Go Into The Story

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Midway in the Photoplay [Part 2]

“If the characters are not real enough to you to predominate the story, the photoplay will be without the vital human appeal which sells…

Page One: “Frantic” (1988)

Written by Roman Polanski & Gérard Brach

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Midway in the Photoplay [Part 1]

“Every new turn of the plot must not only interest the audience, but must make them ask mentally, ‘I wonder what will come next’ or ‘How…

Great Scene: “No Country For Old Men”

“You need to call it. I can’t call it for you. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t even be right.”

Page One: “French Kiss” (1995)

Written by Adam Brooks

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: How To Begin [Part 2]

“Always try to tell the basic facts of the plot in as few scenes and sub titles as possible. The audience is not interested in the life…

Great Scene: “Night Shift”

“What are we really talking about here? What’s the essence of what we’re talking about? I’ll spell it out for you. PROSTITUTION!”

Page One: “Frantic” (1988)

Written by Roman Polanski & Gérard Brach

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: How To Begin [Part 1]

“A good beginning, the value of which appears to have been sadly underrated by most amateurs, makes a photoplay nearly as salable as a good…

The Business of Screenwriting: There’s a green light…

I’m attending a fundraiser for my son’s elementary school. It’s an alternative private school on the Westside, an institution that prides…

Page One: “French Exit” (2020)

Written by Patrick DeWitt based on his book

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Denouement [Part 3]

“Coincidence does not enter into real life every day. It is quite permissible, however, as a basis for a story, but it is bad form to base…

Screenwriting 101: Amy Berg

“For me, there’s no set formula, but you always want your characters to lead the plot, rather than plot leading your characters. The way to…

Page One: “Free Guy” (2021)

Screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, story by Matt Lieberman

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Denouement [Part 2]

“The two important rules in building up to the denouement of your plot are: First, bring the situation to the highest or lowest possible…

What do ‘Wall-E’ and ‘Logan’ have in common?

Both movies use a simple gesture to pack an emotional wallop.

Page One: “Frank” (2014)

Written by Jon Ronson & Peter Straughan, newspaper article by Jon Ronson

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Denouement [Part 1]

“Working up to the denouement, or in other words, the moment of revelation when the audience sees the point of the story, unquestionably…

On Writing

“Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.”

Page One: “Frankie” (2019)

Screenplay by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias

Great Scene: “Network”

“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: The Pictorial Element

“Most tableaus, of course, have been done many times. It is up to you to think up new and unique ways of combining beauty with drama in one…

Page One: “The Fourth Kind” (2009)

Screenplay by Olatunde Osunsanmi, story by Olatunde Osunsanmi & Terry Robbins

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Writing for the Censors [Part 3]

“You must be twice as careful as writers in any other field or your story will surely be returned to you with a rejection slip.”

Script Analysis: “Argo” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay: