Story. Screenplay. Sale.
The craft of telling a story starts with structure skills.
A few years ago I was asked to watch a student short film and give the writer professional feedback. The film was smart, entertaining and had something to say. Yet I felt it wasn’t quite as emotionally powerful as it could have been. I had a really hard time facing this… Why? Because I had … Read more
A notable Australian filmmaker once commented to me that any aspiring director needs to be able to generate their own material. More specifically, they should write their own scripts for at least the first five years or more of their career. Calling-cards, Webisodes and the Problem with Short-Films It’s not difficult to see such an … Read more
Yves Lavandier’s book Writing Drama currently rates as the absolute favorite of our book reviewer Jack Brislee. To give you the opportunity to delve into Lavandier’s amazing knowledge and insight, we will be publishing a weekly excerpt from the book. Excess is undoubtedly one of the secrets of the success of American cinema— the other secrets, in … Read more
Here’s a reviewer’s dilemma. You love horror. You’re given a horror assignment, and the writer tells you in the Production Notes that “the story is intended as a ‘popcorn horror’ … … the kind of old school, old fashioned summer-screamer that is scary and a general good time, it’s not a heavy, dark psych. horror, … Read more
Yves Lavandier’s book Writing Drama currently rates as the absolute favorite of our book reviewer Jack Brislee. To give you the opportunity to delve into Lavandier’s amazing knowledge and insight, we will be publishing a weekly excerpt from the book. Nothing succeeds like excess A writer must not be afraid of excess, of taking things … Read more