Cinematic Writing Techniques

“Show, don’t tell”– if you are a writer, I’m sure you have heard of this. Writing isn’t just telling a story, it’s about making readers experience it. A way to do this is by thinking like a director. By using techniques from film, like close-ups, lighting, and movement, you can make your scenes more immersive. While screenwriters have it a little easier when it comes to “show, don’t tell”, you can use cinematic writing in your writing as well.

Visuals, imagery and scenes in writing

If you are anything like me, you see scenes and visuals unfold in your mind while writing – and when reading. For me, this mental imagery is what fuels my writing. As writers, in a way, we tell readers what they are supposed to see when reading. Cinematic writing allows you to do this without info-dumping. With short attention spans, writing long and winding dives into what exactly the outfit of a character looks like is no longer recommended, anyway.

Cinematic writing

Use close-ups

Set the scene with a broad view before zooming in to create depth.

Lighting and color

Use lighting, colors and contrast to set the mood for your scene.

Action scenes and movement

Instead of describing an image, make your scene move.

Expressions

An actor playing a character can’t announce: “I’m upset!”, they need to show it for the audience to believe it. Maybe your protagonist is frowning, scowling, or muscles are twitching in their expression.

At the same time, instead of outright telling the reader what a city, ocean, or forest looks like, tell them what your character sees, what it looks like through their lens.

Did the exercise help you? Do you use cinematic writing? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading this- if you liked this article, please consider subscribing to my newsletter to not miss future articles and let me know on Instagram what topics you’d like to read about next!