--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I write a screenplay - and I think…" description: "\"When I write a screenplay - and I think it's one of the reasons why it was frustrating for me just to be a screenwriter - I'm not thinking of it in ter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/james-gunn-4477_comic-book_when-i-write-a-screenplay-and-i-think-it_1295782.jpg" --- # When I write a screenplay - and I think it's one of the… ![“When I write a screenplay - and I think it's one of the reasons why it was frustrating for me just to be a screenwriter - I'm not thinking of it in terms of words on a page; I'm thinking in terms of visual images - basically, a comic book. I'm thinking of it in a series of shots.” quote by James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/james-gunn-4477_comic-book_when-i-write-a-screenplay-and-i-think-it_1295782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/james-gunn-4477_comic-book_when-i-write-a-screenplay-and-i-think-it_1295782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05f/james-gunn-4477_comic-book_when-i-write-a-screenplay-and-i-think-it_1295782.jpg) > “When I write a screenplay - and I think it's one of the reasons why it was frustrating for me just to be a screenwriter - I'm not thinking of it in terms of words on a page; I'm thinking in terms of visual images - basically, a comic book. I'm thinking of it in a series of shots.” [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He treats scripts as visual sequences, akin to comic panels, focusing on images over prose. **In simple terms:** Screenplays are visual storyboards. Key Takeaway Think in pictures when writing. Themes creativity visual storytelling film Mood inspirational creative Type artistic practical When to use this quote - film production - advertising - education - graphic novels Key Concepts visual narrative storyboarding Questions to Reflect On - How does visual thinking shape narrative? - Can images replace words? A Different Perspective Visual focus can limit nuanced dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic-book/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [ It's my story \["Selling Isobel"\].I chose to write a screenplay about it because I think film is the quickest medium to get a story… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-farrell/it-s-my-story-selling-isobel-i-chose-to-write-a-screenplay-about-it/) [Frida Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-farrell/) > [When I write a screenplay - and I think this is true for a lot of people - you direct the movie. 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I was also a big Moon Knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-was-as-huge-spider-man-fan-as-a-kid-but-i-really-liked-the/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [I'm a huge Howard the Duck fan. For people who don't know, I'm a huge Marvel Comics fan, but Howard the Duck was maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-m-a-huge-howard-the-duck-fan-for-people-who-don-t-know-i-m-a-huge/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [Scooby's the greatest cartoon character ever. He isn't cute like Mickey or smart like Bugs or fearless like Woody and Buzz - he's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/scooby-s-the-greatest-cartoon-character-ever-he-isn-t-cute-like/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [I don't know if there is any one secret to successful writing, but one important step is to move beyond imitation and discover what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-don-t-know-if-there-is-any-one-secret-to-successful-writing-but-one/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > ['Belko Experiment' was the harshest, most extreme movie I ever made. 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They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [I've always had a soft spot for comic books. I learned to read from them. The words in them were so interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-ve-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-comic-books-i-learned-to-read-from/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [When you think of comic book readers, you never think of the brown girl, and I was that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-vellani/when-you-think-of-comic-book-readers-you-never-think-of-the-brown/) [Iman Vellani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-vellani/) > [I enjoy the fact that we have these mobile comics now, which are sort of a cross between a comic book and an animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-enjoy-the-fact-that-we-have-these-mobile-comics-now-which-are-sort/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [I spent a lot of time drawing and writing little comic books, and my mom was a rapper, so I would steal her instrumentals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-thee-stallion/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-drawing-and-writing-little-comic-books-and-my/) [Megan Thee Stallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-thee-stallion/) > [Comic books have gone mainstream. The audience is there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley-shipp/comic-books-have-gone-mainstream-the-audience-is-there/) [John Wesley Shipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley-shipp/) > [One of the best things that happened for me as a playwright is becoming a comic-book writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/one-of-the-best-things-that-happened-for-me-as-a-playwright-is/) [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/) > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [For some reason, I tend to take on the stuff that people are really passionate about. 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