Story. Screenplay. Sale.
“Writing Drama: A Comprehensive Guide for Playwrights and Scriptwriters” by Yves Lavandier. Translated from the French by Bernard Besserglik. Le Clown & l’Enfant, France. 2005 595 pages. ISBN 2-910606-04-X – Price: 38 Euros. THE AUTHOR Yves Lavandier took a degree in Civil Engineering, then studied film at Columbia University, New York, between 1983 and 1985. … Read more
Many newbie screenwriters use times of day other than DAY or NIGHT in their scene headings. It looks unprofessional. DUSK and DAWN are not used in spec scripts by beginning screenwriters unless the kiss by sunset is essential to understanding the story. Filming exteriors with this light is just too expensive because the window of … Read more
In the midst of my absence last month, I managed to squeeze in some time to read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. It was only 1000 pages of very fine print – no problem! I had been meaning to read the book for years. I once knew a certain female executive whose passion for work knew … Read more
:: Writer Laeta Kalogridis of Shutter Island’s advice: “Live within your means.” :: An endless curiosity: the processes of other writers. :: 12 step plan for getting published. :: Screenwriter Sheldon Turner in the Dialogue Series, a focus on the craft. :: Creating romantic chemistry between your characters. :: Your first script will always stink. … Read more
If Shakespeare were writing screenplays now, he’d be laughed out of Hollywood. Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet were both five acts long. Some printed editions of Hamlet weigh in around 400 pages. Would he have made it through a pitch meeting? Probably not. Somewhere along the line someone would have told him that he needed … Read more