Thematic Structure: Umbilical Between Character And Meaning

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

How’s Your Pacing: Rushing Or Dragging?

Pacing is critical. Rush through the story, and viewers struggle to understand what is going on. Slow down too much, and they get bored. How do you manage the pacing and rhythm of a story? Can you fix it in post?

Read more

Ready To Break Rules? One Word Will Tell.

break rules at your peril!

Nothing appears more appealing to the beginning writer than to break rules. And nothing is more annoying than hearing “Do this; don’t do that!”

Some will say that rules are essential, because without them there is only anarchy. But are there really any hard rules in screenwriting? And if there are, who sets them?

And what is wrong with anarchy?