A family on vacation struggles to get along and, through a series of unfortunate events, must find a way to come together — if they’re not too busy tearing each other apart.

While the situation sounds like comedy fodder, Endangered Species is anything but. National Lampoon’s Vacation or Little Miss Sunshine it is not; this action-thriller addresses social issues. 

Based on the story by Paul Chronnell and written by M.J. Bassett and Isabel Bassett, Endangered Species follows the wealthy Halsey family on an African safari who have their dream vacation spoiled when a rhinoceros attacks their vehicle, flipping it over and stranding them in the park.

Here are your five screenwriting takeaways from this intense survival-adventure film.

1. Start the family problems before the movie

The Halsey's son, Noah (Michael Johnston) comes out to his family as gay before the story starts and is in the midst of trying to gain his father Jack's (Philip Winchester) acceptance. While many filmmakers would opt to reveal this coming out as a way to cause a rift in the family during an intense situation, the intention of the writers was to have this already established as just one example of the family issues brewing below the surface — along with problems between Jack and Zoe (father and daughter), job losses, the father’s non-acceptance of the daughter’s boyfriend... Endangered Species depicts a family that is already struggling to stay together long before putting them into a volatile situation.

Writers can see how character development is critical and that the movie should be a part of a life, and not the start and end of it. Characters have lives before the opening frame if we're to believe they're well-rounded. It’s not enough to put a family together with some superficial problems, but rather having the family conflict first over the action or adventure of the movie.

2. Foreshadow danger

Setting a movie on an African safari opens the doors to a lot of danger, but it’s important to set up those hazards before the journey begins.

Foreshadowing is a great trick to put upcoming events into the audience’s mind as the first act progresses. In Endangered Species, we learn that the father has lost his job and is stingy toward some aspects of the trip. Meanwhile, a single hyena circles the campsite the night before the safari and the family learns what it means to have them around while the audience discovers how poachers are treated in Kenya.

Writers can see how these, and many other foreshadowing devices, reveal themselves in the beginning and return throughout. What occurs in your third act that you can set up in the first few pages of your script?

3. Small cast, limited locations

Although set in the vast wilderness of Kenya, there are surprisingly few locations. The film spends a great deal of time in and around the vehicle itself. Whether it’s starting out on the trail or after the rhinoceros flips it, a large chunk of the film is spent at this location.

Shot during the pandemic's lockdown, the filmmakers knew they had to keep the cast small and the locations as few as possible. Not only do these benefit the budget, but writers can stretch their imagination when limits are placed.

These factors are worth considering when writing your screenplay — as long you don’t sacrifice the story in the process.

4. What’s the theme?

The film's co-writer and director, M.J. Bassett, cares greatly about animals. It was her passion before becoming a filmmaker, so it's no wonder that the themes in her recent films center around it.

Last year’s Rogue had a similar underlying theme about lions and Endangered Species tackles poaching. What makes the conversation compelling is how one of the characters justifies what they do by comparing the patriarch’s position at an oil company and the impact that has on people and their environment.

Themes should make the audience question and debate the topic, rather than be overtly preachy. Writers can see in Endangered Species how both the subtle and not-so-subtle ways themes can be represented within a film without being overwhelming.

5. Find a way to split people up

At some point, the family must part ways. Horror films are notorious for this and every audience member knows the doom behind the line, “Maybe we should split up.”

When you have a group together, whether it’s Jurassic Park or Willy’s Wonderland, separating a group adds drama, creates multiple storylines for the audience to invest in, and adds another need to the characters: get back together.

Writers can track in Endangered Species how the filmmakers break up the group and how it gives both the audience in real life and the characters within the film the ability to take a breather from one another. In one part of the film, Noah and Billy (Chris Fisher), Zoe’s (Isabel Bassett) boyfriend, go off on their own to find help for the group. This allows the two to more intimately discuss the family's issues behind their others’ backs, while allowing the mother (Rebecca Romijn), father and daughter to have a conversation about how they feel about Billy.

The ultimate goal when splitting up in the film is to find help and return to the others, but it also allows for greater depth in drama and conflict.

Endangered Species is now in theaters, and you can listen to director M.J. Bassett discuss her film Rogue on the Write On podcast!