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    Can ChatGPT Write A Good Screenplay

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    Can ChatGPT Write A Good Screenplay

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    Jesus Mendes
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    38 views8 pages

    Can ChatGPT Write A Good Screenplay

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    Jesus Mendes

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    of 8

    André Rodrigues <foxdanger@gmail.

    com>

    Can ChatGPT Write A Good Screenplay?


    Noam Kroll <info@noamkroll.com> Sun, 29 Jan 14:35
    Reply-To: Noam Kroll <info@noamkroll.com>
    To: André <foxdanger@gmail.com>

    Can ChatGPT Write A Good Screenplay?

    By now you've all heard about ChatGPT - the AI powered platform


    that  exploded in popularity this month. 

    You can use ChatGPT to answer just about any question, but perhaps
    its greatest strength is the ability to write and edit huge amounts of

    text instantaneously.

    Naturally, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if ChatGPT

    were tasked with developing a feature length screenplay idea...

    So I tried it out - Not because I want to outsource my writing (that

    would completely defeat the purpose for me), but to get into the
    "mind" of AI and see how it approaches the writing process.
    The Story Template

    I asked ChatGPT how to best use it to write a screenplay, and

    requested a template that filmmakers can fill in to generate a story.

    This is what it said, unedited:

    Here's a simple template to help you generate a screenplay with ChatGPT:

    Step 1: Define the genre

    Provide the genre of your screenplay, for example: "sci-fi", "romantic comedy",

    "thriller".

    Step 2: Define the protagonist

    Provide a description of the protagonist, including: name, age, occupation,

    personality, and goal.

    Example prompt: "My protagonist is named Sarah, she is a 30-year-old

    detective and is determined and sarcastic. Her goal is to solve a string of

    murders in the city."

    Step 3: Define the antagonist

    Provide a description of the antagonist, including: name, age, occupation,

    personality, and motivation.


    Example prompt: "The antagonist is named John, he is a 40-year-old wealthy

    businessman with a manipulative and cruel personality. He is motivated by his

    desire to maintain his power and control over the city."

    Step 4: Define the conflict

    Provide a description of the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist.

    Example prompt: "The conflict is that Sarah is investigating the murders that

    John is behind, and John will stop at nothing to keep his involvement a secret."

    Step 5: Define the setting

    Provide a description of the setting, including: time, location, and tone.

    Example prompt: "The story takes place in present day New York City and has

    a dark and suspenseful tone."

    Step 6: Generate story beats and plot points

    Provide ChatGPT with a prompt asking it to generate plot points and story

    beats to advance the story.

    Example prompt: "Please generate five plot points that will escalate the conflict

    between Sarah and John and bring the story to a climax."

    Story Ideation
    Based on the response above, ChatGPT has made it clear which

    details it needs to tell a story (protagonist, antagonist, etc.)

    To fully test the capabilities of the AI, I asked ChatGPT to fill in the
    blanks for me, rather than giving it my own input.

    This was my prompt:

    "Come up with 5 different story ideas for feature films in the family drama

    genre. Write a short description of each concept, which should do the

    following: Define the genre, define the protagonist, define the antagonist,

    define the conflict, define the setting."

    ChatGPT responded with 5 story ideas, and I picked one at random.

    Here is the idea it created:

    "The Inheritance" - Family Drama. Protagonist: Lily, a 50-year-old widow

    Antagonist: Her sister-in-law, who is greedy and deceitful. Conflict: After the

    death of her husband, Lily discovers a hidden family secret and must fight for

    her fair share of the inheritance. Along the way, she must navigate family

    politics and confront her sister-in-law's manipulative ways. Setting: A wealthy

    estate in the countryside.

    Beat Sheet
    The next step in my usual writing process is to turn a concept into a

    beat sheet, so I asked ChatGPT to do the same thing.

    I specifically prompted it to write a beat sheet based on the synopsis


    above (which it generated), and to use the Blake Snyder beat sheet as

    a template.

    His beat sheet contains 15 story beats, which I pasted into ChatGPT

    as a reference. These were the results:

    1. Opening Image: Lily standing alone at her husband's funeral, surrounded

    by her in-laws and their wealth.

    2. Set-Up: Lily's life as a 50-year-old widow, who devoted her life to her

    husband and has limited connections outside of her in-laws.

    3. Theme Stated: Lily overhears a conversation between her in-laws, who

    discuss how wealth can corrupt and cause family rifts.

    4. Catalyst: After the funeral, Lily discovers a hidden family secret about a

    large inheritance left by her husband.

    5. Debate: Lily struggles with whether to fight for her fair share of the

    inheritance or to let her in-laws handle it.

    6. Break Into Two: Lily decides to fight for her fair share, determined to

    uncover the truth and assert her rights.


    7. B Story: Lily forms a relationship with a lawyer who helps her navigate

    the legal system and stand up to her sister-in-law.

    8. The Promise of the Premise: As Lily delves deeper into the family's

    history and the inheritance, she discovers new information and confronts

    her sister-in-law's manipulative ways.

    9. Midpoint: Lily achieves a victory in court and feels confident in her

    pursuit of the inheritance.

    10. Bad Guys Close In: Lily's sister-in-law retaliates by revealing further

    family secrets that threaten to undermine Lily's case.

    11. All is Lost: Lily's legal victory is overturned, and she feels hopeless and

    defeated.

    12. Dark Night of the Soul: Lily reflects on her life and her relationships,

    realizing the true meaning of family and what truly matters to her.

    13. Break into Three: Encouraged by her lawyer and a newfound sense of

    purpose, Lily decides to continue her fight for the inheritance, driven by a

    desire to honor her husband's legacy and secure her future.

    14. Finale: Lily uses her newfound strength and knowledge of the family's

    history to outwit her sister-in-law and secure her fair share of the

    inheritance.

    15. Final Image: Lily standing on the steps of the wealthy estate, smiling and

    surrounded by her family, with a sense of closure and a brighter future

    ahead.

    Takeaways
    I decided to end the process at the beat sheet, but could have

    continued it further. The next step would be to flesh out the 15 beats
    to 40 beats, and then to write each beat out as a scene.

    But for the purpose of this experiment, the results from the beat sheet

    were clear enough to draw some initial conclusions.

    My biggest takeaway: AI is great at thinking big picture, but poor


    at creating specificity and nuance. At least for now...

    In other words, it can write in clichés and tropes, but sorely lacks the
    emotional depth and originality that a great screenplay needs.

    That said though, I tried a similar experiment about a year ago with

    another platform and didn't get anywhere near these type of results.

    As the technology matures, it's very possible ChatGPT will be able to


    write a truly compelling screenplay. We're just not there yet.

    At this point, it's probably best used as a springboard to inspire new


    ideas, or see which clichés it will generate that you should avoid.

    Personally, I'm sticking to pen and paper. The process is the reward,

    and using AI to write on my behalf is no different than using a ghost


    writer, which I also have no interest in.
    But it's always fun to see what's on the horizon and keep a finger on

    the pulse... 

    That's it for today. See you next Sunday!

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