Go Into The Story

Screenwriting 101: Billy Wilder

“An actor entering through the door, you’ve got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you’ve got a situation.”

Two prominent things struck me upon reading the script.

There have been several movies which have dealt with the issue of dementia, but the way in which The Father uses cinematic devices such as…

Page One: “12 Monkeys” (1995)

Screenplay by David Webb Peoples & Janet Peoples, inspired by the film ‘La Jetée’ written by Chris Marker

2021 Zero Draft Thirty September Challenge!

One month. Fade In. Fade Out. Write an entire zero draft.

Go Into The Story interview: 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 1: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

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

On Writing

“I don’t know which it is writers welcome the most: praise or interruptions. Writers, to a man, to a woman, welcome any reason, any excuse…

Page One: “The Spectacular Now” (2013)

Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, novel by Tim Tharp

Sundays with Stephen King’s “On Writing”

A series featuring reflections on writing from the famed author’s memoir.

Discovery Writing and Efficient Writing

Another way of thinking about writing and rewriting.

Scene Description Spotlight: “Jerry Maguire”

“A beat of silence, then noise returns to its normal commercial roar. A couple of fleas have been swatted off the carcass of an immense…

The Theology of Cinema: Doubt

We can not know Light without Dark. Nor can we know Good without Evil. Likewise we can not truly understand Faith without Doubt.

Page One: “Sorry to Bother You” (2018)

Written by Boots Riley

Confession as Narrative Device

Comparing confessions of the Protagonists in The King’s Speech and The Silence of the Lambs reveals how important they can be.

Reader Question: Should you plot out the Protagonist’s arc or just go with your gut?

Some words of wisdom from legendary Hollywood producer Max Millimeter.

Great Scene: “Up”

Carl gets the house to the top of Paradise Falls, but it’s a Pyrrhic victory.

Interview (Audio): Quentin Tarantino

An exceptional conversation with screenwriter Brian Koppelman.

Page One: “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003)

Written by Nancy Meyers

Redemption as a Movie Theme

A character seeking freedom from psychological bondage to a past event is one of the most common themes in movies.

The Power of Emotional Storytelling

“If I’m gonna dole out $20, I want to be transported.”

Script To Screen: “12 Years a Slave”

From the 2013 movie 12 Years a Slave, screenplay by John Ridley, based on a memoir by Solomon Northup.

Writing and the Creative Life: There are no useless ideas

“If it is true that the best way to come up with a good idea is to generate lots of them, that means we will intersect with plenty of ideas…

Page One: “The Social Network” (2010)

Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, book by Ben Mezrich

“Give him a dead wife.”

Please, don’t. Don’t slap on a dead wife… dead husband… dead child… just to make the character more sympathetic.

Separation as a Theme in Pixar Movies

“When we step back from the movies Pixar has produced and look at them with a meta view, it is surprisingly — and blindingly — obvious how…