.
Follow us on our main Instagram: / outstanding.screenplays
Follow us on our video Instagram: / outstandingscreenplays
Follow us on Twitter: / outscreenplays
Follow us on Facebook: / outstandingscreenplays
Support us on Patreon: / outstandingscreenplays
#EdgarWright #Screenwriter #Screenwriting