Story. Screenplay. Sale.
The craft of telling a story starts with structure skills.
Off-beat American auteur filmmaker Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers, Gummo, Kids) discusses his perception of American culture’s shallowness, his intention to write for and embrace what he sees as a misunderstood generation ‘raised by Youtube’ and the desire to make a film that relied on sensory, experiential storytelling rather than dialogue and expositional plot. If you … Read more
The very first time we see a character in your script is a fantastic opportunity for you to show us in descriptive words, WHO this character is. We need to know their age, yes, but we need to know something about the totality of this person. by Julie Gray Now, in reality, people are layered … Read more
Off-beat comedy writing genius Steven Kaplan discusses the idiosyncracies of comedy writing, including the idea of a flawed non-hero undergoing a Hero’s Journey. Are drama and comedy distinct genres? Is comedy, as Robert McKee dismissively stated, the schtick that gets in the way of the drama? Or is it a unique perspective that makes human … Read more
In his commentary to The Lives of Others, german director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – who also helmed The Tourist – says that the seven short films he made before going to feature film were a complete waste of time. I have always found this an interesting statement and it may be true for him, … Read more
Rising star Chris Terrio (screenwriter of Argo, recipient of this year’s Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay) talks about failure, frustration, the ad-hoc path to screenwriting, and why Argo exists. Check out Chris Terrio’s vital statistics here. If you liked this, check out more videos about screenwriting or filmmaking. And if you know of … Read more