How to Build a Climate Screenplay

Throw a rock and you’ll hit bad climate news in the face. Like a raging case of shingles, this guy’s everywhere and he’s in it for the long haul. He’s just off-screen whispering about record breaking global heat, the imminent collapse of ocean currents, the persistence of environmental racism, being hoodwinked by the plastic industry, the decline of migratory species, severe drought in the Amazon River Basin that holds, oh, a fifth of the world’s fresh water – and that’s just this week’s news! Ugh.

Some say every script set in the present day is a climate script. I’d agree, but for the fact we humans are exceptionally good at distraction, disassociation, disregard, and denial when faced with difficult things. It’s hard to want to look at issues that spike our adrenaline or keep our minds racing when we’re just trying to fall asleep and dream of partying with Pedro Pascal. But as Lily Gladstone said in her recent SAG acceptance speech, we storytellers “bring empathy into a world that needs it,” so we must rise to the occasion.

Building Block 1: Brainstorm (or Superstorm McBrainy, for the Meteorologically-inclined)

The trick to brainstorming a climate script is to try not to brainstorm a climate script. Huh? Because the climate crisis is such a ginormous bummer, writers often sacrifice entertainment value when thinking in an issues-first kind of way. But the ability to entertain is our stock-in-trade that keeps people’s butts in their seats. I recommend, especially if you’re new to climate screenwriting, starting with an idea you’ve already been mulling over.

Let’s say it’s a rom-com where two long-lost college lovers reconnect after their young kids become archenemies. As you sketch out ideas for scenes, consider what climate impacts and issues could come into play. Maybe a flood on the school’s soccer field is a plot point, or a main character is a lawyer who’s getting justice for people harmed by a petrochemical plant, or the catalyst of the story revolves around kids fighting over “climate vs. weather” in science class. The trick is to integrate climate ideas and issues into the screenplay in a seamless, un-clunky way, just as you would do with any other idea you’re exploring. Climate angles should always expand what’s possible for your story, not make you feel like you’re shoehorning talking points into it.

Building Block 2: Research the Issues (Might Need Tissues)

After the brainstorm comes the research rainbow. (I’ll see myself out now.) You’re not trying to achieve the Wonder Gauntlet level of Super Mario Bros.; you’re just gathering info so that when you start writing your worldbuilding feels authentic and grounded. This is exciting! And also: depressing, anxiety-provoking, and daunting as hell. Limit the amount of time you’re obsessing - I mean researching - and ramp up the self-care. (All hail crunchy snacks and dance breaks!)

Start by putting keywords like “heat wave,” “ocean temperature,” or “how to stop doomscrolling climate news,” etc. into search engines on climate news sites. While reading through the results, take notes on terminology and concepts that help you (and thus your characters) better understand a climate issue. Of course, researching is like quicksand - you can easily get in over your head. You want to find just enough information. Once the first draft is written, you can do a deeper dive on the nitty gritty.

Building Block 3: Character Quirks and Climate Jerks

Successfully personifying climate issues through character is one of the most important aspects of climate screenwriting. Talk to the average person about ocean acidification and their eyes will glaze over, but tell them about a scrappy outcast who successfully rallies her community to restore coral reefs and they’re hooked. This is the power our characters hold. They help us take giant, complex issues and embody them, so audiences become enlightened in the process of experiencing these people.

Create a climate dossier for each of your characters. Find out what scares or triggers them, what they love and what drives them, where their blind spots are, and what kind of behaviors they engage (or don’t engage) in when it comes to climate change. Consider their geographic location and find out what real-world issues are going on there. You may not use all this info, but knowing it will fuel lightbulb moments along the way.

Building Block 4: Scheming on Theme

Now that you’ve wrestled with research and canoodled with characters, you’re ready to develop your theme. What message do you want the audience to leave with? Maybe it’s about interdependence, or resilience, or healing after loss. Whatever it is, the theme of your climate screenplay should help people better navigate a world imperiled by myriad climate effects. If you’re lucky, it might even spur them to action.

To find and develop your theme, examine your characters and their arcs, look at turning points and conflicts, and consider the overall emotional resonance of the piece from a bird’s eye point of view. Once you put your finger on it, go through the script and find other places where you can anchor it more deeply.

Building Block 5: Dialogue Deep Dive

Like all scripts, climate scripts should sparkle with authentic, credible dialogue. It’s important to hone characters’ voices to reflect their identities – a group of neighbors trying to stop a developer from building on wetlands will speak differently than a professor of atmospheric science, for example. You want dialogue that reveals character traits and emotions, advances the plot, builds and breaks relationships, creates tone, adds subtext, and more. No presh!

Read first-person narratives, listen to interviews, and talk with people affected by or working on climate issues, especially people from historically excluded communities. As you listen, look for the moments that transcend cliché and stereotype. Note cadence, rhythm, word choice, and idiosyncrasies. Take stock of a variety of voices, especially those who see things differently than you. Work with a sensitivity reader or get feedback from people with lived experience so your dialogue is as sensitively rendered as it is accurate.

Building Block 6: Being a Climate Editor

The final building block requires a shift into editor mode. Just like you’d do a proofreading pass, you’ll want to do a climate pass on your final draft.

The climate editor asks questions like: Is all my information correct to the best of my knowledge? Does anything feel tacked on, stereotypic, or a cliché? Am I striking the right balance between entertainment and advocacy? Am I building in moments of levity and drama where needed? Where am I being too heavy-handed or skirting an issue I’m afraid to explore? How can I layer in lesser-known climate impacts, like insomniac goats and crappier tasting wine?

These building blocks will help you take your climate screenplay from concept to final draft without sacrificing your passion for entertaining stories. As an extra do-gooder bonus, do an “emissions pass” before you send the script out. All this won’t solve the climate crisis, but it will leave you feeling like you’ve played your part. And that’s something good. Something hopeful.