The non-fiction character
Social media influencers have created a new audiovisual genre: neither fiction nor documentary, but rather constructed characters that they portray and interact with their audience. This phenomenon redefines the codes of storytelling through its evolving nature, situational recurrence, and direct relationship with the “community.”
A reinvented audiovisual language and practices
The audiovisual language has evolved significantly with the rise of YouTubers, which began around twenty years ago (YouTube launched in 2005). This phenomenon has now transformed into the world of influencers. The genres of audiovisual works have thus been enriched with a new category, which is neither news broadcasting, nor documentary, nor reportage, nor fiction. It is a unique mode of direct address to the audience, blending video content creation with live streaming, where interaction with fans occurs through written communication. This is extremely interesting from a storytelling perspective, as during these live streams, it is the viewers who write their desires, comments, and concerns, creating a kind of script that the person on camera uses to play their role and interact. It’s as if the script is being written in real-time, by the viewers themselves, and the influencer reacts to this script, interpreting it like a director. This creates a very strong, unique interaction that inherently questions the notion of authorship. Who is the author of this live stream? Clearly, the scriptwriting, which comes from the viewers, forms its backbone!
Of course, the live stream itself is scripted. What is its theme? Who is this character? What are their traits? There is a narrative framework provided by the creator of the live stream, which is then filled in real-time by the viewers, whose texts are interpreted by the person on camera. Often, the videos found on the influencer’s channel are edited highlights from a recorded live stream. Indeed, live streaming allows for a particular spontaneity and direct connection that fosters viewer engagement. The appeal of these post-live videos lies in their capacity for deep and direct interaction between the audience and the influencer, whether live or delayed, as we sense the authenticity of the interaction. This new mode of writing and audiovisual relationship has achieved tremendous success, driven today primarily by the TikTok platform, which is now being imitated by all others.
A new type of script
The person often seen alone, sometimes in pairs or trios, in videos or live streams, is not the real individual. They are portraying a character, who may sometimes pass as a real person but is often acknowledged as a persona. This could be the serious analyst of finance or media, the athlete sharing their activities, the cook in their kitchen, the driver in their car, the angry philosopher, or even a Viking chief on their boat. These are not fictions akin to traditional film narratives. We are dealing with characters who are scripted in their traits and reactions, with whom we can interact live or delayed, experiencing expectations, surprises, and emotions. And this is not a video game; these are real people, which is why the human element is so powerful and contributes to their success.
The way this type of video is consumed is entirely different from traditional fiction. At first glance, it may seem very strange, as it often appears that nothing is happening, that we are watching someone waiting. There are also live streams of musicians performing lyrics sent to them in real-time by their fans, or a character who insults others, always using the same words, claiming to be in Dubai while seemingly in the Massif Central. There are also duos with challenges, and this space continues to innovate and diversify. And there will be more inventions of new formats in this realm.
How to best script this type of production? This type of production can attract massive audiences, leading to significant financial returns through platform revenue sharing and private partnerships, as brands collaborate with these influencers to promote their products. So, how to craft scripts for these new audiovisual objects?
1. Scripts as frameworks
The first key, very important, is that the rules governing these script frameworks, which could be called bibles as in series production—though I prefer the term framework—must evolve and remain flexible enough to adapt through interaction with their viewers, as the goal is to build a community. This is not about a fixed, “perfect” script, but rather an evolving model that rethinks itself based on moments and must remain constantly attuned to the users to better meet their needs or offer relevant propositions based on interaction analysis. This is not traditional marketing; it’s about listening, interacting, and directly addressing the audience, with whom there is a direct connection.
It’s almost an ideal situation to truly work for your audience rather than a fantasized public, and then see if it resonates. This is the dream of every screenwriter, after all! It’s Jean-Luc Godard’s utopia of making films just for friends. One might think this would standardize expressions, but not at all, as what interests people are unique, surprising scripts that take them into worlds that enrich their daily lives, much like fictional cinema. So, at its core, this is about responding to the human need for stories to represent themselves, and thus to exist.
2. The recurrence of elements
In these broadcasting spaces, it’s not just tutorials or life advice as one might imagine; there’s everything: stories, fiction, documentaries, and especially anything new that can be invented.
Another very important point: the recurrence of the situation in which the character finds themselves—whether they are always eating, always walking in the street, or always at a specific spot in their home, for example. This identification of the character’s traits must be present almost all the time, and this is entirely different from traditional fiction. We must consider that someone stumbling upon this video mid-stream should immediately know who and what it’s about. Thus, the defining traits of the character must always be prominent, obvious. And it’s not just about the costume, makeup, or hairstyle, but the situation the character is in.
For example, there might be a couple of dancers who always dance in the street, well-dressed. And when we see a video of these same dancers in rehearsal clothes in a studio, we feel destabilized because they are no longer the same characters. Why not, of course! But this can reduce viewer engagement. Again, this is not about standardization. The character is built gradually through interaction with the audience. Just as Charlie Chaplin took several years in the early 20th century to refine his character of the Tramp, based on audience interactions. Initially, he was a very violent character who attacked others, but over time, he softened him into the kind-hearted vagabond. But this was built over several years through numerous short films. And once his character was defined, he used it in his feature films.
Today, I don’t believe social media characters are destined to become feature film characters. These are entirely different types of narratives, and there is no hierarchy between them. They are two distinct spaces of audiovisual storytelling.
3. The subject, the theme
The third very important trait of these new scripts is the subject, the theme. Is it about sharing a weight-loss journey? Is it Celtic music, constantly played in live streams by a talented musician? Is it constant arguing? Is it continuous hip-hop singing? Is it flirting? These are not necessarily tutorials on a subject given by a “real” person. They are most often fabricated characters. And often, there can be a blurring between the reality of the person and their character. It’s not always clear what is real and what is fiction. This stems from reality TV, which is highly scripted and creates a significant capillary between the real person and the portrayed character, something that relates to the roles we play in our lives. This is, I think, one of the reasons why reality TV works so well.
4. The rhythm
Finally, there is the rhythm, which is fundamentally different in edited videos and live streams. In live streams, the rhythm of interaction follows entirely different rules than a TV broadcast, as it’s consumed differently. Here, we are in our intimacy, with our phone in hand. There can be pauses, dead air; we assume we are watching this video in the midst of our daily lives. There’s no issue with that. What’s important for the performer is their presence to those on the other side of the screen.
However, in edited, standalone videos, the script now follows very specific codes, including:
- The hook, the initial grab that makes us want to stay in the video, regardless of its style—documentary, fiction, informational, or musical.
- A very attentive interplay between image and sound.
- Highly polished image quality.
- Often text on screen or visual quotes.
These material elements, insofar as they can be implemented by a single person, now fall more under writing than technical execution. Because the technical aspects of a feature film, for example, are handled by different people than the screenwriter. In the case of an influencer, often the person scripting is also the one performing. Thus, the writing can be more directly technical and audiovisual. And yet, it’s still screenwriting. So, this screenwriting is not just a script on paper.
The boundary between script and direction is fluid, shifting depending on the moment, as there can be a whole reflection on different signs, types of rhythm, the nature of the character, the nature of the lighting, etc., which are reflections more related to screenwriting than direction, yet they concern technical aspects that would traditionally fall under direction. But in this space of audiovisual language, the rules are different.
Improving all audiovisual productions
What is certain is that careful investment in the writing and scripting of this type of audiovisual production can elevate it to higher levels. Those who produce this type of content are already doing so. And that’s why some succeed remarkably and build very specific, high-level skills.
My goal is for these skills to be shared, somewhat formalized, so that collectively, skills can improve, and we can enrich each other even more. Because the universe of social media has its own particular codes, which are very distinct from traditional audiovisual productions. And I believe this is a shame, as both worlds influence each other but could benefit from more conscious mutual enrichment. This is precisely why I address it here in this space of reflection and development.
Tools and Techniques for Screenwriting and Film Project Development.
In our world where artificial intelligences create films directly from the desires of their authors expressed in very few words, in this world where 3.5-hour films in dark theaters coexist with 10-second videos on social networks—which of these require screenplays, why, and what is a screenplay?
Is a screenplay still useful in an era where everyone carries in their pocket audiovisual creation tools of nearly professional quality? What is the purpose of a screenplay?
For writers, directors, producers, and especially content creators, as they are most often called today, I believe that the screenplay, its methods of creation, its writing techniques, and its ways of telling stories, is an extremely powerful tool to help us create the most impactful audiovisual works possible—works that will best connect with their audiences today and tomorrow, across their respective distribution platforms, whether in movie theaters, on television screens, on SVOD platforms, on community video sites, or on new media built exclusively around collaborative video like TikTok.
This guide does not claim to be exhaustive, but it is based on concrete experiences—those I have lived and those I have facilitated. For over 30 years, I have supported thousands of people in making films of all genres, founded and directed several film festivals, created numerous innovative events around audiovisual media, and also served on creative funding committees. What I share here is therefore subjective and practical, drawn from my journey and my observations in practice.
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The Principle of Consequences and Oppositions
How two words can transform the narrative power of a screenplay.
Replacing “then” with “therefore” or “but”: this might be the simplest and most powerful advice for bringing meaning and emotion to stories. The (…) -
Scientific research and scenario
Scientific rigor guarantees script quality.
Rigorous scientific research, whether it concerns the hard sciences or the humanities, anchors the screenplay in reality and generates singular (…) -
Writing on screen
Work on the relationship between text and image.
Let us explore and work on the potentialities of the text-image relationship in cinema. Present since the silent era with intertitles, the written (…) -
The non-fiction character
Reinventing narratives on social networks.
Social media influencers have created a new audiovisual genre: neither fiction nor documentary, but rather constructed characters that they (…) -
Making memories
Make the film sticky.
By creating scenes in a setting and then returning to it with other characters unaware of what happened there, the screenwriter generates intimacy (…) -
The trompe l’oeil technique
To make the film’s universe credible.
The trompe l’œil technique, used in the old special effects method of “matte painting,” can be transposed to screenwriting to expand the film’s (…) -
For a balanced consideration of characters
The art of creating physical sensations in the viewer.
The visual comparison of weights carried by different characters creates a physical sensation in the viewer. These burdens, whether material or (…) -
Subjectivized reality
The intelligence of tilting reality.
Subjectivized reality, a cinematic technique where the viewer experiences as real what is only the inner fantasy of a character, creates a (…) -
Use Chat GPT to structure your ideas
The proper use of machine reasoning.
Generative AIs excel at organizing information thanks to their logical reasoning capabilities. By submitting our ideas to them, even in a (…) -
Information retention
Manipulation or narrative tension?
Information withholding, a narrative technique that deliberately hides information known to the characters but not to the audience, creates (…) -
The investigation process
Why so many cops on screen?
The investigative approach fascinates and structures many narratives. Beyond police officers, convenient characters because they are legitimate to (…) -
Contactless application
To anchor emotions in the spectator’s body.
Narrative technique aimed at creating a physical and emotional connection between the viewer and the characters by evoking a shared sensory (…) -
The snake charmer’s trick
To build the rhythm of emotional breathing.
Temporarily neutralizing narrative tension with a “charm” that lulls the opponent allows for the creation of an emotional rhythm akin to (…) -
Finding inspiration in scenery
For films that are both realistic and ambitious.
Unlike pure imagination, writing directly in a real location allows you to draw from its unique details. The settings then become sources of (…) -
See a film or have it told to you?
Take into account the actual location of the film after viewing.
The screenwriter must consider not only the direct viewers, but also those who will be told about his work. These secondary stories, which have (…) -
Replacing characters
Touching the viewer’s subconscious.
Cinema has the power to transgress the notion of fixed identity in characters. Works like Lost Highway or The Matrix reveal that a character can (…) -
Playing with narrative reconstruction
Taking into account the viewer’s neural connections.
Narrative reconstruction is a cognitive process in which the viewer actively creates neural connections to make sense of a story. This playful and (…) -
The emotional elevator
Ethics and manipulation in screenplays.
The emotional elevator is a psychological manipulation technique that alternates between positive and negative moments to maintain control over (…) -
Are dialogues essential?
Method for (un)useful dialogues.
Should all dialogues in a film be essential? I believe that every dialogue, every word spoken by an actor in a film, just like every shot, must be (…) -
A film in the past
Details on film running times.
There are far fewer nuances in time in cinema than in literature. Cinema tells its stories mainly in the present tense, even if the past can (…) -
Going down the stairs in reverse
The art of reverse flashback.
The reverse flashback technique allows for exploring the origins of a situation by gradually moving backward into the past, enriching the (…) -
Motion blur
An animated film technique at the service of the screenplay.
The “motion blur” technique, essential in animation to create fluid, natural transitions, can be applied to screenwriting to make moments of (…) -
The trick of telepathy
For a rhizomic scenario.
The narrative trick of telepathy proposes to integrate unexplained transfers of information between characters into the scenario, creating a (…) -
Distant editing
A powerful formal concept at the service of the script.
The Armenian filmmaker Artavazd Pelechian, who has directed documentaries with a highly powerful and emotional form, such as « We », « The Seasons (…) -
Taking narrative capillarity into account
Consider your scenario in relation to other scenarios.
Contemporary audiovisual narratives are no longer perceived in isolation but as part of a network, creating a narrative capillarity where each (…) -
What is a story?
On narrative fractality.
A story is defined as the transformation of an initial situation into a final situation through a series of events. This change of state manifests (…) -
The Push Button
For moments of boost at key stages of the story.
In screenwriting, the “push button” is an action that triggers an irreversible mechanism, propelling the story into a point of no return, like a (…) -
The key in the lock
A tool for building narrative levels.
Like a key in a lock, each narrative element must perfectly adapt to the context of the story to move it forward. A new character, setting, or (…) -
What is the purpose of a screenplay?
A transient and unlocatable object.
A screenplay serves two functions: to convince and to organize. AI challenges this transitional format by enabling more flexible and interactive (…) -
Film Your Scripts Instead of Writing Them !
A Method for Writing and Creativity.
Faced with a blank page, ideas are hard to come by. I propose a method that involves filming guided improvisations with friends, to generate (…) -
The specifics of screenwriting
How to write a screenplay?
The role of the screenplay is to help people imagine a film and organize its production. It is for this reason that there are certain (…) -
The character identification process
Exploring the depths of fictional characters.
How is it that we identify with fictional characters? In some films, the main characters are deliberately insipid, while the secondary characters, (…) -
The webbed finger technique
To move stories forward in a powerful way.
The technique of webbed fingers in writing links each narrative element to two others, creating a collective force that pushes the story and its (…) -
The closing door theory
Play on the viewer’s frustration to create narrative tension.
The technique of suspense keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat by creating an information gap between them and the characters in the film. (…) -
The script’s little bike
For the rhythmic mechanics of writing.
A screenplay is a narrative mechanism, like a bicycle: the energy of the characters and the story move forward in time, guided by precise gears. A (…) -
The importance of nature in a scenario
For an organic dimension in our relationship with films.
How and why involving the natural elements in a script anchors the film in a deep relationship with the viewer. Our nature mobilizedWe are (…) -
The idea bank
A treasure chest for the scriptwriter.
Build a very simple, scalable and efficient tool to solve all types of problems in scenarios. What makes up storiesStories, mainly human ones, (…) -
The sieve technique
A solution for lack of inspiration.
The sifting technique helps to overcome lack of inspiration. By collecting ideas unfiltered, then “sifting” them, the ones that shine like gold (…) -
Anthropomorphism and scenario
Situating ourselves in the living world.
Anthropomorphism dominates cinema, attributing human traits to non-humans. Faced with the Anthropocene, it is crucial to move beyond this (…) -
Dreams, psychoanalysis and scenarios
To work with the audience’s subconscious.
Cinema and psychoanalysis, born together, explore the unconscious. The dream, at the heart of films, acts as a powerful narrative engine, blending (…) -
Scriptwriting and artificial intelligence: towards new subjects?
Anthropology of contemporary writing.
Since ChatGPT in 2022, generative AI has been transforming our ways of creating and thinking. These technologies, linked to artistic forms, are (…) -
Scenario and psychology
Overcoming the psychologization of characters.
Screenwriting often relies on the psychological depth of characters to evoke emotion and foster audience identification. But what if this (…) -
Viewer freedom
For an ethics of the relationship between film and viewer.
Screenwriting often relies on narrative mastery to control the viewer’s emotions. Yet this quest for control can conflict with an ethic of viewer (…) -
Alternating day and night
For organic scenarios.
As a filmmaker, I often wonder what makes a film organic and captivating. The alternation between day and night, a natural rhythm of our (…) -
Scenario and architecture
An essential underlying structure.
Cinema, often perceived as an art of image and sound, is deeply connected to architecture. Through spaces, movements, and scales, it shapes (…) -
Our emotions as the source of the scenario
Encouragement to take risks in writing.
A captivating screenplay draws from the author’s lived emotions. By exploring their own fears, joys, or sorrows, the writer creates authentic and (…) -
Serendipity and screenwriting
Disorganize the writing.
A screenplay, structured and the result of extensive work, is the visible part of an iceberg.Serendipity, the art of discovering the (…) -
Scenario ontology, part 1
Isn’t screenwriting the opposite of cinema?
Cinema, according to André Bazin, captures reality through mechanical recording, creating a fascinating trace of what has existed. In contrast, (…) -
The art of pitching
A method for building film projects.
“Pitching” is most often understood as the act of summarizing one’s project in a very concise manner, with the goal of convincing a partner to (…) -
What is a scenario?
Introduction to a philosophical vision of a technical and artistic object.
The screenplay, traditionally seen as a technical tool of cinema, is in reality a complex concept that deserves to be questioned in its essence. (…) -
The exhibition scene
Constraint or opportunity?
The exposition scene in a film or series is a key element that provides the audience with the necessary information to understand the story, (…) -
Mastering suspense
Using Alfred Hitchcock’s method.
The proper application of suspense techniques allows for the creation of a strong bond between the viewer and the film. I will present the method (…) -
Drawing for writing
Technique for freeing the brain.
Drawing to write: a key to unlocking writing. Drawing, often perceived as difficult, frees the mind and offers a new perspective. By sketching (…) -
The “truth” of a script
Creativity method.
Truth“is not realism or verisimilitude. The”truth“is a perception of the spectator, which can be very powerful: it is the sign of an anchoring of (…) -
Take sound into account when writing scripts
The materiality of cinema, right from the script stage.
’A scenario that gives, on reading, the sensation of the soundtrack of the film, will have a rare, extremely convincing evocative power. (…) -
The voice-over: friend or foe of the scenario?
Against preconceived ideas, for diversity of expression.
Voice-over is often discouraged in academic scriptwriting textbooks, which focus on the dramatic situation rather than on an interiority (…) -
Test your scenarios with your mobile phone
Why go without?
A very simple use of the mobile phone can speed up the scriptwriting work. PrototypesIn many fields prototypes are made, which can also be (…) -
“Scrivener” to write a script
An atypical and very powerful tool.
Scrivener is probably today the best software to write a script. Synthetic discovery of this tool. Why a specific software to write a screenplay? (…) -
Orally present his film to a commission
Being prepared and meeting expectations.
I am very regular member commission to award financial aid to film production. In my experience, what are the best practices and pitfalls? Why (…) -
Mind mapping to build a script
Tool-based practice of intellectual agility.
One of the first difficulties in screenwriting is macroscopic construction, i.e. the overall sense of the narrative. Mind mapping is a practice (…) -
Screenwriting software
Tools that format or emancipate us?
Script software standardizes page layout, automatically applies styles and numbering, and frees up time for creativity. From Final Draft to Celtx, (…) -
The writing of the screenplay in terms of the DVD
New technologies, new ways of writing.
The digital age is transforming the traditional screenplay into a more complex, modular object. In cinema as in institutional works or for social (…) -
How to write a screenplay ?
First leads.
Scriptwriting confronts all authors with a fundamental challenge: to organize creative chaos efficiently. Between spontaneity and structure, each (…) -
Writing the script of a documentary
Tracks for a balancing act.
Issues and approaches to documentary writing. Initially questions What is literature ? A look at the real ? A meeting between a filmmaker and a (…)
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Creating, thinking and writing screenplays today Guide to screenwriting (free digital book, by Benoît Labourdette).
In our world where artificial intelligences directly create films from the desires of their authors expressed in very few words, in this world (…) -
The Reality and Fiction of Images How our perceptions navigate between memorial reconstruction and multiple image regimes.
Images perpetually oscillate between real and imaginary. This porous border reveals less a confusion than a fundamental characteristic of our (…) -
Social Networks and Cultural Institutions: Breaking the Strategic Deadlock Towards a digital policy that renounces communication in favor of citizen empowerment.
Local authorities are massively investing in their presence on social networks without questioning the relevance of this approach, and are (…) -
Orally present his film to a commission Being prepared and meeting expectations.
I am very regular member commission to award financial aid to film production. In my experience, what are the best practices and pitfalls? Why (…) -
MA Scène nationale Montbéliard: “Joseph”, a travelling film by Joseph Morder Moving screenings
A film designed to be screened on the city walls on a travelling basis.Yannick Marzin, director of the Scène nationale de Montbéliard, proposed (…)
