Story & Structure

The craft of telling a story starts with structure skills.

The Story Plan (1)

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What’s the story? That’s the first thing anyone asks a writer and it is, unquestionably, seen as the province that the screenwriter rules over in the film industry. Except the story you should be working on is perhaps not the obvious one. [divider] by Lawrence Gray Most big budget blockbusters are plagiarized from other big … Read more

Touch of Evil and the Hero problem

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I have liked Touch of Evil since before it became fashionable in 1998, at the time of its rerelease. Recently I watched it again with some students and came to an interesting conclusion: it is not a Film Noir. by Karel segers More importantly, for me the film re-opens the discussion about the difference between … Read more

Thank you Spielberg! Today I’m proud to be a (half) Belgian.

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Thanks to Paramount Pictures, the Belgian ambassador in Australia and my friend Nathalie Surmont, I had the privilege of seeing Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin one day before its American release. Spielberg got me into movies – and he keeps exciting me.   I was extremely skeptical… I don’t like 3D much, I didn’t like the … Read more

Unity of Action (3)

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At the end of Act Two of Die Hard, John McClane is effectively faced with his own self (note the shot composition and what he is actually facing) to review his own character and dig deep for a solution to achieve his unconscious goal. By Nir Shelter  At this point the audience wants him to … Read more

Unity of Action (2)

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Breaking the principle of unity of action is a directorial decision, not a writer’s one. For one reason or another a director may decide it prudent to break the flow of a story and change the pace. By Nir Shelter Breaking a Unity of Action The writer must provide a consistent flow of action for … Read more