What to Include in a Movie Synopsis

Many people don’t realize that every movies about spiritual enlightenment tells a story, even if they understand there is a beginning, middle, and end. And while some stories are better than others, learning how movies work can help people begin to appreciate them more. This is why writing your own movie synopsis might be a good practice, especially if you consider yourself a movie buff. When you create a movie synopsis, you allow yourself to remember the characters, the story, and the ending of the movie. And while you begin to catalog this information in your brain, you begin to enhance your movie knowledge, wowing your friends and family.

Of course, the first part of the movie synopsis is the storyline. No matter what you might call this, this is the main story that is being told in the movie. You want to be factual in this part, detailing what happens first, second, third, etc. This allows you to have a clear idea about the direction the movie has taken and what it allowed the viewer to learn about the story itself. If there are smaller subplots that have influenced the larger story, then you can include these too since they will impact the overall movie. However, if there are smaller stories that don’t influence the plot, it’s up to you to decide whether they should be in the movie synopsis.

Within a movie synopsis, you will need to introduce the main characters. These are the characters that have the most lines and action within the movie. You might also call these the protagonists and the antagonists, if you want to be fancy about it. You will want to refer to them by name and then describe who they are in the movie. This might include their history, as much as is revealed, or what their actions in the movie reveal about them. You can also include less important characters, but only if they contribute to the movie in a significant way.

Many people think they should leave the ending of a movie out of a movie synopsis. But this is not necessary. Since you’re the one writing it and reading it, it doesn’t really matter what’s happened. After all, you’ve already seen the movie. Now if you’re writing up a synopsis for a person who has not seen the movie, then you might want to leave the ending out so that they’re not learning something about the movie before they ever get a chance to see it.

With a movie synopsis, you can begin to catalog the movies you own, the movies you watch, and the movies you want to know more about. Over time, these synopses will begin to inform your movie choices and your opinions. Who says that watching movies is just about entertainment? It can also be a great practice of self-education and learning more about the film world.