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 …
Film
Articles focussing heavily on Film.
The 101 BEST Screenplays EVER Written and WHY They Rank
What does it take to write one of the best screenplays ever written? You’re probably already familiar with the key elements that constitute a cohesive and compelling screenplay. A basic …
The KEY Elements to Workplace Dystopias in Film and TV
Over the last few years, there has been a rise in the number of workplace dystopias in film and TV. But what are the essential elements of these stories? And …
The Insider Interviews – with ex-Amazon Head Georgia Brown
This latest iteration of our Insider Interviews Series is with former Amazon Studios Europe Head Georgia Brown, one of the three judges of the third year of Industrial Scripts’ screenwriting contest, The TITAN …
How to Use Public Domain Properties to Create a Screenplay
In many ways, public domain properties are the film and TV industry’s lifeblood. They’re at least a substantial piece of how stories are created, adapted and marketed. But what are …
20 Illuminating Noah Baumbach Quotes for Writers and Directors
He’s an idiosyncratic writer-director known for his searing portrayals of family dynamics, witty dialogue and brilliant characters. And such an insightful writer with a vast array of directing experience inevitably …
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 …
70 ESSENTIAL Literary Devices to Aid Your Screenwriting
Are you trying to write your first screenplay but don’t know how to give your screenplay flair? Or perhaps, you’re a budding screenwriter looking for some new techniques to elevate your …
20 of the Most Common Screenwriting Mistakes You MUST Avoid
What are the most common screenwriting mistakes that a screenwriter will likely make? What mistakes will be all too familiar to screenplay readers and development executives? Some mistakes are forgivable …
What is Personification and Why is it Useful in Screenwriting?
Personification is a popular literary device that uses figurative language and can be a powerful tool in creating memorable characters and settings. However, it is not just used in poems …
15 Baz Luhrmann Quotes to INSPIRE Writers & Filmmakers
A distinctive filmmaker that has little parallel in contemporary cinema, Baz Luhrmann has been wowing audiences since the early 1990s. The Australian filmmaker is known for his distinctive style. And …
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 …
15 INSPIRING Damien Chazelle Quotes for Writers & Filmmakers
He’s a modern-day Hollywood heavyweight. But it’s easy to forget that it’s not long ago at all that Damien Chazelle was the industry’s hottest new thing. He’s a director who …
How Do You Write a GREAT Sidekick Character?
Writing a sidekick character can come with a lot of creative freedom. Where your protagonist or hero may have a rigid characterisation, a sidekick can complement them in many different …
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 …
Patrick Bateman – Truly ORIGINAL Characters Series: Part 21
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 Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. What …
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. …
What are the 15 Worst Short Film Cliches You MUST Avoid?
Short films are as prominent as ever as an effective form of expression for emerging filmmakers. However, a constantly used form runs the risk of certain techniques becoming overused and …
15 Sam Mendes Quotes to INSPIRE Writers & Filmmakers
Both an Oscar winner and a blockbuster director, the breadth of Sam Mendes’ work perfectly demonstrates his versatile talent. And the 15 Sam Mendes quotes we’ve picked below illustrate how …
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 …
What The Social Network Opening Scene Teaches Screenwriters
The Social Network opening scene grips the audience into its world. It’s one of the most compelling examples of an opening scene in its use of quick dialogue, acute character …
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. …
15 Striking Martin McDonagh Quotes for Writers and Filmmakers
He’s one of the most distinctive contemporary writers; someone who entertains and shocks in equal measure. His films are bold, action-packed but most of all, hilarious. In this striking mix, …
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 …
How Do You Break into the Film Industry? 10 Important Lessons
The film industry is infamously hard to break into. This applies whether you’re behind the scenes, in post-production or right in front of the camera. It can be tricky to …
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 …
What is the Special Girl Trope and How Do You Avoid It?
As a screenwriter, a trope can be both your best friend and your enemy. How is a writer meant to stand out when the same plot line has been repeated …
What’s SO Good About The Citizen Kane Ending?
Citizen Kane; a classic piece of cinema still studied in film schools throughout the world today. Written by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles, it was directed by Orson Welles, …
What is Circular Storytelling? The KEY Lessons For Story Structure
Circular storytelling is a structural technique visible in many stories across film, TV, literature and other mediums. But what exactly does the structure entail? And could it be useful to …
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 …
Forensic Scene Analysis: “I Drink Your Milkshake!”
“I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!” – Some scenes in film and TV are so memorable they transcend their origin and become part of film culture. In this …
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 …
15 David O. Russell Quotes Writers & Filmmakers Can Learn From
He’s one of the most charismatic contemporary American directors; someone who manages to craft intriguing and intimate stories with big stars attached. But what makes David O. Russell tick creatively? …
Is The Godfather Opening Scene the Best Opening Scene EVER?
What do great opening scenes do? They capture the essence of the upcoming story, whether the audience knows it or not. At their best, they lay out the story’s essential …
5 VITAL Lessons Screenwriters Can Take from Aaron Sorkin Scripts
Aaron Sorkin is one of the few screenwriters whose name alone can get a film greenlit. And Aaron Sorkin scripts not only make great TV or film blueprints but are …
Ferris Bueller- Truly ORIGINAL CHARACTERS Series: Part 18
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 a classic …
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 …
What Does a Script Coordinator Do? The BEST & SIMPLEST Breakdown
When we think about screenwriting we tend to think about the writer behind the work we eventually see on the screen. But what about all of the other important jobs …
15 Great Taika Waititi Quotes for Writers & Filmmakers
He’s one of the biggest contemporary Hollywood directors. And his wit and charisma stand him out from the crowd. It’s easy to forget though that there is some serious craft …
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 …
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 …
15 Brilliant Robert Eggers Quotes on Storytelling and Filmmaking
After the success of The Lighthouse, it was no surprise to see Robert Eggers helm a blockbuster, particularly one with such a talented cast. With The Northman, Eggers announced himself …
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 …