Articles focussing heavily on Film.
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 …
John Hughes influenced the cinema landscape immensely largely during the 1980s. His most beloved movies include The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. But …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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? 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
There are many TED talks out there for writers, screenwriters and storytellers. In this article, we’ll focus on 10 of the most relevant and best talks for screenwriters and writers …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
The action and adventure movie genre is one that often sits at the top of the box office. It’s a genre that can have a wide reach across many different …
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, …
A movie pitch is one of the most important pieces of writing a screenwriter has to master in order to sell a screenplay and build a successful career. It can …
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 …
Where do you start with Wes Anderson? The acclaimed director is one of the most distinctive and charismatic filmmakers of all time. And whilst he typically doesn’t spill his guts …
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? …
A lot of work goes on behind the scenes of all your favorite movies and TV shows. From designing sets and creating costumes, bringing what is on the page to …
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 …
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 …
One of the most admired directors of the last 30 years, David Fincher continues to fascinate with the work he creates. From his breakthrough in the early 1990s as an …
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 …
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 Tyler Durden from Fight Club. What is …
A table read is one of the most important steps in the production process for any feature film or TV series. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your screenplay, …
Genre mashups, also known as genre hybrids, are a tricky business to get right. The balance between the genres will need to be spot on for it to be successful. …
Coming up with a title for your screenplay is no picnic. You need a title that sums up your story, stands out and rolls off the tongue. Or at least …
Writing Subtext: What is Subtext? In its simplest terms, subtext is what lies beneath. Writing subtext in a screenplay is all about conveying the underlying opinions, meaning, themes and metaphors …
At some point, we have all delved into the fantasy genre, whether that is through books, TV shows or movies. It’s a genre with a wealth of scope, opportunities and …
Writing Time Loops Time loop movies have been popular since their classic, most famous origin, Groundhog Day. This style has risen in popularity particularly within the last decade due to …
With true stories increasingly leant on in both movies and TV in recent years, movie memoirs have practically become a genre all on their own. These movies will typically be …
What Are AI Movies? Narratives focusing on artificial intelligence have been used repeatedly in books, films and TV throughout the 20th Century. Most conventionally, AI movies present artificial intelligence as …
Using ‘setting as a character’ is a phrase you’ll often hear in screenwriting circles. But what does it mean? An easy way into this concept is to think of how …
Writing Dystopia Writing dystopia has become something screenwriters are increasingly drawn to in recent years. The dystopian movie is in itself a classic genre. However, this genre seems to have …
This latest iteration of our Insider Interviews Series is with producer Ed McDonnell, one of the three judges of Industrial Scripts’ inaugural screenwriting contest, The TITAN Awards. Ed McDonnell Biography Ed …
What is a Final Battle? Final battles occur throughout many films and TV shows. They’re the moment in the story where your protagonist or antagonist can either win or lose …
Press Release 03/03/21 Industrial Scripts launches The TITAN Screenwriting Prize The inaugural year of the annual screenwriting prize opens for submissions from writers and filmmakers globally, judged by a triumvirate …
Whether you write for film or TV, a cold open can provide a vital and dynamic way into your screenplay. They say that in the business, nobody will read past …
The Art of Symbolism Symbolism is a device used across literature, art and film. But arguably, film is one of the art forms where symbolism can have the most powerful …
Cinematic Language: Understanding its Meaning Cinematic language. You will have most likely heard this phrase being used in film circles, about a screenplay or in reference to a film or …
The Importance of the First Ten Pages The first ten pages of any screenplay are always the most important. These pages make up the first ten minutes or so. That’s …
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 Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. What …
Oftentimes, a film based in reality will include a handful of fabricated details and interactions. Many people dedicate themselves to pointing out instances where true stories deviate from the truth. …
Where to start with a filmmaker, actor, producer and writer as malleable and prolific as Jon Favreau? The multi-talented director behind Iron Man, the Mandalorian and The Lion King has …
Story Ending: The Most Important Part of Your Screenplay Any successful screenplay endeavours to tell the story of a character’s journey. A crucial part of that journey is the story …
Crafting good quality stage directions can often be one of the trickiest parts of writing a screenplay. The directions need to be clear and concise but also need to engage …
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