Story. Screenplay. Sale.
The craft of telling a story starts with structure skills.
To build a strong character arc, the writer sets up the Hero’s flaw early on. A flaw is a weakness for the Hero but a strength to the story. However, not EVERY flaw works. Some hero flaws can sink your script – and your movie. Before we dive into these murky waters, let’s start with … Read more
Will you ever come up with a truly original movie concept? Look at it like this: how many unique ideas does one have in a day? Truly original ideas, such that you’re the first human being to conceive it? For most of us, the answer is: none. We may never have a truly unique idea in … Read more
In the context of story I often speak of EVENTS and ACTIONS. In essence it’s a very simple and at the same time hugely important concept. Among many other things it can save you from the dreaded ‘passive protagonist’ syndrome. Simply put, it’s about Action and Re-action. In the context of story however, this will make … Read more
Character or plot. Which comes first? Some say character prevails, others say it’s a chicken and egg thing. But … how do you define a character? In film, you can only reveal what a character is about by showing its actions. Dialogue doesn’t work, because it sounds false, ‘on the nose’. As a matter of … Read more
How would you like it to be commissioned to write a low budget feature film? Even without any produced feature credits? In our series of guest posts, we are pleased to have the break-in story by Clive Hopkins, writer of ROAD TRAIN. Low Budget: Black Water In 2006, I hooked up with producer Michael Robertson … Read more