How Do You Write a Screenplay Prologue? Dodge These Key Pitfalls
A prologue can be used to introduce the audience to the characters, tone and theme of your screenplay. It should plummet them into the story from the start as you …
Craft
Craft-based articles.
Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series: Part 16
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts’ articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Tina Belcher …
How Do You Write BRILLIANT and ALTERNATIVE Teen Drama?
Teen drama is one of the most enduring genres to have graced TV screens since its inception. We’ve all been teenagers at some point. And the heartbreak, emotions, journeys, discoveries, …
15 Fascinating Alex Garland Quotes for Writers and Filmmakers
From merciless zombies to a beautiful hidden beach in Thailand, Alex Garland has written many cult and classic films in a range of different spaces and genres. Not only is …
How Do You Best Convey the Passage of Time in Your Screenplay?
It’s rare that you would find a script without any significant passage of time whatsoever. It’s often a vital part of how a script develops and keeps its audience engaged. …
How Do You Write Highly Realistic Dialogue? The 10 KEY Steps…
One of the biggest humps to get over when writing for film or television is dialogue. Even if you have a perfect story, outline, and characters, bad dialogue can bring …
How to Effectively Weave Character Backstory into Your Screenplay
So, you made it through one of the hardest parts of writing a screenplay; you created your characters. From childhood trauma to adulthood adventures, you’ve fleshed out your entire character …
Shiv Roy – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series Part: 15
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Shiv Roy …
The Insider Interviews – GLADIATOR Screenwriter William Nicholson
This latest iteration of our long-running Insider Interviews series is with William Nicholson, the prolific screenwriter behind such hits as Gladiator, Shadowlands, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Breathe, amongst many …
10 INCREDIBLE Closing Scenes & What They Teach Screenwriters
The closing scene of any film is crucial. The last scene and image should stick with viewers. If done well, it can prove to be a vital cog in a …
Michael Scott – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series: Part 14
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts’ articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Michael Scott …
What is the Definition of CINEMATIC, in Screenwriting Terms?
We’ve all heard the term “cinematic”. Film reviews, job offerings, script feedback, award acceptance speeches. Many people in the industry use this term, some of them quite lightly. But what …
The ESSENTIAL Ways to Craft a Brilliant TV Show Idea
Crafting a TV Show Idea How does one craft a brilliant TV show idea? First, it’s important to understand what exactly that means. Longevity of story is foremost what separates …
15 Classic Coen Brothers Quotes to INSPIRE
Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have cemented themselves as one of the most influential filmmaking duos of all time. Through an array of acclaimed movies including Fargo (1996), True Grit …
105 Famous Loglines: BRILLIANT Examples for Screenwriters
What is a Movie or TV Show Logline? A logline is more than a quick overview of a story. It is what will engage the target audience in the first …
How To Write an Active Protagonist (and Avoid a Passive Protagonist)
What is an Active Protagonist? An active protagonist is a main character who is not merely affected by the world around them, but affects that world too. Their actions, both …
The 25 Best Strategies for Creating DISTINCTIVE Movie Ideas
Whether you’re an experienced writer, a recent film studies grad, or a casual cinephile who walked out of a theater and thought, “I could do that,” crafting great movie ideas …
Writing Christmas Films & Navigating the Holidays: The ULTIMATE Guide
When writing Christmas films there’s multiple sub-genres and elements to consider to make it the perfect holiday watch. It’s no secret that there are a range of elements to cover …
The 10 ESSENTIAL Elements of a Historical Fiction Script
What is Historical Fiction? At face value, the definition of historical fiction is simple: a fictional story set against a real time period in the past. It is when we …
Writing Dramatic Irony in Screenwriting: The Key Steps
What is Dramatic Irony? Simply put, dramatic irony is a form of irony. It is both a literary and theatrical device used when the audience knows more than the characters. …
How to Write a Gangster Movie: The Expectations of the Genre
What is a Gangster Movie? The gangster movie is one that focuses on narratives of organized crime and gangs. A crime sub-genre, it may follow stories of large criminal organizations …
Saul Goodman – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series Part: 13
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts’ articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Saul Goodman …
What is a MacGuffin? The KEY Points and KEY Examples
What is a MacGuffin? A MacGuffin is a type of plot device that is essential to driving the plot but not necessarily important within the story as a whole. Story …
How to Hire a Screenwriter: The ULTIMATE Guide (plus THE solution…)
Hiring a Screenwriter: An Overview What do you do when you can’t push through writer’s block? You’ve been working on a screenplay for months or years and you can’t make …
The 25 Best Screenwriting Podcasts for Screenwriters to Learn From
With a wide variety of screenwriting podcasts available, there’s plenty of content for screenwriters to learn from. You can learn the best of screenwriting with insightful success stories, or the …
Sophisticated Plants and Payoffs: Vital Cogs in any Screenwriter’s Engine
An essential principle not only to screenwriting but also the wider fundamentals of storytelling, plants and payoffs are one of the most effective ways of involving the audience and embedding …
What is Five Act Structure and How Do Screenwriters Use It?
Introduction to the Five-Act Structure In this article, we’ll look into one of the most popular dramatic structures that screenwriters often utilise in order to create an exciting script: The …
The Essential Elements of Writing a Fish Out of Water Story
What is a Fish Out of Water Story? A ‘fish out of water’ story is the idiom referring to a character who is removed from their daily lives and forced …
Neil Gaiman MasterClass Review: Is it Worth It?
Our review scores for the Neil Gaiman MasterClass: Lessons – 7/10 Workbook – 7/10 The Community – 8/10 Value – 7.5/10 Overall Verdict – Thumbs Up! What is MasterClass? MasterClass …
The Monster Genre: How to Write an Original Movie Monster
The monster genre is one of cinema’s classic creations. And the monster itself is a creation that can haunt the imagination of audiences long after the credits. But what does …
How Do You Write Likeable Characters? ESSENTIAL Steps and Examples
Likeable characters are often at the heart of great TV and film. But what makes a likeable character? In this article, we’ll look at the keys to writing a likeable …
What is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle? And How to Use It (with Examples)
The art of telling a story is ultimately narrowed down to its basic structure. And Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is an example of one of many story structures. These different …
How to Write a Convincing Murder Mystery Script
There is a timeless formula to writing a murder mystery that shows no sign of waning in popularity. This isn’t to say that writing a murder mystery script, let alone …
Kendall Roy – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series: Part 12
Welcome to Original Characters, an ongoing series of Industrial Scripts’ articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article will focus on Kendall Roy from Succession. What is an Original Character? …
The 13 Key Elements of a Slasher Movie with 10 Slasher Movie Examples
The slasher movie sub-genre could be considered one of the most controversial sub-genres in cinema. With its stark violence, it’s often the subject of discussions around the effect of slasher …
The 10 ESSENTIAL Steps to Writing a Police Procedural Script
What is a Police Procedural? A police procedural is a sub-genre of the police drama. It’s also often referred to as an inverted detective story or a ‘howcatchem‘. Police procedural …
How Do You Write a Cinematic Two Hander? The ESSENTIAL Steps
A movie that not only follows one protagonist but two always feels like one with an added layer of depth and substance. In the screenwriting world, this kind of movie, …
The Best Movie Twist Endings: How to Genuinely Surprise Your Audience
Why is a Twist Ending Effective? The best movie twist endings often completely change the dynamic of the film; from its characters, to its themes, to the narrative as a …
Daryl Dixon – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series Part: 11
Welcome to Industrial Scripts’ Truly Original Characters series, an ongoing sequence of articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article focusses on Daryl …
10 ESSENTIAL Elements of Writing a Great Contemporary Spy Film
What is a Spy Movie? It should not surprise people to find Greek storytelling structures and character types in spy movies. The genre of spy and espionage has a long …
James Cameron MasterClass Review: Is It Worth It?
Our review scores out of 10 for the James Cameron MasterClass: Lessons – 9.5/10Workbook – 7/10Community – 7/10Value – 10/10 Overall Verdict – Two thumbs up! Who is James Cameron? …
What is a Soliloquy? And Is There Space for Soliloquies in Screenwriting?
Most will remember Hamlet’s famous speech, the one example of a soliloquy that has been painfully etched into many students’ memories – “to be or not to be”. And conveniently …
How To Write Dialogue Between Multiple Characters: The ESSENTIALS
Dialogue is difficult. And writing dialogue between multiple characters adds pressure as there is a lot to juggle. It can be a struggle for any writer whether you’re a novice …
Deus Ex Machina: How to USE and/or AVOID in Screenwriting
What is a Deus ex machina? It sounds like something technological and complex. But it’s actually quite simple. Well, have you ever just been watching a film totally invested, your …
How Do You Write A Character Bio? The Road to GREAT Characterisation
Character bios can be an essential part of writing your character. There is no story without a character, just as there is no character without a character bio. Every writer …
How to Create a Writing Schedule: The KEYS to Building a Writing Routine
Writing is hard, there’s no denying it. Sitting down staring at a computer, typewriter or piece of paper and putting words together to create a story is difficult. It can …
Beth Harmon – Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series Part: 10
Welcome to Industrial Scripts’ Truly Original Characters series, an ongoing sequence of articles examining the most original characters to appear in both TV and film. This article focusses on Beth Harmon from The Queen’s Gambit. …
What is a High Concept Comedy? Crafting a Unique Comedic Premise
The comedy genre has boundless opportunities. It has an evergreen appeal to audiences, especially in dark times. We all need the tonic of humor and a light-hearted premise at some …
What is a Bottle Episode? The KEY to Writing a Self-Contained Script
Most TV series, whether comedy or drama, have a bottle episode at some point. And they can often take pride of place in the series’ history. They can serve as …
What is Method Writing? Meaningless Buzzword or Useful Tool?
The market for stories has a wealth of new entrants every year. This is of little help to most writers who do not need any further reminders that they are …