Craft

September 26, 2018

Articles, Craft, Genre, Hollywood, Video Essay

LA CONFIDENTIAL LA CONFIDENTIAL put a modern spin on the hard-boiled noir, reinvigorating the genre and leading to an Oscar win for Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson for Best Adapted Screenplay. The world t...

7.2

OPINION: The Thrill of the Real Time Screenplay

August 15, 2018

Articles, Craft, Film, Genre, TV

Before editing was created and perfected as its own art form, every film was in real time. (Although this isn't entirely true: before sound, films were shown at whatever speed the projectionist decided.) How...

screenwriting electricity in The Silence of the Lambs

8.8

What is “electricity”, in screenwriting terms?

August 2, 2018

Articles, Craft, Didactic, Film

On the Special Edition DVD/Blu-Ray for THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Jodie Foster is interviewed as part of a retrospective. In the interview, Foster explains that a structurally insignificant scene (the one where ...

8.8

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Dr. Alan Grant (JURASSIC PARK)

July 17, 2018

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

9.4

OPINION: Why Screenwriters Should Use A Point of No Return

June 16, 2018

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion

The "point of no return" is essentially when the plot leaves the character with no choice but to go forwards. Perhaps the easiest way to imagine a point of no return is as an island from which a character ca...

Danny Ocean (George Clooney), Ocean's Eleven

7

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Danny Ocean (OCEAN’S ELEVEN)

June 16, 2018

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

9

Why Screenwriters Should Stop Obsessing About One Script Reader’s Notes

May 22, 2018

Articles, Craft, Investigative, Opinion

Here at Industrial Scripts, we get it all the time. You can almost hear the echoing footsteps of the query, before it arrives: "Can I have the same script reader as before?" It's actually serendipitous thi...

Se7en Seven and atmosphere in screenplays

8.7

OPINION: Why Screenwriters Should Understand Screenplay Atmosphere

May 21, 2018

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion, TV

Screenplay atmosphere is difficult. At the bottom of the poster for THEY CAME TOGETHER, a spoof of rom-coms, there's a disclaimer: Please note: New York City plays such a central role in this story, it is almo...

8.7

OPINION: Why Your Second Act Must Have Escalating Stakes

April 27, 2018

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion, TV

The second act is all about escalating stakes. There's a gap in the classic three act structure as extolled by many screenwriting books and teachers. The problem is the second act, which is usually the bulk ...

9.6

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Elisa (THE SHAPE OF WATER)

March 23, 2018

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

9.1

OPINION: Finding The Perfect Closure

March 23, 2018

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion

Finding the perfect ending is difficult, even for professional writers and big-budget films. The resolution after the climax provides closure for the audience and characters. Sometimes termed the "denouement," ...

7.8

15 Greta Gerwig Quotes for Writers and Filmmakers

February 28, 2018

Articles, Classic Quotes, Craft, Film, Listicles

Already one of the key, iconic actresses of the American indie scene, appearing in the likes of FRANCES HA, MISTRESS AMERICA and 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, Greta Gerwig made her solo directing debut with LADY BIRD, a ...

8.1

10 Jordan Peele Quotes Writers and Directors Can Learn From

January 29, 2018

Articles, Classic Quotes, Craft, Film, Listicles

Jordan Peele, one half of the sketch comedy duo KEY & PEELE, burst onto the cinema scene with the highly acclaimed and successful "social thriller" GET OUT, which he wrote and directed. At the 90th Academy ...

9.6

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Bill Tench (MINDHUNTER)

January 24, 2018

Articles, Craft, Genius Character Reveals, TV

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

8.1

OPINION: Why Screenwriters Should Take Lessons from Shakespeare

January 22, 2018

An odd trend in cinema surfaced in the 1990s and continued into the 2000s. A spate of teen films relocated the plots of William Shakespeare plays to high schools. O updated Othello to make the main character...

8.9

OPINION: The Key to a Great Genre Hybrid

December 17, 2017

Articles, Craft, Genre, Opinion

A genre hybrid, a cross between two or more genres, can be a boon. It's giving the audience something familiar, tapping into genre conventions, but also fresh. However, it can also confuse audiences (and mar...

9.1

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Luke Skywalker (STAR WARS)

December 17, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

9.1

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Rebecca Bunch (CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND)

November 28, 2017

Articles, Craft, Genius Character Reveals, TV

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

9.1

15 Inspiring Dee Rees Quotes for Writers & Filmmakers

November 20, 2017

Articles, Classic Quotes, Craft, Film, Listicles

Screenwriter and director Dee Rees' debut feature film PARIAH was met with positive critical acclaim and since then, her Emmy Award-winning HBO series BESSIE and her feature film MUDBOUND have impressed both au...

8.9

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Theo Faron (CHILDREN OF MEN)

October 24, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

9.3

OPINION: Great Dialogue is All in the Subtext

October 24, 2017

Articles, Craft, Opinion, TV

Writing great dialogue is difficult, but one way to get a step closer is through the use of subtext. Subtext, literally what is below the text, is the deeper implication behind the surface meaning. Dialogue ...

9.6

How to Generate Narrative Momentum in Screenplays – The ULTIMATE PDF Guide

October 23, 2017

Articles, Craft, Free Resources, Investigative

There’s a great quote from F. Hauser and R. Reich that states: "In all the best material, the outcome is inevitable and inherent in the opening moment and every moment inbetween". Think how fated Daniel...

7.5

OPINION: Why Screenwriters Should Tell Stories about Everyday Heroes

September 30, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion, TV

With the dominance of superhero and tentpole films, sometimes it seems like there's no place in cinema for everyday heroes. Most audiences don't want their reality simply reflected back to them. However, the...

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) in Nightcrawler

8.8

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Lou Bloom (NIGHTCRAWLER)

September 30, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

7.1

How to Mine History & the Real World for Your Next TV Script

September 29, 2017

Articles, Craft, TV

History is, to gently mutilate a great quote, often stranger than fiction, which is what makes it such a great basis for fiction. Of course, mining history for a solid TV script isn't as simple as shoving a goo...

7.3

10 Inspired Ways Writers Came Up With Classic Movies

September 26, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film

'Where do you get your ideas from?' It's the question that gets a ripple of groans at any Q&A session, and an answer comprising a shrug and escorting the asker into a waiting van. 'Where did you get that id...

8.8

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Hans Landa (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS)

August 30, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

7.9

10 Screenwriting Lessons We Can Learn From… DEAD MAN’S SHOES (2004)

August 29, 2017

Articles, British Film, Craft, Didactic, Film

DEAD MAN'S SHOES follows Richard (Paddy Considine), a soldier who returns to his home town to get revenge on the men who abused his mentally-challenged brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell). The script was written ...

9.6

The Insider Interviews: Matt Orton

August 4, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film, The Insider Interviews

THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: MATT ORTON The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatl...

8.3

OPINION: Screenplays That Send Messages

July 31, 2017

There's a famous piece of screenwriting advice that "if you want to send messages, use Western Union." Now it might go, "if you want to send messages, Tweet about it." The implication is that such idealised ...

7.6

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Baby (BABY DRIVER)

July 31, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

8.9

10 Brilliantly Cinematic Scenes of People in Rooms, Arguing and/or Laughing

July 31, 2017

Articles, Craft, Listicles

10 Brilliantly Cinematic Scenes of People in Rooms, Arguing and/or Laughing It sounds like a dull writing exercise. Put your characters in a room and see what happens, arguing or laughing. But here are 10 grea...

8.9

31 Writing Lessons From Iconic Author Kurt Vonnegut

July 28, 2017

Articles, Classic Quotes, Craft, Didactic

31 Writing Lessons From Iconic Author Kurt Vonnegut With his deceptively simple prose style, novelist, playwright and essayist Kurt Vonnegut, jr. (1922 - 2007) bridged sci-fi and literary fiction. Novels like ...

9

Which Species of Screenwriter are you?

June 30, 2017

Articles, Craft, Didactic, Film, TV

The 'building-block' nature of screenwriting is such that any screenwriter needs a selection box of varying skills . As you'd expect, different screenwriters tend to find themselves drawn to, and more skilled a...

8.3

OPINION: The Perks & Pitfalls of Low Stakes Screenplays

June 25, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion

Is it possible to have a film that tells a story without conflict? Conventional wisdom would say no. However, this doesn't mean that every film needs a world-ending threat. It is possible, but difficult, to tel...

8.8

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Cosmo Lawlor (SING STREET)

June 25, 2017

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses o...

7.1

OPINION: Writing a character sacrifice that works

May 25, 2017

A character sacrifice is a difficult moment to get right. Audiences today are incredibly cine-literate. They've seen it all before, and can tell when a film or TV show has used storytelling shortcuts. Still,...

9.4

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Dale Cooper (TWIN PEAKS)

May 25, 2017

Articles, Craft, Genius Character Reveals, TV

2

In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This month's instalment f...

7.3

OPINION: When Screenwriters Should Unsettle Audiences

April 23, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film, Opinion

There's an old Hollywood saying to writers that if you want to send a message, use Western Union. The idea is that audiences want films to entertain them, not to make them think. Studio heads and producers didn...

Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley) - The Diary of a Teenage Girl

8

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Minnie Goetze (THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL)

April 23, 2017

Articles, Craft, Genius Character Reveals

In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. This instalment focuses on Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley) fr...

create intrigue in screenplays - the ultimate guide

9

The Top 5 Story Questions That Pique A Human Being’s Interest

March 27, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film

If a story doesn't pose a dramatic question, you're probably reading a shopping list. Story questions are the narrative equivalent of a sales pitch, the means by which we're convinced to stick a story out inste...

9.4

OPINION: Screenwriters Should Consider the Cinema Experience

March 21, 2017

Articles, Craft, Didactic, Opinion

It's a cliché, but the entertainment industry is an industry. Show business is a business. It behoves screenwriters to remember this and to consider why write films in the first place. What makes the cinema exp...

9.1

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Tom Reagan (MILLER’S CROSSING)

February 28, 2017

In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. In this instalment, we focus on Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrn...

8

OPINION: Crafting Convincing Teenage Characters

February 28, 2017

A major problem with crafting convincing children and teenage characters is that as we grow up it's too easy to forget what it's like to be young. Whether a project is aimed at children, teens, adults, or a ran...

8.4

OPINION: Flashbacks and the (Rare) Stories that Need Them

January 25, 2017

One of the major exceptions to the oft-repeated "show, don't tell" screenwriting rule is the equally common received wisdom that screenplays should avoid using flashbacks. The criticisms are familiar from sc...

7.3

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Ricky Baker (HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE)

January 25, 2017

In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. In this instalment, we focus on Ricky Baker (Julian Denn...

6.7

The Genius, Multi-Conflict Opening of THE GODFATHER PART 2 Script

January 12, 2017

Articles, Craft, Film, Most Viewed

There are, broadly speaking, two ways to convey conflict: implicitly and explicitly. The former involves illustrating some kind of dissonance through setting, silence, the way one character looks at another; th...

9.4

GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: John McClane

December 28, 2016

In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. In this instalment we focus on John McClane (Bruce ...

9.7

10 Screenwriting Lessons We Can Learn from…BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)