Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Loretta Sage knows history and has made a living writing romantic adventure novels. While her passion for exploring exotic places resides in research, she falls into a deeper curiosity for romance books that typically feature a dashing shirtless hero on the covers. Her latest book leaves little to be enthused but that doesn’t stop fans of Alan, the cover model, from filling up a room of eager fans. Loretta mopes around wondering how her passion for ancient places has turned to writing “shlock,” and why people actually like it.

On her book tour, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who believes her latest book holds clues to finding a treasure in an ancient city. When Alan spies Loretta’s kidnapping, he wants to prove that he’s more than a pretty face on a book cover and can be a real-life hero. Surely, adventure ensues.

Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe and Brad Pitt, this action/adventure was based on a story by Seth Gordon and written by Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee and Aaron Nee. The Lost City was directed by Adam Nee and Aaron Nee.

Here are five screenwriting takeaways from The Lost City.

1. Loretta and Alan

The story of two people without much in common and thrust into a situation beyond their control is a story that has been told thousands of times. Sometimes it leads to unexpected friendships such as in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, while others turn into a romance such as in Romancing the Stone or lifelong partnerships like in Lethal Weapon. Regardless, the two slowly find they need each other to survive.

The Lost City is no different. Loretta (Bullock) is a reclusive writer whose words explore ancient worlds and steamy romance. She doesn’t like to be on-stage and struggles to talk publicly so a book tour is not on her list of places she wants to be. Alan (Tatum) is a showman. He plays a stereotypical cover model who’s extroverted, loves attention and used to a good, somewhat pampered life with little conflict.

Loretta wants less. Alan wants more. When kidnapped, Alan sees this chance to be the hero he portrays on book covers. Their attempts to escape in the jungle leads to comedy and adventure.

What writers can learn from this duo is how to write two characters who are different, but not necessarily opposites, while understanding how to play against type. For example, the writers made it so Alan can’t be as heroic as he wants. In one scene, this good-looking, strong man flips out when leeches are on his body and begs Loretta to take them off. Meanwhile, Loretta hardly plays a damsel in distress. In fact, it’s not that she’s necessarily afraid for her life, but she’s annoyed this kidnapping has happened in the first place.

2. A ticking clock

“If I don’t get my money by 4:30, I’m going to start executing hostages.”

“If you don’t kiss the love of your life by your 21^st birthday, you’ll remain a beast forever.”

There’s nothing like a ticking clock to add tension to a story. The Lost City—although a bit subtle—has a ticking clock of its own. Abigail Fairfax (Radcliffe) wants to find the “Crown of Fire” on a secluded island in the Atlantic Ocean, and he kidnaps Loretta believing she can uncover its location. The ticking clock though is a volcano ready to erupt and bury the treasure, and the lost city, making it impossible to recover.

Fairfax has spared no expense in finding the treasure, but time is limited. The longer they spend on the island, the more the volcano seems poised to erupt. Writers can observe how a ticking clock adds tension to a story. The film would have been just fine without a volcano, but it does add another layer of suspense as the earth starts shaking and smoke billows from the top.

3. The B-story

Sometimes the lead characters need a break, and so does the audience. Writers watching The Lost City can see how the filmmakers wove in a b-story to provide another layer to the movie. Sometimes this gives the lead actors a break when shooting (explanation below) while other times it leads up to a pay-off at the end.

Beth (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) is Loretta’s loyal publicist who discovers she’s been kidnapped and takes it upon herself to retrieve her. After the first few scenes, Beth doesn’t see Loretta until the end of the film, however, the audience occasionally sees what hectic adventures she’s up to.

Alternate storylines create layers to the overall film and keep audience engagement higher and increase the pace of the film.

One example of needing another storyline is in Die Hard with the two police officers who end up flying in the helicopter around Nakatomi Tower. The reason for these characters was to give lead actor Bruce Willis a break while shooting because he was working on both this film and his TV show simultaneously.

4. The wants of the characters

What do your characters want? Sometimes it’s tangible like money or treasure. Sometimes it’s more personal like recognition or respect. Each character in The Lost City wants something and getting it, or not getting it, is part of their arc.

Loretta wants to be a respected writer, Alan wants to be a hero and Fairfax wants the crown. How they go about getting it is what defines them as characters. What writers can see from a movie like The Lost City are how these “wants” are sought, or not. Loretta, for instance, has basically accepted her life of writing romance novels she doesn’t really respect and struggles to find the inspiration to keep going. She doesn’t seek out anything but is pushed into the adventure, ultimately leading her to achieve something she wants. Alan wants to be a hero, but he only plays one on book covers, therefore, to prove himself he decides to save Loretta from her kidnappers.

These characters and their wants drive decisions, attitudes, personalities and changes throughout the film.

5. Fish out of water

The Lost City is a fish-out-of-water film in many respects. As one example, Loretta and Alan are both city dwellers used to the comforts of life. It’s natural then for the story to throw them out of their element and make them fish-out-of-water for comedic purposes. Now they must try to survive on a jungle island escaping the captors.

This concept is perfect for comedies, and writers can see how conflicts are brought up when lead characters must navigate mysterious worlds. This is true for other films as well. Horror films frequently put their characters into scary worlds they must try to escape.

Whatever genre you write in, consider adding an element of being a fish out of water.

The Lost City is currently in theaters.