Go Into The Story

Interview (Video): Akela Cooper and Owen Egerton

From Season 11 of the PBS series “On Story”.

Page One: “Speed” (1994)

Written by Graham Yost

While there is a lot of great dialogue in the screenplay, I want to focus on one short line Anthony…

Who exactly am I?

Go Into The Story interview (Part 4): Steven E. de Souza

An in-depth conversation with the legendary Hollywood screenwriter who has had a significant influence on the modern action movie.

Script Analysis: ‘The Father’ — Part 5: Dialogue

Read the script for this Oscar-winning drama dealing with the mental decline of a family’s patriarchal figure.

The First Draft is a Journey of Discovery

“As a writer, when you put something down, you make something happen.”

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…

Script To Screen: “Young Frankenstein”

A classic scene from the 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein.

Page One: “Source Code” (2011)

Written by Ben Ripley

If I had to try to sum up the central theme of the story, it might be this: discombobulation.

Of course, Anthony's discombobulation impacts other characters.

One interesting way to look at each of the characters in the story -- Anne, Paul, Laura, The…

Anne is sometimes an ally, but often an enemy in her desire to get Anthony into a care facility.

There have been several movies about dementia over the last decade or so, but none which do such an…

In terms of the plot, the central question is about Anne getting Anthony out of her place and into some sort of care facility. Thus:

We’re on the road to… somewhere.

A really long-ass bridge… story outlines… and YOU!

Spec Script Deal: “Time Zone”

Amazon Studios acquires science fiction action thriller spec script “Time Zone” written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio. Via Deadline:

Script Analysis: ‘The Father’ — Part 4: Themes

Read the script for this Oscar-winning drama dealing with the mental decline of a family’s patriarchal figure.

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything You Wanted to Know About Specs

Part 17: Write What They’re Buying

Page One: “12 Years a Slave” (2013)

Screenplay by John Ridley, based on “Twelve Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup

Go Into The Story interview (Part 3): Steven E. de Souza

An in-depth conversation with the legendary Hollywood screenwriter who has had an enormous influence on the modern action movie.

Script Analysis: ‘The Father’ — Part 3: Characters

Read the script for this Oscar-winning drama dealing with the mental decline of a family’s patriarchal figure.

Spec Script Deal: “Black Choke”

HBO Max acquires neo-noir action thriller spec script written by Doug Simon. Via Deadline:

Great Scene: “When Harry Met Sally…”

An excellent example of how to handle exposition in a scene.

Page One: “Jerry Maguire” (1996)

Written by Cameron Crowe

Writing Mantra: On the other hand…

One of the best ways for writers to combat the dreaded Voices Of Negativity.

Go Into The Story interview (Part 2): Steven E. de Souza

An in-depth conversation with the legendary Hollywood screenwriter who has had an enormous influence on the modern action movie.

Script Analysis: ‘The Father’ — Part 2: Plot

Read the script for this Oscar-winning drama dealing with the mental decline of a family’s patriarchal figure.