Page One: “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003) Screenplay by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas, story by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas and Gary Scott Thompson, characters by Gary Scott Thompson
Writing Tip: The Difference Between a Character’s Want and Need One is a conscious goal. The other is an unconscious goal.
How to convey a character’s emotional state in scene description? How much latitude does a screenwriter have to editorialize or comment on a character’s inner state of being?
Style = Voice Style goes beyond mere “scene description.” My one-week online class focuses on expressing your voice on the page. It begins February 26th.
Screenwriting 101: Matt Duffer “The first thing our Chapman screenwriting professors taught us was that all stories share one thing in common: there is a protagonist, and…
Page One: “Chaplin” (1992) Screenplay by William Boyd and Bryan Forbes and William Goldman, story by Diana Hawkins, book by David Robinson and Charles Chaplin
A Zero Draft Thirty Success Story You can use the month of March to pound out a screenplay. Maybe it will lead to a movie getting made … like this writer!
On Writing “The three-act structure is the form that I grew up in the theater with. You generally present a situation in Act I, and by the end of Act…
Writing Tip: When 3-Act Structure is 4-Act Structure “Per Aristotle, while we may still think of a story having three acts — Beginning, Middle, End — at a psychological level in the narrative…
Script To Screen: “A Few Good Men” A scene from the 1992 movie A Few Good Men, screenplay by Aaron Sorkin based on his play.
Page One: “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987) Written by Mitch Markowitz, based on a story by Adrian Cronauer
60 Second Screenwriter: What’s a log line? A video series addressing key screenwriting concerns in one minute.
Script To Screen: “The Fisher King” A notable scene from the 1991 movie The Fisher King, written by Richard LaGravenese.
Page One: “Knock at the Cabin” (2023) Screenplay by by M. Night Shyamalan and Steve Desmond & Michael Sherman, based on the book “The Cabin at the End of the World” written by…
Writing and the Creative Life: “Come to the edge” Going beyond the edge of the Old World into the New World can be a terrifying experience, but a necessary one for the transformation…
Page One: “Dirty Harry” (1971) Screenplay by Harry Julian Fink & R. M. Fink and Dean Riesner, story by Harry Julian Fink & R. M. Fink
What if you fall out of love with a script? “What about a script you fall out of love with after 2–3 drafts, and just can’t finish? Put it aside for now or just push through?”
The Business of Screenwriting: When you don’t get the gig We are seated in the expansive office of a top Hollywood director and we are having a great time. I mean a really great time. We talk about…
David Milch: “The Writer’s Voice” (5-Part Series) Videos and transcripts from Milch’s legendary 2001 and 2007 WGA series.
