Existential Cinema: How Do You Write an Existential Film?
For the most part, cinema is a form of entertainment. But this is not to say that films cannot and should not concern themselves with some of the more serious …
How-To Guides
“What we can learn from…” type articles.
Writing a GOOD Workplace Comedy: The VITAL Elements
Do you have an idea for a workplace comedy but are struggling to get it off the ground? Understanding the key aspects and structures of some of your favourite workplace …
How Do You Write GOOD Parody in Film and TV?
Parodies can contain a multitude of differences across a multitude of genres. So how do you even approach writing a tricky and difficult-to-define subgenre? In short, you must try to …
The KEYS to Achieving Screenwriting Representation
Screenwriting representation can be a white whale for all screenwriters, the thing that they feel will take them to the next level. And indeed, it can be the first step …
120 of the BEST Scene Prompts to Kickstart Your Writing
What are Scene Prompts? Scene prompts are there to help writers get their creative juices flowing. Say a screenwriter finds themselves stuck during a script, unsure of how to add …
What is Indirect Characterization in Screenwriting? 12 KEY Steps
Indirect characterization is an essential part of constructing a convincing and compelling fictional character. Whether your character is a hero, a villain or a sidekick, they are always more interesting and …
Your First Screenplay: The MOST IMPORTANT Tips to Get Started
Writing your first screenplay is an exciting but daunting challenge. You have so many great ideas in your head but don’t know how to correctly write them down to create …
How Do You Write a Convincing and Powerful Death Scene?
How to write a good death scene? This is a question writers may well have been pondering since stories were told on the walls of caves. From Shakespeare to Spielberg, …
How Do You REALLY Analyze Films? The Keys to Film Analysis
Everyone who has an interest in movies has probably tried to analyze a film at least once. Maybe you analyzed films for your own pleasure or maybe you needed to …
The KEY Building Blocks to Writing a GOOD Romantic Comedy
The romantic comedy goes all the way back to Shakespeare, with plays such as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream being full of love triangles and comic …
What is the But and Therefore Rule in Screenwriting?
In every screenwriting class, you are going to learn about many rules. However, the most important one is always the same: give the story energy to keep the viewers engaged. …
How Do You Use the Bookend Technique in Screenwriting?
Often there are terms in screenwriting that do what they say on the tin. The bookend technique fulfils this mantra. It’s a plot device used to sandwich a story like …
Narrative Pacing: The KEYS To Mastering Your Screenplay’s Pace
When it comes to narrative pacing, we all know the feeling of being on the edge of our seats, biting our nails with anticipation for what’s to come. It’s likely …
What is an Unreliable Narrator and How Do You Write One?
It’s comforting to settle into a story where we can trust the narrator to guide us easily and expertly. The narrator is, after all, the audience’s compass through the story, …
What is a Mary Sue Character And How Do You Avoid Writing One?
In recent years, there has been a lot of dialogue around who the term Mary Sue can be ascribed to and what constitutes it. But what, fundamentally, is a Mary …
The Viking Movie: 10 Elements to Writing This Powerful Sub Genre
In many ways, the Viking movie is a sub-genre as old as the cinematic form itself. And Vikings have certainly been an integral part of folklore and storytelling for centuries. …
The Comedy Horror Movie: The KEYS to Both Laughs and Scares
Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been cited as “the first great comedy horror story”, as readers were made to “laugh one moment and scream the …
The 10 KEY Building Blocks to Writing Revenge Stories
Revenge stories are a popular sub-genre almost guaranteed to satisfy an audience. They’re typically a visceral and cathartic response to injustice and consequently something that elicits easy emotion. We love …
10 VITAL Ways Green, Amateur Writers Can Avoid Amateur Mistakes
Screenwriting can be a maze, especially when you’re first starting out. When learning the ropes, it can be easy to fall into traps which will make you look like an …
The Rewriting Process: 10 Key Steps to Perfecting Your Screenplay
We’re all perfectionists when it comes to our writing – whether we want to admit it or not. Developing a writing process that works for you is one thing, but …
The BEST Series Finales and What They Teach About Writing TV
How do you finish writing a TV series? We all know the feeling of being disappointed by a series finale, mourning not only the loss of a treasured show but …
Writing Act Three: The Conclusion – An ESSENTIAL Breakdown
The third act. The end. The stroll off into the sunset or dramatic cliffhanger. Writing your third act is the finishing stretch and, therefore, vitally important in leaving the audience …
The 22 PIXAR STORYTELLING RULES: Lessons for Screenwriters
Pixar films are some of the most well-crafted stories in cinema history. And so it’s no wonder that there appear to be Pixar storytelling rules that writers and directors of …
What are A, B and C Plots in TV Screenwriting?
When we watch a film or TV series, we’re often aware there are multiple storylines running concurrently but take them in as second nature. This is the benefit of TV …
Writing Act Two: The Conflict – An ESSENTIAL and SIMPLE Breakdown
So you’ve finished act one. You’ve got your beginning and you probably have some ideas about your ending, but how do you create your middle? What happens between the end …
What is Magical Realism? The KEY Steps to Using it in Screenwriting
What is Magical Realism? The phrase magical realism is really an oxymoron. But though contradictory, it describes what the genre truly is; a merging of fantasy and realism. Magical realism …
How Do You Write a Zombie Movie That’s ACTUALLY Original?
While movie trends come and go, there are some genres screenwriters will return to time and time again. The zombie movie is one of those; a trope that isn’t likely …
Writing Act One: The Setup – An ESSENTIAL and SIMPLE Breakdown
So you’ve prepared your story idea and want to put pen to paper. But where to start? No matter if you’re preparing to write the beat sheet or redrafting a …
How to Write an Anthology Series & The BEST Anthology Series Examples
The wide variety of anthology series that have emerged in contemporary TV can be attributed in part to the success of series such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone. …
6 KEY Ways to Adapt a Short Story & the Best Short Story Adaptations
Short stories can seem like unlikely source material for some of the best and most compelling feature films. They may be limited in their length but often it’s the confines …
How Do You Find a Writing Partner? 10 KEY Tips for Writing Partnerships
In ordinary discourse, the term partnership tends to be a simple synonym for cooperation. However, finding a writing partner refers more precisely to the mastery of creativity, talent, and experience …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 (and often part of the film noir sub-genre, …
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 …
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 …
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 …