Creating Addictive Content: The Hollywood Way!

They say watching a film is like experiencing a parallel universe, a way of living someone else’s life. But, maybe you love watching movies because it goes beyond that. It sheds light and makes you reflect your own human nature.

A majority of Hollywood movies are based on a very simple storyline – an anti-joke:

How do you keep someone in suspense?
It’s simple.. But “I’ll tell you later.”

The joke may be really silly, but its implication is not. Suspense is what keeps you and everyone like you at the edge of the seat. Everyone loves suspense!

Ardent movie lovers are often heard saying that movies with unresolved endings are the ones that keep them glued to their TV. The same applies to novels. If there is an element of surprise or suspense, you would find yourself unable to stop turning the page of the book you are reading or switch off the television set.

Don’t you like anticipating what’s going to happen next or hoping that your favorite characters win the conflict? Probably, that’s what you were doing while watching Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice or more recently, Avengers: Infinity War.

Hollywood screenwriters have given the world movies like, The Usual Suspects and Memento. Even till the end, these movies hold on to the essence of suspense and ends with a sudden, unpredictable twist. While the viewers are kept wondering what just happened, the credits start rolling. These are the kind of addictive stories that writers today need to take inspiration from.

Hollywood Appeals to the Emotion of the Viewers

When it is about choosing between emotions and logic, Hollywood generally leans on emotions. The great directors and screenwriters are aware of how hardwired the audiences’ brains are to react to emotions. How else do you think Paranormal Activity came to be known as the best horror film ever made?

Paranormal Activity was made with a budget of online $15,000, but the movie made over $108 million in the US box office. Surprisingly, the movie does not show any demon or drop of blood. What it makes use of is well-crafted music and light. The movie pushes the audience to see and hear things that are imaginary. It plays along the line of not knowing what is out there, which makes the movie scarier than what it actually was.

So, if you are creating a content, you need to make sure that you are appealing to the emotions of your readers. Encourage them to be fully invested in what you have to say. Create content capable of keeping the readers distracted from their own lives and that’s the only way you’ll know that your content is worth it!

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Hollywood Knows the First Few Minutes of a Movie is All-important

Capturing the attention of the audience in the first few seconds is what makes or breaks a movie. For instance, Trainspotting. The opening sequence of the movie shows Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Renton (Ewan McGregor) running through the streets with security guards trailing close behind them. Their shirts stuffed with stolen goods, which fall to the ground as they run. The entire scene is narrated by Renton’s monologue. The opening scene sets the mood and grips the attention of the audience till the end.

This is true for copywriters and content writers. It is important that your hook your readers from the very first word to the very last.

So, what makes movies so addictive that you simply cannot move your eyes away from the screen?

Keep reading to know the secrets of Hollywood that can make you a great content writer.

# The Setup

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Setting up or building a story is of utmost importance. It is a lot like staging your home for rent or sale. For instance, how is it possible to auction off a set of fake pearls for a million bucks? Simple. You have to create a story about how the pearls adorned the neck of Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of President John F. Kennedy.

It is Jackie’s status and iconic life as a First Lady that will act as the setup for the necklace being sold at such a high price.

Similarly, Hollywood screenwriters spend considerable time on setting up a character, an action, an event or even a equipment or device meant to be used in the film. This is why a lot of effort and thought goes into getting the mustache just right or the movie set perfect. All of this is done to intrigue the audience and have them emotionally invested in the plot of the movie.

Oftentimes, screenwriters use characters, places and events that the audience can relate to. This helps to excite and pique their interest.

As part of the setup, movies rely on a logical explanation for each scene of the movie. For instance, if the protagonist of a spy movie is making use of a gadget that was not introduced before, it would appear unrealistic. But, if the protagonist was given the weapon at some point during the movie, the audience would have no problem accepting the existence of the device.

The same trick can also be applied in your copywriting. Even though it is hard to orchestrate the enormous level of emotional investment that movies have, it is not entirely impossible to add a sense of significance to your content.

# Use of Open Loops

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Setups are used by screenwriters to not just make a story appear more relatable and logical, but also to keep the audience wondering about what’s coming next. This is where they make use of open loops.

Basically, open loop is a rhetorical device that is used to instill a sense of curiosity, as well as, anticipation for what will happen next. Some screenwriters may even call it the tension loop because of the anticipation that it creates in the minds of the audience.

For instance, David Fincher’s Gone Girl. The movie unfurls as a love story where a boy (Nick Dunne) meets girl (Amy) and decided to get married. But, that’s where the unexpected happens. Amy suddenly dies and people start wondering if Nick had something to do with her death. While the audience almost tags Nick as the murderer, Amy is revealed to be alive. This unexpected twist would nearly make you jump off your seat!

The reason why movies and TV shows are so addictive is because, they have such open loops. The screenwriters usually open a loop by providing you with the beginning of the storyline. Then, your brain hopes to know more and also starts to imagine various plausible scenarios.

When the final outcome is revealed, the loop is finally closed and the suspense is out there for all to see.

Thinking how you can use this as a part of your copywriting? Start with a deceptive, yet evocative headline. More or less, a headline works similar to an open loop. It interests the readers by promising an exciting outcome.

So, make sure that the headline stirs up emotions of curiosity and does not give away everything that your article is about, but enough to excite them to delve deep.

# Paying Off the Audience

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When a screenwriter opens a loop, he or she leaves the audience wanting more. They appeal to both their curious and emotional nature. However, loops cannot be opened without closing them. It is vital that the audience is paid off for their time and emotional investment.

To understand how setup and payoffs work in Hollywood, you can refer to Up, Pixar’s award-winning movie. In the very first scene of the movie, Carl is seen holding a blue balloon. This balloon is seen throughout the movie – when Carl meets Ellie for the first time, at Ellie’s funeral and also when he is returning home from the cemetery. The balloon emerges as a symbol of Carl’s solitude, love and grief.

So, throughout the movie, the audience was emotionally invested in the blue balloon. The screenwriters paid the viewers back by showing how the blue balloon helped in the development of the story.

Even in copywriting, you ought to pay back your readers for their time and attention. You can write about how using the product or service changed lives and helped people live better. Ensure that your story is plausible and gives the readers an actual object to hold on to or feel attached to.

To sum up, it can be said that your writing does not really have to be very complicated. It does not even have to be written using a very ornamental language. You can write simple, short sentences, but make sure that the story clicks with the audience. The story must be impactful and not without reason. There has to be a certain flow to the way the content reads and of course, an element of suspense, shock or surprise. By incorporating such simple techniques, you can make your copy so much more appealing and awesome. Try it out!