WATCH, READ, WRITE.

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Next year, I will have worked in the screen industry for 40 years, in various capacities, from movie critic to screen rights buyer to producer and writer. These days, I have been primarily consulting and lecturing privately and at a handful of film schools. I routinely ask aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers, “What films or TV … Read more

Story Analyst Michael Sweeney on Script Reading, Taylor Sheridan, and the Future of Screenwriting

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Michael Sweeney, Union Story Analyst

For 10 years, Michael Sweeney has been a script reader for Netflix and other producers. In this interview, he talks about working for Taylor Sheridan’s 101 STUDIOS, the impact of A.I. on screenwriting, how streamers changed screenplays, what he is currently writing for himself, and how YOU can break into Hollywood. If you’re interested in … Read more

Thematic Structure: Umbilical Between Character And Meaning

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Screenwriting books evangelize the importance of theme, without properly investigating thematic structure. They rightly identify that it’s the source of meaning in a story. It’s what separates great scripts from good ones. But the same books invariably call for a thematic sentence, then move on as quickly as possible to a new topic. Why? Because … Read more

Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan: Power, Politics & Progress

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In Variety’s Top 100 telecasts for 2021, Yellowstone features as the only cable show on the list. And while all other major scripted shows – NCIS and The Equalizer – are written by a sizeable writers’ room, Yellowstone springs from the MacBook of just 1 guy: Taylor Sheridan. Given that “Yellowstone” is technically in competition with the enduringly popular … Read more