“The key to winning this war [on cliches] is research, taking the time and effort to acquire knowledge.” - Robert McKee
One of the most powerful tools we possess as writers today is research. Today’s audience are highly intelligent because they see stories constantly. After so many movies it seems that it would be hard to make an original screenplay. I believe that all the easy stories have been told. It is amazing how much you can learn about a subject when you study it. So much of our concept of things comes from the movies, but there is often a difference between reality and how Hollywood portrays things. One of the best ways to make your script fresh, original and something audiences and readers have never seen, is to do research on a specific topic in your screenplay.
I deeply believe in research and it’s almost magical power to awaken a script. For each quarter of your screenplay, I’ll give you five pages of research on a topic in that part of your screenplay. The research will include scientific, historical, or topical information specific to particular elements, genre research, links to books, articles, and videos online, and a list of similar films to your story that maybe helpful to watch.