Emotional Logic in the Hero’s Journey

I started blogging when I realized the greatest weakness in Australian screenplays was structure. Since then I have studied story structure to the point some people now call me “Structure Man” and others call me ‘Cookie Cutter’. by Karel Segers This post is for those in the latter category. Those who claim that overly structured … Read more

Structure: Heat

Michael Mann is an auteur pur sang. He masters every aspect of the craft, from the writing to the editing. Sometimes he pushes his vision further than the audience would follow him (Miami Vice) but mostly he delivers a classic experience for all. by Karel Segers I have been wanting to analyze this film for … Read more

How Australian Films Could Be More Universal (1/2)

Australian feature film stories are too parochial.  I have already written about how our stories could be made more original and more substantive.  Today I will advance why our stories need to be universal as well. by Steven Fernandez Some (if not most) local screenwriters see themselves as champions of local culture when they write loads … Read more

Video: The Battle of Long Tan

video_the_storydepartment

It’s Australia Day and I have been working on my favorite project for the moment: the feature screenplay for LONG TAN, the feature based on the eponymous Vietnam battle from 1966. For the occasion I wanted to share something special with you. This week Sam Worthington mentioned our project in an interview to the press … Read more

The Story Plan (1)

What’s the story? That’s the first thing anyone asks a writer and it is, unquestionably, seen as the province that the screenwriter rules over in the film industry. Except the story you should be working on is perhaps not the obvious one. [divider] by Lawrence Gray Most big budget blockbusters are plagiarized from other big … Read more