Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 4: Character = Function Every character in a screenplay has to be there for a reason. That is their narrative function, who they are and what they do tied to the…
The Business of Screenwriting: Commencement of Principal photography When your movie officially starts production, that triggers a writer’s payday.
Begin with character. End with character. Find the story in between. A 6-minute video excerpt featuring… me.
Of Genres and Spec Scripts Is it better to write a straight genre piece or is it harder to set up a script which mashes two different genres?
Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 3: Plot Emerges From Character No matter what paradigm or theory you use to craft your screenplay’s plot, the single most important thing you can do is this: Start with…
Hollywood and the ‘Similar But Different’ Business Model The saga of K-9 and Turner & Hootch provides an object lesson into the mindset of movie development executives.
Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 2: The Protagonist’s Arc Transformation lies at the heart of the Hero’s Journey.
Screenwriting 101: Simon Beaufoy “With adaptations, all I promise the author I’ll do is remain true to the spirit of what they wrote. The first book adaptation that I did…
There is no short cut There is no golden method. There is no guaranteed approach to writing a million dollar spec script. All of that hype is bull shit.
Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 1: Writing Scenes With every scene, you should ask yourself this question: What is the scene’s Beginning, Middle, and End?
On Writing “Writing is magical though. How else to describe the ability to physically and emotionally impact upon a stranger at the other side of the…
How do I know if it’s too much or too little scene description? Reader question via email from Anonymous:
Script To Screen: “Wall-E” One of the best scenes from the 2008 movie Wall-E, screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, original story by Andrew Stanton and Pete…
Daily Dialogue — August 25, 2019 Sundance Kid: [Butch and the Kid are on the edge of a cliff preparing to take on the posse pursuing them] Ready? Butch Cassidy: No, we’ll…
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Writing for the Censors [Part 2] “While no human mind can remember the innumerable conflicting rules of these small town boards, since each local censor has his own ideas…
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