Story. Screenplay. Sale.
Some respected screenwriting gurus claim that you should read and study as many screenplays as possible. It doesn’t matter if the film was a success or a flop: you learn either way. I agree. But more importantly, you should watch and analyze the movies. For years, I blindly followed this dogma, as it seemed to … Read more
I like it. I don’t love it. And I see why it is not getting the word of mouth it deserves. My take on the film is primarily from a broad story perspective. I don’t go into dialogue, performance, SFX etc. because I believe they are secondary and ultimately not decisive for the success of … Read more
Zinneman called it a ‘necessary evil’ and wordsmith par excellence David Mamet says: “A good film script should be able to do completely without dialogue.“ I am not an expert, not even a native English speaker and I most certainly lack a deep knowledge of vocabulary. My passion is for story and structure. So much … Read more
Following UNK’s publication of his post on The Mid Point and to the benefit of the students in a recent HERO’S JOURNEY workshop, I have updated the article of 20 April last year about this important turning point. Since writing the below post, I have come to realise that the mid point may well be … Read more
A structural overview of The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994). It was nominated for seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Morgan Freeman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound – but it failed to win a single Oscar. This film has an interesting structure because of its unusual … Read more