How to write a film like The Martian
Most people say that The Martian it's a sci-fy comedy. That's right. The movie has sci-fy and comedy elements. Some scenes and events make people laugh. Others make them feel a sci-fy vibe.
But to write a film like The Martian or to know what kind of genre it fit in, people must dig in, search for conventions and scene similarities with others films.
Said that, i think The Martian it's a prison/escape/rescue plot (yeah, the film mix 3 kind of plots).
Instead of a human being villain (ex: Hard Candy, Misery (Stephen King), Phone Booth), The Martian has Mars and sci-fy problems as villains.
The Martian looks like films as Flight of the Phoenix (1965 and 2004 remake) or Cast Away (Tom Hanks film). And others films that has a crime (prison crime plots such as Hard Candy, Misery and others).
Basically tell a story about a guy (hero) who is held by a confined space (Mars)and he must escape. To fulfill more then one hour, the hero can't escape. It's similar to films as: Buried, Hard Candy, Misery, Cellular, Captivity, Phone Booth, Panic Room, Knock Knock, Bug and Goodnight Mommy. No matter what happens, he must stay in prison.
ACT 1
Exposition about the hero.
How he get in the "prison"?
ACT2
Torture begins (in The Martian he felt hungry, he lost weight, he something like a knife in his stomach. He suffer. In Cast Away, for instance, Tom Hanks suffers a HELL. In one moment he must take away his tooth);
Attempt to escape or alert other people (because it's so hard to escape or alert other people, and because Matt can't escape alone, Matt Damon must build something to escape or/and alert other people);
Plans to escape (Matt Damon explains a lot about how he will achieve escape);
Rescue efforts (not every "Prison/confined" plot has rescue efforts. For instance, Hard Candy and Buried. We never go to the point of view of another character in those films.
In the Martian we follow Nasa rescue efforts and plans.
ACT 3
The climax of the film it's ALLWAYS the escape. How hero achieve freedom. It can have a chase scene (Flight of the Phoenix), a fight (Misery, Phone Booth) or maybe some will effort (Phone Booth).
But also he don't need to escape. Films like Saw or Buried ends in a down emotion. Sad endings.
Saying that, The Martian has elements of the prison crime plot. To plot a story like that, the writer need to understand what kind of scenes will come in.
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@RobBeniSilva