Bringing Up Baby

I was surprised to read the following quote from respected Australian screenwriter Keith Thompson: “an overt focus on structure may be to the detriment of the script overall. He prefers to discuss scripts using more generic terms such as beginning, middle and end. The hero’s journey (a la Campbell and Vogler) should be approached warily.” … Read more

The Good Read

Recently I had the privilege and honour of reading a script by one of the most hyped young writers in this country, face on covers of magazines and all that. My expectations were high and yes: it delivered! I spent an amazing two hours reading it as the characters really jumped off the page and … Read more

Just Ad(d) Words

No post in September. I had other matters to attend to (photo). (For the whole story, you may have to brush up on your Dutch.) If you’re set in your writing ways and happy with your Underwood, just skip straight to the DVD Commentary section. Otherwise, here are some tips to save you the money … Read more

Stop Reading Scripts

THE DA VINCI CODE came and went, PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST came and stayed and our own dear THE MORTAL COIL receives development funding from our own dear AFC! But let’s not distract from those other Things That Matter in the world of story and screenwriting. According to respected screenwriting gurus, one … Read more

NOT Story

Last year I attended Linda Aronson’s PLOT CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP and was disappointed with her analysis of Michael Mann’s THE INSIDER. Indirectly that disappointment would lead to the creation of this blog. Rather than opening a dialogue about why THE INSIDER works for some people and not for others, Linda treated it as an example of … Read more