Story. Screenplay. Sale.
Improve your format & style and get ready to write ‘FADE IN’.
In newbie screenplays I often read “POV [Character Name]”. This is almost always unnecessary. BTW, Any technical element that is about HOW it is filmed rather than WHAT is filmed, takes us out of the read. This includes “Point of View”. So it is annoying. But more importantly, it is totally superfluous. To get my … Read more
So let’s talk about writing the shots. I once had a brief conversation about this topic in e-mail with Jennifer van Sijll, a screenwriting professor, consultant, former professional reader for Universal, and author of Cinematic Storytelling. (what preceded) She wrote, “I think a writer should avoid anything that takes readers out of the read. As soon as … Read more
Okay, let’s just clear the air of so much bad thinking about action lines. I don’t know how or why this happened, but a lot of newbies seem to think that a scene is comprised of two or three things only. . 1) a Master Scene Heading (such as INT. MYSTERY MAN’S KITCHEN – NIGHT) … Read more
What kind of photos does one use for an article about Secondary Headings? How about some imaginative (photoshop’d) locations thanks to Worth1000? Because if locations like these were in your scripts, you’ll probably need to use some Secondary Headings to get around. I’ve said so many different things about Secondary Headings in so many different … Read more
I should clarify that this is from one of my TriggerStreet script reviews, and thus, it’s the top ten mistakes one specific writer made in his unproduced spec. (And this is not to embarrass him, either. He’s a good writer with a promising future.) But my biggest pet peeve in the world is a sloppy spec. … Read more