Story. Screenplay. Sale.
Loglines can predict failures. This week, I watched a movie where the writer had not adopted critical notes. The film failed. I’m not saying that it would have succeeded if he had heeded the advice. If only things were that simple. The draft I read could be summarised in a one sentence logline. Based on that logline, … Read more
Story & Structure :: Create A Compelling Protagonist :: Is Your Hero Wrong? :: Are We Hardwired to Interpret the World Through Stories :: Inception Breakdown :: How To Write A Treatment :: Some Winning Synopsis’s :: ‘The Storytelling Animal,’ by Jonathan Gottschall Script Perfection :: 100 Exquisite Adjectives :: Screenwriting Tip #1069 – Readability … Read more
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
:: David Mamet’s memo to writers of The Unit. :: Interview with A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Eric Heisserer. :: Put lumps in those throats! Getting your viewers emotionally involved. :: Protocol: how to dump your agent. :: Missing: villain. Writing a story without an antagonist. :: Fight Club’s Jim Uhls on writer’s block. :: A sensitive formula: blending physical and emotional … Read more
The first film of the Indiana Jones quadrilogy was created by Spielberg and Lucas, two of the greatest filmmakers of their generation, and offers a timeless piece of entertainment. This is a text book example of a Hero’s Journey, and an excellent starting point for screen story study. Did I mention it is also great … Read more