History SoYouWantTo / WriteAnActionMovie

** Whichever option, in this scenario the hero is usually cold and distant, which is repulsive for many viewers. And you can't really give him a happy and cheerful personality either, because after what he came through, it'll be hard for the audience to buy.

Also, short note on gender: majority of action heroes are men. If you want to change it in your film, remember: woman can be badass, of course, but WaifFu is actually impossible, so she should at least have some muscles. Turning her into a DamselInDistress the moment her dashing love interest enters the stage is also advised against. ''Also'', a DarkAndTroubledPast in the case of female action heroes tends to be connected with some sort of domestic abuse more often than when the hero is male, making us unreasonably sorry for this poor gal, even if she effortlessly kicks the asses of a hundred mooks, for no reason really - there's no rule stating that woman can't be badass without going through hell first.

* OneLastJob, where main character either promises to himself that after ''that'' he'll quit, or he's brought back from retirement because he's the only one capable. Problems:

** Main character tends to be tired of life already and just wants to quit while being KidnappedByTheCall. Remember, part of your hero's attitude transmits to the viewers: then the viewers are tired of this movie already and just want to quit while being forced to watch.
** It's virtually impossible that retired man (in his 50s or 60s) will be better at action-heroey job than 20 years old person. Human beings are at peak of their physical abilities in their 20s and no experience will compensate for thirty or forty years of going downhill. Especially given that high-energy-spending jobs are tiring and destroying the body very quickly - there is a reason why football players are retired by their thirtieth birthday.
** Judging by [[WorldOfBadass omnipresence of badasses]] in action movies, finding somebody who's not retired to do the job should be easy. No need to look for some tired, old man.

* {{Revenge}}, where the hero tries to kill somebody for something BigBad did to them, or the reverse is true. Problems:
** If hero tries to murder somebody, it'll take a long time to convince viewers that he is, in fact, the good guy. Generally, murder is not the best solution or one most sane people consider before running out of other options.
** Opposite can be bad as well. If it's the bad guy who has really good motivation for his revenge on the good guys, then the hero comes across as unsympathetic and viewers might start RootingForTheEmpire.
** Whichever option, in this scenario hero is usually cold and distant, which is repulsive for many viewers. And you can't really give him happy and cheerful personality either, because after what he came through, he'll look like some crazy psycho.
** As in the first scenario, lots of {{Angst}} can happen, and border between {{Angst}} and {{Wangst}} is thin and all too easy to cross.
* McGuffin, where the hero must recover/acquire something or bad things will happen. Problems:
** If done badly, McGuffin can be forced and out of place. Some sort of GreenRocks being the only way to bring down evil dictator? Wouldn't well-put bullet be... you know... easier to find?
** Sometimes McGuffin is thrown aside after the first act and the plot shifts into one of the above. While it can be done well - the entire purpose of McGuffin is to pull the hero into the story, after all - it's still odd to see that super-important object is less important than some pretty lady.
** ShowDontTell works against super-powerful McGuffin. Being told all the movie long how awesome it is without actually seeing its power annoys people (kind of like this car dealers who keep on telling you just how ''great'' you'll feel driving this car and whatnot). On the other hand you have HypeBacklash and the object fails to meet the expectation. We don't have to tell you that it's bad.
** Awesomeness of McGuffin makes it DeusExMachina at its worst, solving all the hero's troubles in one easy (and absolutely annoying) montage. For viewers, it's like ShaggyDogStory with happy ending: instead of seeing our characters overcome their trouble, some simple thing did it for them.

There is a reason why this scenarios are the most popular ones, of course: people will still go to see this movies, because they like to watch them. However, after few months this films will blend with others in people's consciousness. So if you want to be remembered, go for something fresh and unusual. If you have no idea for original plot, think about the above plots and consider tweaking them somewhat. Even changing DamselInDistress into DudeInDistress would be something new for the genre.

All have their pros and cons, so if you want to use one of this templates, feel free. However, whichever you chose, remember:
* Your character must be {{Badass}}. Audience likes to imagine being in character's place, but somebody who keeps having his ass handed to him is both annoying and boring, and his credentials as action hero are questionable.
* BoringInvincibleHero is boring, MarySue and unlikeable, and gimmicks you'd have to use to justify giving him a challenge will shred WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief to little pieces that won't hold the story together.

* Some sense of humor is necessary. If your character's job is killing people and he just can't relax, he'd logically be wreck of a human being by the time your movie starts. Not to mention that nicely put one liner eases the tension on viewers side. Remember, main character's attitude transmits to the viewer.
* Your hero shouldn't know everything from Cantonese to management of T34 tank. If it looks like all he does, he does effortlessly and with full knowledge of the subject, it's strange and turn the character into BoringInvincibleHero. If your character doesn't know something, make it a plot point.
* Your hero must have sense of style, never mind how practical it is. Remember that whichever you use, it will have impact on the setting:
** BadassLongcoat fits a drifter and rogue agent alike. It also reminds people of Western, and so it's good for hero who takes law in his hand and/or fights for freedom.

** Regular clothes - jeans and t-shirt, most often - are a mark of either very practical hero, one who can't afford anything else, or one that mustn't bring attention to him/herself, making it fit for PragmaticHero and betrayed agent.
* Hero's sense of style should extend to his behavior as well - eloquent and well-versed hero is much easier on eyes than some thug.
* Hero must look like he can do all the things he does. In other words: waifish figure or layers of fat are wrong and should be banished. If your hero has any of those, or other handicaps (old age, missing body parts, heart problem, asthma), then you must acknowledge it and - preferably - use is as a plot point where it's due. Consider: one-eyed people would make bad shooters, as they lack three-dimensional vision, and if your character limps visibly, he's easy to knock off-balance and very vulnerable to attacks on limping leg.

We don't have to tell you that no movie exists without conflict, and that's just the right man to provide it. Of course, [[EqualOpportunityEvil gender or race doesn't play any part here]], although in some cases political correctness might be advised. You have to decide whether you want BigBad to be person or organization. The former can be terrorist, ex-agent, somebody with a grudge, maniac or psycho. MegaCorp and corrupt government lend themselves nicely to the latter. Remember, though, that your evil must have face (or a mask), because face is easier to hate than an idea.

* CompleteMonster is something of his opposite number, and if pulled of well.

* {{Anvilicious}} villains, such as CorruptCorporateExecutive polluting the Earth, were definitely overused in latest movies. And people don't like it when you shove the righteousness into their throats.
* Racial stereotypes are just plain disgusting.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain works in comedy to some extent, but if he presents no threat to the hero, the whole story just turns into farce.
* Same goes for NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering.

Whatever your choice, two things are a must: good reason for evilness (unless it's a pastiche of a genre, then ForTheEvulz is your friend), or at least good enough from BigBad's perspective, and - again - some style. Imagine, watching two hours of thug-versus-thug combat... no. Wicked sense of humor and timing is a wonder, but as with hero, clothing speaks a thousand words.

* Rich and lavishly decorated outfits hint villain's love for flair and show. Villains dressing like are prone to ChewingTheScenery and EvilGloating.

* '''Techno Wizard''' can be one person or many people. He usually quirky or InsufferableGenius, although it's nice to make him full-fledge character in his own right. He eases the strain of WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief by doing things main character can't and thus proving that our hero isn't some omnipotent superbeing. He also provides information and gadgets to the hero, acting as MrExposition to the viewers. Try avoiding HollywoodHacking and HollywoodScience, ''please''. Note also, that it's better for your TechnoWizard to use BuffySpeak than TechnoBabble, because among your viewers there'll be people who know the subject and if you put something wrong, they'll mock you relentlessly.
* '''Mission Control and the Boss''' are the people/person your hero works for. TechnoWizard might be part of MissionControl roster. Mission Control is organization that provides your hero with data, funds and equipment. Boss is the face of Mission Control and the hero's immediate superior who communicates with the hero, providing him the data. He/She's not necessarily Mission Control's boss. Also: notice how shape of your Mission Control and Boss affect the setting:

*** OddlySmallOrganization is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin small]], independent and usually unconnected to any huge organizations or governments. Most likely, it's in direct opposition to them. On the other hand, huge, sprawling organizations are facilities of either MegaCorp or government and thus, by movie logic, more likely to be EvilAllAlong and turn against the hero - or at least, more likely to be morally gray.
*** Small organization has more homemade and used feeling, while huge company has more hi-tech, professional aesthetics.
*** For hero, small organization will be rather allies than employers, while in big facility it's the other way round.
** Boss can vary as well:
*** SharpDressedMan typically heads the MegaCorp or government organization. Usually cold and distant, he/she can be DaChief as well.

*** If there is no Mission Control, Boss probably hires the hero, and therefore is rather rich.
* '''Mooks and the Dragon''' are the collection of [[RedShirt Red Shirts]] your hero can blow up or kill without remorse. They can be FacelessGoons or TheBrute in many bodies. ConservationOfNinjutsu is in effect here - the more mooks, the easier they are to kill, the less, the more qualified they are. The Dragon, on the other hand, is a step between mooks and BigBad. While BigBad is the brains of the operation, Dragon leads mooks in field and does all the dirty job. He's the only named mook, the only one that survives direct contact with the hero and the best trained one. In other words: he's the supermook. It's nice to make him {{Foil}} for the hero.

* The future: TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture or further. The first one is LikeRealityUnlessNoted, sort of a hybrid in which you can incorporate both present day world and state-of-the-art technologies seamlessly. The further you go, the bigger the chances that your story will turn into either a CyberPunk or ScienceFiction story, but it's a bit harder to feel where it stops being action story and starts being one of the above.

So when you have time, you have to decide on place. Whichever you'll chose, you have to take that into an account when creating a story. If your character, for example, is white and action takes place in Shanghai, he'll obviously stand out. Same goes for Asian woman in Iraq or Saudi Arabia. Canadian in Central America country will constantly sweat and feel like he's burning alive, and someone who spent last decade of his life in Texas will dress in layers of sweaters in Norway. Language barrier will be huge, as well.

Apart from geographical concerns, don't forget about political ones. In other words: Do. Your. Research. How much does the government observe people? What are the chances that you can bribe your way out of prison? Are cars cheap enough for villains and heroes to change them often? Do they accept Visa in the shops? How good is the Internet and mobile coverage? How easy it is to leave and enter the country?

Find out, and incorporate this into your story. Pay attention to the fact that some environments work differently than others. If your story involves shooting aboard tanker ship, check just how much can people dent before something either explodes or ship will be so out of balance that it will start to sink. On airport, remember just how many cameras observe everybody and how many armed people are there.

In case of future or currently-very-state-of-the-art technology, keep in mind SandersonsFirstLaw: ''An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.'' Replace magic with your technology and you have it in a nutshell: explain your technology without TechnoBabble, so that your viewers can understand how it works. It doesn't require you to describe in detail how do the, let's say, nanites work. It's enough if you state something like "nanites in your blood burn themselves while doing their job, so you have to be careful with your super-strength or you'll overheat". Having this rule set, show that it's working and don't abandon it in favor of cool shot.

AcceptableBreaksFromReality are something without what your movie would be pretty boring. Such Breaks include things like police arriving on the scene of shooting after it's already over (TruthInTelevision in some places, and in others it would only confuse the viewers if third side joins the combat), skipping over exhausting explanations in favor of less accurate, but easier to digest comparisons (LiesToChildren, in other words), SwitchToEnglish and using English as CommonTongue (easier to watch the film without subtitles, and sometimes actor's command of language he/she's supposed to be speaking is atrocious) or fact that [[WorldOfBadass everybody's badass]].

* DamselInDistress, where main character must save/protect some lady for some reason. Problems:
** Repetitive and tiring, especially given that most of damsels are played by supermodels whose purpose is to [[{{Fanservice}} bring young men to the cinema]] and SturgeonsLaw is that most of them can't act very well, resulting in some terrible, terrible performance.
** Lady often ends up as TheLoad and even prettiest girl can get tiring if all she do is whine and cry and make problems. Any person who can't take care of him/herself is annoying, both in movies and real life.
** Lady and the hero are near sure to end up in bed together, often for no other reason than she's pretty and he's [[RatedMForManly manly]]. [[SarcasmMode Nobody expected that one to happen!]] If hero is in his forties/fifties and lady is twenty-something model, this can border on UnfortunateImplications.
** Lady often turns out to be FlatCharacter, and when she and the hero are two only main characters, then even best written hero has nothing to interact with.

Also, short note on gender: majority of action heroes are men. If you want to change it in your film, remember: woman can be badass, of course, but WaifFu is actually impossible, so she should have muscles. Also, she shouldn't turn into helpless piece of sorry the moment her dashing love interest enters the stage. ''Also'', DarkAndTroubledPast in case of female action heros tend to be connected with some sort of domestic abuse more often that when hero is man, making us unreasonably sorry for this poor gal, even if she effortlessly kicks ass of a hundred mooks, for no reason really - there's no rule stating that woman can't be badass without going through hell first.

And regarding race: Hollywood treats it as a rule of thumb that we'll go to see the movie only if main character is white (or Creator/WillSmith). However, you don't have to. Sadly, making your character black, Asian or Hindus will be refreshing.

* '''Love Interest''' is generally of the opposite gender than main character (but kudos for you if you make it the same). He/She can either be action hero in his/her own right, or Damsel/Dude in Distress to be saved or protected. Whichever you use, remember that he/she should have some skills and abilities that would allow him/her to contribute to the plot more than once a film (look again at "DamselInDistress" plot above). Remember, too, that eventual romance between them shouldn't be forced or unnatural, because if you do this badly, it will end up looking as if grizzled action hero raped the girl/guy. Unless you are going for JerkassHero and far, far Cynicism end of [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism the scale]], don't go in this direction.

That's interesting thing. You have to place your story ''somewhere'' in timespace. Time is easier to chose, as there are very few possibilities:
* The past: either TwentyMinutesIntoThePast or further. If you place your story at the turn of century, it's likely to turn into something about war on terror. Cold War story instantly solves the problem of who is to be your bad guy, and gives you some pretty nice visuals. The further into the past you go, the less your story is action tale and the more it becomes adventure story. As a rule of thumb, decide that anything happening before World War Two is Adventure or Spy Thriller.
* The present: it lets you incorporate War on Terror and terrorists in general into your story, as well as address some present problems ([[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Whether it's good or bad is not ours to tell]]). It also allows you to cut on the exposition and introduce some familiarity, as well as use today's tools (Facebook, Google, cloud, F1 cars) in your story.
* The future: TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture or further. The first one is LikeRealityUnlessNoted, sort of a hybrid in which you can incorporate both present day world and state-of-the-art technologies seamlessly. The further you go, the bigger the chances that your story will turn into either CyberPunk or ScienceFiction story, but it's a bit harder to feel where it stops being action story and starts being one of the above.

In case of future or currently-very-state-of-the-art technology, keep in mind SandersonsFirstLaw:


Above all, have fun!

*** HalfADozenGuysInTheBasement is small, independent and usually unconnected to any huge organizations or governments. Most likely, it's in direct opposition to them. On the other hand, huge, sprawling organizations are facilities of either MegaCorp or government and thus, by movie logic, more likely to be EvilAllAlong and turn against the hero - or at least, more likely to be morally gray.

* '''Mooks and the Dragon''' are the collection of [[RedShirt Red Shirts]] your hero can blow up or kill without remorse. They can be FacelessGoons or TheBrute in many bodies. LawOfConservationOfNinjutsu is in effect here - the more mooks, the easier they are to kill, the less, the more qualified they are. The Dragon, on the other hand, is a step between mooks and BigBad. While BigBad is the brains of the operation, Dragon leads mooks in field and does all the dirty job. He's the only named mook, the only one that survives direct contact with the hero and the best trained one. In other words: he's the supermook. It's nice to make him {{Foil}} for the hero.

* '''Mooks and the Dragon''' are the collection of [[RedShirt Red Shirts]] your hero can blow up or kill without remorse. They can be FacelessGoons or TheBrute in many bodies. LawOfConservationOfNinjitsu is in effect here - the more mooks, the easier they are to kill, the less, the more qualified they are. The Dragon, on the other hand, is a step between mooks and BigBad. While BigBad is the brains of the operation, Dragon leads mooks in field and does all the dirty job. He's the only named mook, the only one that survives direct contact with the hero and the best trained one. In other words: he's the supermook. It's nice to make him TheFoil for the hero.

* '''Mission Control and the Boss''' are the people/person your hero works for. TechnoWizard might be part of MissionControl roster. Mission Control is organization that provides your hero with data, funds and equipment. Boss is the face of Mission Control and the hero's immediate superior who communicates with the hero, providing him the data. He/She's not necessarily Mission Control's boss. Mind that this category can overlap with Mooks, BigBad and TheDragon.

* '''Techno Wizard''' can be one person or many people. He's usually quirky or InsufferableGenius, although it's nice to make him full-fledge character in his/her own right. He eases the strain of WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief by doing things main character can't.

* Rich and lavishly decorated outfits indicate villain's love for flair and show. Villains dressing like are prone to ChewingTheScenery and EvilGloating.

* Unbetrayed agent still working for the organization; position on scale varies; give access to various gadgets.

* Ex-agent/assassin who finds himself in a wrong place and takes things in his hands - the right-in-wrong-place aspect makes him most similar to the viewers.
* Drifter who stumbles on some plot hook during his travel.

And regarding race: Hollywood treats it as a rule of thumb that we'll go to see the movie only if main character is white (or Creator/WillSmith). However, you don't have to. Sadly, making your character black, Asian or Hindus will refreshing.

** Lady and the hero often end up in bed together, often for no other reason than she's pretty and he's [[RatedMForManly manly]]. [[SarcasmMode Nobody expected that one to happen!]] If hero is in his forties/fifties and lady is twenty-something model, this can border on UnfortunateImplications.

* WickedCultured can be AfflablyEvil, making it a nice contrast, although it seems to be somewhat overused as of lately.

* SympatheticIneffectualVillain works in comedy to some extent, but if he presents no threat to the hero, the whole story just turns into farce.

** SharpDressedMan has a sense of elegance, but might be breaking underneath, like [[Film/AmericanPsycho Norman Bates]].
** ManInWhite or in similar one-toned outfit stands out in the crowd, and his love for monochrome might indicate cold blood, pragmatism and lack of emotions.
** Rich and lavishly decorated outfits indicate villain's love for flair and show. Villains dressing like are prone to ChewingTheScenery and EvilGloating.
** Everyday clothes that make villain look just like us highlight the fact that he can be anywhere among us, breeding the feeling of paranoia.

* {{Anvillicious}} villains, such as CorruptCorporateExecutive polluting the Earth, were definitely overused in latest movies. And people don't like it when you shove the righteousness into their throats.

* SympathericIneffectualVillain works in comedy to some extent, but if he presents no threat to the hero, the whole story just turns into farce.
* Same goes for OmniscientCouncilOfBickering.

!!Our hero

** ShowDontTell works against super-powerful McGuffins. Being told all the movie long how awesome it is without actually seeing its power annoys people (kind of like this car dealers who keep on telling you just how ''great'' you'll feel driving this car and whatnot).

There is a reason why this scenarios are the most popular ones, of course: people will still go to see this movies, because they like to watch them. However, after few months they will blend with others in people's consciousness, and then be forgotten in favor of general "some action movie about worldsaving" idea under which dozens of different films are filed. So if you want to be remembered, go for something fresh and unusual. If you have no idea for original plot, think about the above plots and consider tweaking them somewhat. Even changing DamselInDistress into DudeInDistress would be something new for the genre.

** Lady often ends up as TheLoad and even prettiest girl can get tiring if all she do is whine and cry and make problems. Any person who can't take care of themselves is annoying, both in movies and real life.
** Lady and the hero often ends up in bed together, often for no other reason than she's pretty and he's [[RatedMForManly manly]]. [[SarcasmMode Nobody expected that one to happen!]] If hero is in his forties/fifties and lady is twenty-something model, this can border on UnfortunateImplications.

** It's virtually impossible that retired man (in his 50s or 60s) will be better at action-heroey job than 20 years old person. Human beings are at peak of their physical abilities in their 20s and no experience will compensate for thirty or forty years of going downhill. Especially given that high-energy-spending job are tiring and destroying the body very quickly - there is a reason why football players are retired by their thirtieth birthday.

** Lady often ends up as TheLoad and even pretties girl can get tiring if all she do is whine and cry and make problems. Any person who can't take care of themselves is annoying, both in movies and real life.

** Main character tends to be tired of life already and just wants to quit while being KidnappedByTheCall. Remember, part of your hero's attitude transmit to the viewers: then the viewers are tired of this movie already and just want to quit while being forced to watch.

** Stains the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief in two ways, especially in back-from-retirement case. First of all, it's virtually impossible that retired man (in his 50s or 60s) will be better at action-heroey job than 20 years old person. Human being are at peak of their physical abilities in their 20s and no experience will compensate for thirty or forty years of going downhill. Moreover, jobs that require lots of physical work do hell to the body - football players, for example, retire before they're thirty because of that. Second, judging by [[WorldOfBadass omnipresence of badasses]] in action movies, finding somebody who's not retired to do the job should be easy.

** Repetitive and tiring, especially given that most of damsels are played by supermodels whose purpose is to [[{{Fanservice}} bring young men to the cinema]] and SturgeaonsLaw is that most of them can't act very well, resulting in some terrible, terrible performance.

Action movies are a long favourite of movie fans across the world. If you want to write one, here are some points to consider before you get started. A.
* Character. These days, a lot of action movies are all about explosions. If you want to write a great action movie, make sure that your characters are realistic. It is EXTREMELY important that your audience has feelings for your characters. A staple of a bad action film is too many explosions and "cardboard characters". Action is not more prone to the EightDeadlyWords than any other genre, but its contents are more likely to break WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief, making it easier for audiences to ''notice'' if the EightDeadlyWords are in effect.

* Format. Is your action movie going to be all drama, or is it going to have elements of comedy as well? Decide this before you get started. There are lots of serious action movies out there, but there are plenty of action-comedy movies, too. Choose whichever best suits your style.

Above all, have fun!

* Character. These days, a lot of action movies are all about explosions. If you want to write a great action movie, make sure that your characters are realistic. It is EXTREMELY important that your audience has feelings for your characters. A staple of a bad action film is too many explosions and "cardboard characters".

* Format. Is your action movie going to be all drama, or is it going to have elements of comedy as well? Decide this before you get started. *Special Effects: Although character is important, it's fine to have a few awesome action sequences in your movie as well!

* Format. Is your action movie going to be all drama, or is it going to have elements of comedy as well? Decide this before you get started. *Special Effects: Although character is important, it's fine to have a few awesome action sequences in your movie as well!

* Format. Is your action movie going to be all drama, or is it going to have elements of comedy as well? Decide this before you get started. a. B. *Special Effects: Although character is important, it's fine to have a few awesome action sequences in your movie as well!