My Journey into Learning Screenwriting: A VFX Artist’s Perspective

Introduction

As a VFX shoot supervisor, my career has always revolved around visual storytelling. However, there were times when work slowed down, leaving me with weeks of idle time. Instead of letting it go to waste, I started learning screenwriting —a craft that intrigued me just as much as photography and VFX. What started as a curiosity soon turned into a passionate hobby.

How I Started Learning Screenwriting

Firstly, I began my screenwriting journey by downloading and reading the scripts of some of my favorite films, including Jurassic Park, Terminator, and American Beauty. Initially, I focused on script formatting rather than storytelling. Understanding the structure of a screenplay was the first step toward mastering this new craft.

Learning Screenwriting Software

Secondly, to streamline my writing process, I downloaded Kit Scenarist, a dedicated screenwriting software. This helped me organize my ideas and format my script correctly. Within four months, I completed my first screenplay—a 127-minute script, though it lacked dialogue at first. Instead, I wrote descriptive action and character emotions to bring the scenes to life.

Enhancing My Writing with Music

Just as I use orchestral music to set the mood while editing fashion videos, I found that listening to film scores helped me stay in the right mindset while writing. Music played a crucial role in maintaining my focus and creativity throughout the process.

Learning Screenwriting Books

During my daily 50-minute metro commute, I took the opportunity to read screenwriting books to refine my craft. Books like Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder, Screenplay by Syd Field, The Anatomy of Story by John Truby, and Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland helped me clear the fog around screenwriting principles and made me realize the importance of inciting incidents, character arcs, and scene structure. Over time, I made 64 iterations of my script, improving it with each revision.

The Impact of Truby’s Genre Theory

Reading John Truby’s The Anatomy of Genre expanded my perspective on storytelling beyond just structure. I learned how to develop rich, meaningful narratives without worrying about fitting them into a specific genre. This approach aligned with my belief in letting the story evolve naturally and allowing the audience to categorize it later.

Creating Character Arcs

One of the most important aspects of storytelling is character development. Through my reading and practice, I realized that a strong screenplay is not just about plot but about the evolution of characters. Understanding how characters change throughout a story—whether through a positive, negative, or flat arc—helped me build more compelling narratives. By mapping out their desires, conflicts, and personal growth, I was able to craft more engaging and emotionally resonant stories.

Organising Scenes with Sticky Notes

To keep track of scene movements and character progressions, I started using colorful sticky notes on my table. Each sticky note represented a scene, helping me visualize the flow of the story and make necessary adjustments with ease. This method provided a hands-on, interactive way to structure my screenplay and refine its pacing.

Visualising My Script with 3D Storyboard

As a VFX professional, I decided to take my screenplay a step further by creating a motion storyboard in 3D software. This helped me visualize the camera movements, action sequences, and pacing, making my script feel more immersive. This process reinforced my previsualization skills, which I often use in VFX and photography.

Conclusion: A Hobby That Complements My Career

Although I don’t consider myself a professional screenwriter yet. But I’m genuinely enjoying the process. Just as I once learned photography for personal fulfillment before it became a career, learning screenwriting is shaping up to be another rewarding creative journey. Whether or not I officially enter the film industry as a writer, the skills I’ve gained will undoubtedly enhance my work in VFX, storytelling, and filmmaking.

Final Thoughts

For anyone interested in screenwriting, my advice is simple: start writing, keep learning screenwriting, and never stop refining your craft. You never know where it might lead you!