At the core of what we’re trying to do with any script is to make strangers care.

Virtually every note I give on any script ultimately connects to that goal. We want people to emotionally invest. It must matter to them what happens in our stories. And that’s because they feel something about it.

This takes three primary forms:

1. They emotionally connect to the main character(s).

2. It matters deeply to them that the overall problem/goal gets resolved.

3. The process of watching all this is really fun. Meaning they’re entertained by it.

Watching Bohemian Rhapsody recently brought this home for me.

Some have criticized it for following a formula for this kind of musical biopic — where the star rises to fame but has personal issues and conflicts that prevent them from enjoying and sustaining it in a healthy way. I was prepared to agree with this criticism. It’s also easy to find articles online about all the things they “got wrong.” Trust me that this wasn’t a result of oversight, ignorance or carelessness. Deviations from the absolute facts in true story adaptations are done because it’s believed it will make the story resonate more and be more comprehensible and compelling to audiences. And that often is the case. I once blogged about how Argo did this.

As for the “formula” note, I have also been known to defend formula, in the sense that there are principles behind “what works” that are often there for a reason — though if they’re followed in an obvious by-the-numbers way without a lot of skill, passion or originality, that can be a problem. Perhaps some felt that way about this movie.

But for me, and I’m guessing many audience members, this wasn’t an issue. Because I felt myself caring, and getting swept up in the emotion and entertainment value. I wasn’t noticing the creative choices and judging them like I often do when I’m not invested. I got sucked in.

Whether you’ve seen it or not, or feel the same way or not, let’s talk about the reasons.

1. I connected emotionally with the main character. Why? Because he had appealing qualities and struggles, while also possessing flaws. He suffered as a result of his mistakes and tried to rectify them. Generally speaking, he was “likable.” I am often a defender of “likability” as important because I believe virtually all main characters of successful film and TV scripts are easy to embrace, with a few exceptions that work for some very specific reasons. Writers often don’t realize how important it is to get the audience strongly on the main character’s side, in the opening pages, or realize how challenging it can be to achieve that in a believable way. The other thing that’s easy to miss is the importance of point-of-view, which means subjectively telling the story from the perspective of a main character whose emotions and desires are front and center, throughout. So Bohemian Rhapsody was not ultimately the story of a band, a song, or even a career. It was about a man, with a very personal, tender, difficult, emotional journey. Freddie’s feelings are what we’re focused on, most of the time.

2. As a result, the audience (or at least some of us) care that they resolve their problem. And that problem and how it develops is front and center throughout. In this case, it’s about conflicts related to closeted (and then uncloseted) sexuality that seems to threaten his happiness and the success he otherwise finds. It’s an internal issue that needs healed, but importantly, it has huge external consequences. And those are what we’re focused on. Because an internal journey on its own is usually not enough, on screen. The audience connects because of the external problems it leads to, including conflicts with others, addiction, loss of loved ones, etc.

3. The movie is wildly entertaining. Maybe it helps if you like Queen’s music, and enjoy the spectacle of seeing it brought to life in vivid cinematic ways. For an audience to keep caring, they also have to strongly enjoy the ride, and find consuming the story to be almost like “candy.” There are a lot of ways to entertain (and there’s a whole chapter in my new bookThe Idea about this), but they all come down to making the audience feel certain emotions. The music and spectacle is one aspect. There is also comedy, and poignancy, as well as romance. They consistently make choices that are designed to make it fun. Maybe some will feel they went too far at times, and it didn’t work for them. My point is that the writers and filmmakers were consciously looking to milk these things — to deliver them in ways that will impact the audience emotionally. It doesn’t just happen. But it’s important that it does.

Whatever type of script you might be writing, my advice is to make it your primary goal to capture the audience emotionally in these ways, recognizing that it’s the most important thing, and that it takes a lot of focused effort to do successfully. When you do, people will be laughing and crying, applauding, on the edge of their seats, and then telling their friends they loved it. Regardless of what some critics might have said. And isn’t that ultimately what we want?