Having received feedback and analysis from every reputable company out there, I've come to realize these analysts must all be trained by either the same people or read the same books. What is your character's goal? What do they want/need? What's at stake? I'm interested to know whether these are all American traits because when it comes to British romcoms the above questions re the finished film never seem to surface. Maybe it's me and I'm just dumb but I cannot see any goals or anything at stake in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually. Some of the best romcoms ever made. Even When Harry Met Sally. No goals, no stakes. Is it just me or do people already qualified to make films disregard everything us newbies are told to make our scripts marketable and appealing? Interested to hear what people think?
Screenwriting : Is all romcom feedback the same? by Robert Bridge
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You're right, they've all read the same books. The goal of Hugh Grant's character is always to get the girl. And once he realizes it, rather late, that she in fact is the woman of his life, the stakes tend to be reasonably high too.
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"Baraka," the non-narrative visual poem by Ron Fricke, proves the point. I've just watched "Tutti Frutti" BBC 1987; goals? Stakes? Shambolic dysfunctional reflection on reality.
Who writes the theories?
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Are industry readers all operating from the same checklist?
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A suggestion to revisit the named films with an eye toward where the characters are at the beginning and where they are at the end. What drives them.
While there are certainly no stakes akin to saving the Universe, these stories are crammed with personal stakes. It's critical for writers to be able to analyze and track them. FW&AF is written with great precision. I believe it took two years to write.
If multiple sources are pointing to shortcomings in a script, the issues are in the script, not with sources who know an effective story from one that is not. And lay aside the sour grapes.
Yes, some movies don’t have goals, obstacles, or stakes. Some movies also seem to meander without purpose. ;)
Of course, there are respected films that don’t “follow the rules,” but no matter what, you should strive to write a story that’s “about” something. A good way to do that is confront your character with a thesis (theme) then have them prove or disprove it.
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I think you should take a closer look at the films you mentioned, they all have goals. As far as RomCom's go, the goal is easy and quite clear. Boy wants to get the girl or vice versa. The goal, which is "what does your character want?" is pretty clear in a RomCom. To me anyway!
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I'm from Macedonia. Been reading, writing, consulting some native scripts. There are no visible stakes, no payoff, even many times no theme...but films get made...sometimes even get major awards...but that's "Europe style"...
Wanna get noticed in the U.S. market, gotta write U.S. style scripts...and yes, in Hollywood even rom-coms have stakes and payoffs...
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Strange what worlds your characters live in. Void of risk, desires.. failures. A fart is a failure on a first date— can create such drama!! Come on writersssss!!!
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That's very heartening but what exactly is the path to a decision maker's desk without someone passing it to them. For Spec writers who aren't Gerwig or Baumbach, how does it get there? Buzz of a great script must be generated somehow.
What's the secret.
Take another look at those films and see if the wants and stakes are in the subtext. British romcoms tend to be more subtle in these areas than their US counterparts. These can be as simple as discovering someone when they are lonely (want) and the sense of emptiness they would feel if they were to lose them (stakes).