The blank page stares back at every screenwriter, posing a silent, existential question: Am I creating a piece of art or entertainment? This tension between the high-minded pursuit of artistic expression and the pragmatic need to engage a mass audience forms the “double helix” of screenwriting. Getting the balance right is not just a matter of taste; it’s the key to a script’s survival, both in the development meeting and in the multiplex.
To strike a balance, we must first understand the opposing forces: Art (or the vision) is concerned with transformation, truth and unique expression. Art seeks to challenge conventions, explore complex, uncomfortable themes, and reflect a deeply personal worldview. The pleasure derived from art is often disinterested – it is cognitive, intellectual and may even be disturbing. It’s there to surprise or persuade with a focus on depth, voice and aesthetic.
Entertainment (or the commerce) is concerned with pleasure, accessibility and mass appeal. Entertainment aims to meet expectations, provide catharsis and offer an escape. It’s the craft of efficiently delivering engaging experiences – thrills, laughs, romance – that are commercially viable. The enjoyment is immediate and often interested in a simple, generic emotional response to satisfy with a focus on structure, reliability and genre tropes.
The biggest trap a writer can fall into is believing that art and entertainment are in separate lanes. This is a false dichotomy. The true power of a successful screenplay lies in the overlap – the area where a unique artistic vision is wrapped in a compelling, accessible structure.
Think of the films that stand the test of time: they are rarely pure entertainment (empty formula) or pure art (unintelligible expression). Entertainment-orientated films are often derivative, following trends without personality or heart. It’s technically proficient but ultimately forgettable. While art-orientated films can often lack the necessary dramatic engine, engaging characters or clear narrative drive to attract a wider audience or a studio’s investment.
The sweet spot is the script that entertains with its craft and transforms with its meaning. A masterful screenwriter learns to inject one element into the other, creating a stronger, more complex DNA for their story.
1. Hide the Art in the Genre Vessel
Every genre—from superhero blockbuster to romantic comedy—is a commercially viable “vessel.” The art is found in the content you put inside it.
Character as Art: Take a familiar genre role (the reluctant hero, the detective, the romantic lead) and imbue them with a deep, unexpected psychological flaw or a profound philosophical struggle. For example, a gangster story becomes art when it’s truly about mental health, existentialism, and fatherhood (e.g., The Sopranos).
Theme as Subtext: Inject your unique artistic perspective or social commentary into the subtext. You don’t have to preach; you simply have to use the plot’s mechanisms to illuminate a deeper, universal truth. The audience is entertained by the plot, but they are changed by the subtextual message that slips through.
2. The Craft of Clarity: Making Art Accessible
A common critique of “art films” is their deliberate obfuscation. To succeed in screenwriting—a collaborative, commercial medium—you must master the craft to make your artistic vision legible.
Structure as Invitation: Don’t discard established story structure (like the three-act model); use it as a powerful armature for your creative ideas. The three-act structure isn’t a formula; it’s a map that invites the audience to follow your complex journey without getting lost. A clear dramatic line is entertainment; what you hang on that line is art.
Dialogue as Economy: Artful dialogue is not flowery or verbose; it’s dialogue that expresses a complex thought with maximum brevity and clarity. The craft demands that every word serve the story, even as your words elevate the script to poetry.
3. Personal Meaning as Universal Appeal
Your unique vision—the art—is what makes your script stand out in a sea of derivatives. Commercial screenwriting rewards originality, and originality often stems from personal conviction.
Passion is Readability: A script written with genuine personal passion is inherently more alive and engaging. Your unique obsessions become the reader’s entertainment. If you write what you care about truthfully, it will find an audience, whether it’s niche or universal. The art of expression becomes the entertainment of conviction.
Ultimately, screenwriting is not a simple dichotomy of art or entertainment; it is the art of entertainment. The best scripts are those that use the rigorous, disciplined craft of mass-appeal storytelling – pacing, structure, character arcs – to deliver an audacious, original and deeply artistic vision. Your job as a screenwriter is to deliver the familiar pleasures of entertainment while simultaneously offering the transforming power of art.