How to Write a True Crime Movie: The 12 Key Elements to a True Crime Story
How to Write a True Crime Movie: Working with a True Crime Story The phrase “Based on a true story” is one guaranteed to make any moviegoer perk up in …
How-To Guides
“What we can learn from…” type articles.
How Do You Write a Cliffhanger? The 8 Steps to REALLY Hooking An Audience
This article will explore the cliffhanger, as a screenwriting mechanism, and how best to deploy it in your screenplay. We’ll examine the following: What is a Cliffhanger? What Effect Does …
The 10 Key Elements to Writing a Courtroom Drama
The courtroom drama, also known as the legal drama, is a long-standing staple in entertainment. This noteworthy genre of film has generated such timeless classics as To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 …
What is Chekhov’s Gun? 5 Ways to Skilfully Use One in Your Screenplay
Chekhov’s gun is a term that – in its simplest form – bestows purpose upon any object, character or situation within a narrative, on which the writer explicitly chooses to …
10 Amazing Opening Scenes & What Screenwriters Can Learn From Them
A first impression counts. We all know that. And in screenwriting it’s no different. Your screenplay’s opening scene is vital. Screenplay readers will often tell you that the first ten …
15 Brilliant Montage Examples for Screenwriters and Filmmakers
The montage is an ever present part of modern screenwriting. Filmmakers and screenwriters frequently use this technique, regardless of genre. But what are the best montage examples and what do they teach …
How to Write a Film Noir: Utilising the 8 Essential Pillars of Film Noir
This article will delve into what film noir is and its common tropes. We’ll offer pointers on how to write a film noir that both honours the traditions of the …
How To Write a Captivating Love Triangle: The ULTIMATE Guide
How To Write a Love Triangle This article will offer some key pointers on that most time-trodden (and wildly successful) cinematic device – the love triangle – and hopefully assist those …
The 6 Key Steps to Writing the BEST Script Outline Possible
How to Write the Best Script Outline Possible Achieving the extraordinary usually requires extraordinary planning. Hence before writing a great screenplay, you need a great script outline. The world of …
How to Write a Sitcom: The Crucial Rules of The Game
How to Write a Sitcom: The Crucial Rules of The Game It feels more important than ever to have a good laugh. And what better way to poke fun at …
How to Get the Best Out of a Nonlinear Narrative (With the Best Examples)
How to Get the Best Out of a Nonlinear Narrative The nonlinear narrative is a common feature of contemporary movies (and TV as well). It has become such a familiar …
15 In-Depth Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block for Screenwriters
15 In-Depth Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block for Screenwriters Now more than ever is a time for creativity. But it’s easier said than done to get started on your …
How to Write a Coherent and Compelling Movie Synopsis: The Key Steps
How to Write a Synopsis That Stands Out You might think writing a movie synopsis is a chore when you’re slumped at your desk. Your eyes straining against the harsh …
How to Expertly Use (and Not Use) a Framing Device in Your Screenplay
How to Use (and Not Use) a Framing Device in Your Screenplay An elderly narrator sits down in a chair. They talk directly to camera. They are the storyteller. We …
Writing a Scene: What Are The 10 Key Steps To Dramatic Excellence?
Writing a Scene: Breaking Down the 10 Key Steps in Getting Started As with most stages of the screenwriting process, writing a scene is a journey of discovery. It is useful …
Voice-Over Narration in Screenplays: The Ultimate Guide
Voice-Over Narration—How to Get it Right and How to Get it Very Wrong A common piece of advice given to newer screenwriters is: avoid voice-over narration at all costs. This …
50 Energising Screenwriting Productivity Hacks
The 50 Ultimate Screenwriting Productivity Hacks Why are productivity hacks important for screenwriters? What distinguishes screenwriting productivity hacks from those for other disciplines? ‘To be productive’ means to be effective …
How to Write a War Film: The ULTIMATE Guide
How to Write a War Film That’s Compelling and Modern This article will offer key pointers on how to write a war film. Using five successful but very different films …
From Book to Screen: 9 Essential Steps to Skilful Adaptations
From Book to Screen: 9 Essential Keys to Adaptation Stories that have made the journey from book to screen have always been popular. But it feels more than ever they …
How to Expertly Create High Stakes in Your Screenplays
The Importance and Meaning of High Stakes in Screenwriting It’s pretty simple. Story stakes answer the question… “So what? Why should we care?” High stakes can benefit the story in …
On the Nose Dialogue: How to Lose It or Use It in Screenwriting
On the Nose Dialogue: How to Lose It or Use It in Screenwriting Granted, writing on the nose dialogue might not be the greatest sin in screenwriting terms. But it’s …
The Deep Value of Subplots: With 10 Awesome Examples
The Value and Importance of Subplots: With 10 Amazing Examples Subplots. Most movies and TV series have them, whether large or small. The grand overarching plot is the defining part …
Truly Understanding Story Structure: The Vital Steps
Understanding Story Structure: The Essential Steps Story structure. It’s easy to take it for granted. It’s easy to think it unimportant in a world where structure is constantly being played …
The 7 Vital Steps to Developing a Great High Concept Movie
Turn Your Loose Story Ideas into a High Concept Movie in 7 Steps What is a “high concept” movie? What do movie producers and executives look for in a …
How to Harness the Power of Visual Metaphor In Your Screenplays
What is a Visual Metaphor? And How to Use One in Your Screenplay… You want a screenplay to be entertaining but reflective and unique but relatable. You want the audience …
How to Write a Compelling Science Fiction Movie
How to Write a Compelling Science Fiction Movie While science fiction movies can be exhilarating to watch, they can be just as daunting to write. How do you create …
49 Fixable Reasons A Screenplay Reader Passed On Your Project
49 Fixable Reasons A Screenplay Reader Passed On Your Project Every writer has experienced that moment of wanting to throw the towel in after getting rejected. However, it’s important not …
‘Show Don’t Tell’ – Why The Screenwriting Mantra Endures
‘Show Don’t Tell’ – How to Best Follow the Principle It’s a term you hear frequently when it comes to storytelling – ‘Show Don’t Tell’. But what does it …
How to Expertly Develop Your Character’s Fatal Flaw
A Character’s Fatal Flaw – What Does it Mean? In good stories, as in life, one of the most important aspects is the search for growth and the striving …
How to Properly Nail Your Character Arc: The Ultimate Guide
How to Nail Your Character Arc: The Ultimate Guide A crucial part of any screenplay is the main character’s growth and evolution from beginning to end. This is their …
How to Write an Awesome Beat Sheet for Your Screenplay
Why a Beat Sheet is Important to Your Screenplay Whilst inspiration can strike at any minute and writing can be incredibly spontaneous business, screenwriting is usually smoothest when you’ve got …
35 Movie Tropes and How to Avoid Them in Screenwriting
35 Movie Tropes and How to Avoid Them in Screenwriting Most audiences can agree that movies often lose their impact when writers cut corners and rely on cliches and …
Writing Great Film Treatments: The ULTIMATE Guide
Film Treatments: The ULTIMATE Guide So you’ve managed to come up with a brilliant idea for a film. You’ve developed the idea into a logline and thought through a …
15 Cunning Red Herring Examples in TV and Film
15 Cunning Red Herring Examples in TV and Film Surprise is one of the most important elements in movies and tv. Knowing how to write a killer plot twist …
16 Powerful Plot Devices To Use in Your Screenplay
16 Powerful Plot Devices To Use in Your Screenplay It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot but what exactly is a plot device? A plot device is …
What Are The Must-Know Keys to Writing Great Character Descriptions?
The Must-Know Keys to Writing Great Character Descriptions Great character descriptions are what help ease the reader into your great characterization. They’re the entrée, if you will, to the …
Protagonist and Antagonist: How to Craft The PERFECT Dynamic
How Do You Craft the PERFECT Dynamic Between Protagonist and Antagonist? The conflict between the protagonist and antagonist is an essential part of screenwriting. However, this crucial conflict can …
Writing the Perfect Controlling Idea for Film and TV: The ULTIMATE Guide
Writing the Perfect Controlling Idea for Film and TV: The Ultimate Guide A controlling idea is a foundation. Writing a screenplay is a lot like building a house. It …
15 Examples of Bad Writing in Really GOOD Movies and Shows
If you pay even a sliver of attention to people’s critiques of TV and film, then you understand that great screenwriting isn’t necessarily a given, even for shows and movies …
15 Crafty Exposition Examples: How to Do It Right
15 Crafty Exposition Examples: How to Get Exposition Right Exposition is an essential part of any screenplay. However, there is a fine line between pulling it off smoothly and …
How to Write a Great Biopic: Pitfalls Screenwriters Should Avoid
How to Write a Biopic: Pitfalls Screenwriters Should Avoid From BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY to JUDY, the biopic is a seriously popular modern movie genre. But having such a concrete story …
Save the Cat! Analysis Series: MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)
One of the world’s most popular screenwriting books, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat has brought clarity and a sense of direction to thousands of screenwriters, many of whom were looking for the logical …
Your First Draft : 9 Essential Steps to Getting it Right
Your First Draft : 9 Essential Steps to Getting it Right It might not be what you want to hear after months, maybe years, of painstaking screenwriting work. But …
201 Character Archetypes Writers MUST Have In Their Armoury
Every screenwriter knows that writing a great screenplay takes more than just a good plot or good world building. It relies heavily on constructing memorable characters. Understanding character archetypes are …
The Fourth Wall Break in Screenwriting – How to Do it & Why
The Fourth Wall Break – How to Do it and Why An increasingly common device used in modern Film and Television, the fourth wall break can serve as a …
World Building in Film and TV: The Essential Steps
World Building in Film & TV: The Essential Steps If you’ve ever enjoyed losing yourself in the world of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, you know how …
50 Hollywood Screenwriters Reveal Their Writing Process
What’s Your Personal Writing Process? In screenwriting, sometimes the biggest challenge is discovering the most effective writing process That Works For You. For example, each and every writer has a …
How to Definitively Nail Your Movie Theme – The ULTIMATE Guide
How to Nail Your Movie Theme: What is Your Screenplay Actually About? What is your screenplay about? What is your movie’s theme? These may seem like obvious questions. But …
10 Fantastic Internal Conflict Examples
10 Fantastic Internal Conflict Examples Internal conflict is a powerful and absolutely essential tool used by writers and filmmakers in drama. These ten examples, as well as the internal conflict …
How to Write a Whodunnit or Detective Movie
How to Write a Whodunnit A whodunnit is more a narrative structure, than a genre (although one could easily argue it’s a sub-genre). That’s why it can be presented …