Teaching the Craft with Screenwriting Sensei Paul Chitlik

Screenwriting Tips for Indie Filmmakers: A Complete Guide to Story, Structure, and Character

by Carole Dean

There are moments in my work, this sacred work of helping filmmakers bring their visions to life, when I meet someone who reminds us of what it means to be devoted to story.

In a recent episode of The Art of Film Funding Podcast, I had the joy of sitting with screenwriter, producer, and teacher Paul Chitlik, whose wisdom comes not just from writing for major networks, but from a lifetime spent translating the soul of human experience onto the page.

The Myth That Screenwriting Is Easy

Paul’s new book, The Screenwriting Sensei, is a treasure chest: three complete courses distilled from years of teaching, revised and refined to guide any writer—from beginners to seasoned storytellers—toward mastery. Our conversation became a masterclass from Paul in clarity, craft, and the courage to write truthfully. 

Many aspiring filmmakers believe that screenwriting is simply “writing what you see in a movie.” But, as Paul explains, screenwriting is a craft with layers of psychological, emotional, and structural complexity.

Beginners often leap over essential development steps. I always remind filmmakers: your character must connect to your theme, and your theme must match your budget, especially when working on a first film.

The Foundations of a Strong Screenplay

Know what you are saying, know who is saying it, and know the world that tests them. These three create the spine of your film.

1. Start With the Premise:
   • What are you trying to say?
   • Examples: Love conquers all, Greed destroys the soul.
   • Your story must prove your premise through action and transformation.
2. Build a Character:
   • What does your character want?
   • What do they truly need?
   • How do they help reveal the theme?
3. Craft the Situation:
   • What dramatic context forces character and theme to collide?
   • It could be as sweeping as the sinking of the Titanic or as simple as a tense dinner table.
   • When premise, character, and situation align, your foundation becomes unshakeable.

Writing for Your Budget & Your Audience

Budget = Story Strategy: If you are using friends’ money or a $10K crowdfunding campaign, write a story that can be shot with few actors and locations (e.g., a drama set in your home).

Big Ideas ≠ Big Budgets: Write a story you can shoot. Do not begin with a Marvel-style concept if you’re shooting on iPhone.

• Case Studies:
  • James Mangold started with small films (Heavy) and now directs blockbusters.
  • Ryan Coogler began with Fruitvale Station and graduated to Black Panther.

My advice is simple: make a brilliant $20K film. Deliver on time. Deliver on budget. Investors will follow you to $200K and beyond.

Learn by Watching Great Films

Study the masters. Let them teach you. Every great filmmaker is leaving you clues.

I encourage filmmakers to explore Scorsese’s list of 86 essential films—an extraordinary education.

Paul urges writers to watch one film a week and break down the 7 plot points.

The 7 Essential Plot Points

These beats are the heartbeat of your story. They appear in the whole film, in each act, even within scenes. Watch for them—they are everywhere.

1. Ordinary Life – Introduce the protagonist and their world.
2. Inciting Incident – External event shakes up that world.
3. End of Act One – The character makes a decision and sets a goal.
4. Midpoint – Character shifts from pursuing a want to a deeper need.
5. End of Act Two / Low Point – All seems lost; the character hits rock bottom.
6. Climax / Final Challenge – Hero confronts inner flaws to achieve their need.
7. Return to New Normal – Changed forever, the hero returns to a new status quo.

Tip: These seven beats also exist within sequences and even individual scenes.

Character is King

Plot is what happens. Character is why it matters. If your characters don’t breathe, your story won’t live.

• “Are Your Characters…Characters?”
  • Layered, flawed, specific people are compelling.
  • Even antagonists should be relatable (e.g., Pacino’s Scarface).
• Paul breaks down Lajos Egri’s Triangle of Character:

• Physiology: Age, gender, appearance.
• Sociology: Family, education, job, social class.
• Psychology: Emotions, trauma, internal contradictions.

If you don’t know these things, your character will be flat—and so will your dialogue.

• Example: Even a nurse with one line should have backstory and flavor.

The Importance of Layering

Layering is where your film becomes art. It’s where the truth hides and where audiences connect.

• Layer characters with:
  • Backstory
  • Conflicting emotions
  • Specific language
• Layer scenes by adding real-world texture (e.g., chaos in a job interview).
• Layer theme and symbolism to give your film depth beyond plot.

Using Scripts as Teaching Tools

The best scripts teach you how to write your own.

Paul references classics like Thelma & Louise, Shakespeare in Love, Memento.

He also highlights modern examples:

• Barbie
• Coda
• Oppenheimer

Each film reinforces that structure, theme, and character are timeless principles.

The Script Status Report

This might be one of the most powerful tools Paul gives writers. It forces clarity—and clarity sells scripts

• A structured self-review tool that doubles as a pitch document.
• Includes:
  • Premise
  • Character arc
  • Plot structure
  • Audience and production viability
• Chitlik’s Pitch Strategy:
  • Start with a logline + question: “Is this something you’re interested in?”
  • Follow with a paragraph summary.
  • Then pitch the 7 plot points.
  • Pitch until they say yes—or pitch another project.

Final Words of Encouragement

• Writers write. Daily. Create a sacred time and space for it.
• Write what you want to see. That’s where truth lives.
• Write for yourself first—then polish it for the world.

Your Script’s Next Step Starts Here

Paul Chitlik’s book The Screenwriting Sensei is more than how-to. It’s a guidebook for the writer’s journey. It gives aspiring screenwriters permission to fail, rewrite, learn, and evolve. With tools like the 7-plot structure, deep character analysis, and real-world pitch prep, this book belongs in every filmmaker’s toolkit.

🎧 Listen to the episode: The Art of Film Funding Podcast https://fromtheheartproductions.com/the-art-of-film-funding-podcast