This Screenwriter Turns Movie Nights Into Film School

Twelve hours is all it took for Brett Niethamer and his wife, Leticia, to realize their content was gaining traction on social media.

The post was simple: Leticia recorded Brett, a professional screenwriter, as he explained a scene from Batman: The Animated Series.

Leticia betted on the internet loving Brett’s insider information about the world of film and television through the lens of a screenwriter.

Brett wasn’t so sure.

Brett Niethamer and his wife, Leticia. Photograph courtesy of Brett Niethamer.

“She had been pushing me for quite a while to post something, and I was always like, ‘I don't know if people are going to dig it,’” Brett says.

Now, the Niethamer’s TikTok account, @screenwriterhusband, has amassed 2.3 million likes on TikTok.

In the videos, Brett casually explains how a staircase in The Princess Diaries 2 represents power dynamics. Or when to expect a jump scare in Friday the 13th.

@screenwriterhusband Today’s lesson: staircases 😂 maybe one day we will finish the movie lol but I do love the fun facts. #movie #movienerd #geek #princessdiaries #screenwriter #moviereview #disney #disneyplus #annehathaway #chrispine #couplegoals #behindthescenes ♬ original sound - screenwriterhusband

The movies Brett analyzes are those he and Leticia organically decided to watch. That, or a movie Brett knows can demonstrate a specific principle of screenwriting.

In most videos, he wears his pajamas.

Some videos are based on facts and the knowledge that comes with being a screenwriter. Others, Brett says, are subjective.

“Some of them are a little bit more of my interpretation, but that's kind of the beauty of film: Anyone can get anything from it,” Brett says.

And anyone can get something from the videos, even if Brett covers a genre you don’t typically watch.

“The basic rules and basic tenets of screenwriting apply across genres, but there are certain tips and little rules and stuff that you'll use in one genre more than the other,” Brett says.

He brings up the rules of three and its use in comedy, where jokes are told in a 1-2-3 rotation.

Horror uses the same rule.

“If there's two fake scares in a row, the third one's going to be the killer,” Brett says.

@screenwriterhusband Class in session! Lesson of the day: how to spot a jumpscare! I love these rants and for someone who’s so scared of horror movies, this one was pretty helpful 😂 what do you think? #movietok #horrortok #fridaythe13 #screenwriter #storytelling ♬ original sound - screenwriterhusband

Can a screenwriter authentically enjoy a movie if they have a prescient understanding of its material?

Yes and no.

“I try my hardest to turn that side of my brain off for the first watch,” Brett says. “I really try to watch the movie out of entertainment, and see what they have presented to me.”

Scrutinizing what the movie presents can help earnestly judge whether it’s good or bad.

Brett paraphrases a quote from the late movie critic Roger Ebert: “I judge a film based on what the film presents to me and whether or not they achieved what their goal was.”

Deep Blue Sea is no The Godfather, Brett says, but it was never meant to be. It set out to be a thrill ride with “goofy one liners and thrilling set pieces,” and on that, it delivers.

On TikTok, Brett looks to deliver two things: Inspire people to start looking at films through a slightly more critical lens, and spread an enthusiasm for film.

After all, “it's kind of amazing that films are made at all,” Brett says.

Even movies that don't fully "work" can require hundreds if not thousands of people to be made, he adds.

“This is something that so many people worked hard on. Sure, maybe it didn't turn out the way you wanted, but isn't it cool that it got made?”

If you’re interested in learning more about how movies are made, Brett recommends turning on the movie commentary, and exploring special features and behind the scenes content.

That, or you can follow @screenwriterhusband.

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