Story. Screenplay. Sale.
Until Mystery Man disappeared in 2010, he was a regular contributor to The Story Department. His very last public article was published here and it is still ranking as the most popular post on the site.
I really enjoyed this post on Emerson’s scanners in which he talked about an interview of Ramin Bahrani, the director of Man Push Cart and Chop Shop. I, too, completely agree with Bahrani on the kinds of movies he says he values: “Film is really 24 frames a second in the present, and I realize … Read more
Naturally, everyone knows you must keep your action lines in the present tense and use active verbs because you are in the moment with the characters as you are watching a film. But what are other qualities that would characterize the timid screenwriter? (continued from Part 1) I thought of 10 or so qualities. 1) … Read more
John Michael Hayes was the one screenwriter who worked more often with Alfred Hitchcock than any other screenwriter, having written the scripts for Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Below is a picture of Alfred Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, and John Michael Hayes on the … Read more
I reread Stephen King’s how-to diatribe, On Writing. In fact, I read quite a few grammar books as a refresher and to help spice up my articles for Script Magazine. With respect to King, I’m sorry. The more I read his book, the more I disagree. His book is more pokable than the Pillsbury Doughboy. … Read more
Mystery Man left us some time before 5 June of this year. The Story Department continues to republish his best articles on Monday. Here, you’ll also be informed about the posthumous release of his screenwriting book. “Let’s go back to New York City. Consider this monolog, called, I’m a Type. In a perfect world, this … Read more