GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Lou Bloom (NIGHTCRAWLER)
In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen …
Film
Articles focussing heavily on Film.
Why You Should Never “Spray & Pray” In Screenplay Contests
One common feature of professional screenwriters’ stories is that there is no single magic route into the industry. Everyone’s path is different. Entering screenplay contests, or entering a whole host …
The Insider Interviews: Rhodri Thomas
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: RHODRI THOMAS The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S …
10 Inspired Ways Writers Came Up With Classic Movies
‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ It’s the question that gets a ripple of groans at any Q&A session, and an answer comprising a shrug and escorting the asker …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Hans Landa (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS)
In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen …
The Insider Interviews: Robert Jones
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: ROBERT JONES The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S …
10 Screenwriting Lessons From DEAD MAN’S SHOES (2004)
DEAD MAN’S SHOES (2004) DEAD MAN’S SHOES follows Richard (Paddy Considine), a soldier who returns to his home town to get revenge on the men who abused his mentally-challenged brother …
Download the 20 Best Screenplays For Screenwriters to Learn The Most From
Stephen King said it best: “if you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write.“ It’s essential that screenwriters are not only …
The Insider Interviews: Matt Orton
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: MATT ORTON The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Baby (BABY DRIVER)
In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen …
Which Species of Screenwriter Are You?
Screenwriter The ‘building-block’ nature of screenwriting is such that any screenwriter needs a selection box of varying skills. As you’d expect then, different screenwriters tend to find themselves drawn to, …
OPINION: The Perks & Pitfalls of Low Stakes Screenplays
Is it possible to have a film that tells a story without conflict? Conventional wisdom would say no. However, this doesn’t mean that every film needs a world-ending threat. Not every film …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Cosmo Lawlor (SING STREET)
In our Genius Character Reveals series we examine scenes and moments where a film or TV show reveals a tremendous amount of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. This instalment focuses on Conor, a.k.a. …
The Insider Interviews: Stuart Hazeldine, Part II
The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatley and …
Is the Subtle, Theme-rich Screenplay Dead?
Is the Subtle, Theme-rich Screenplay Dead? Theme-rich Screenplay Treated Unfairly? The plot-light, theme-rich screenplay is often – at the script development stage at least – unfairly maligned with the phrase …
OPINION: When Screenwriters Should Unsettle Audiences
There’s an old Hollywood saying to writers that if you want to send a message, use Western Union. The idea is that audiences want films to entertain them, not to …
50 Quotes About Defiance Every Screenwriter Should Live By
Defiance is a Rule to Live By Screenwriting often runs the risk of turning into plate-spinning – following narrative rules; trying to appeal to an audience; trying to appeal to …
Top 5 Story Questions That Pique Our Interest
Stirring Interest If a story doesn’t pose a dramatic question, you’re probably reading a shopping list. Story questions are the narrative equivalent of a sales pitch, the means by which …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Holland March (THE NICE GUYS)
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Tom Reagan (MILLER’S CROSSING)
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
The Insider Interviews: Rebecca O’Brien
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: REBECCA O’BRIEN The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE …
Character Reveal: Ricky Baker (Hunt For The Wilderpeople)
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
The Genius, Multi-Conflict Opening of THE GODFATHER PART 2
There are, broadly speaking, two ways to convey conflict: implicitly and explicitly. The former involves illustrating some kind of dissonance through setting, silence, the way one character looks at another. …
The Insider Interviews: Sarah Radclyffe
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: SARAH RADCLYFFE The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatley and Hossein Amini, the …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: John McClane
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. In …
10 Screenwriting Lessons We Can Learn from…BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)
Like much of Paul Thomas Anderson’s work, the BOOGIE NIGHTS screenplay has an odd structure, divergent POV and a hefty length, yet every page of it is full of worthwhile …
10 Screenwriting Lessons From ANGEL HEART (1987)
ANGEL HEART Alan Parker’s ANGEL HEART is an odd blend of genres, taking noir, psychological thriller and horror to a three-way shotgun wedding. The screenwriting lessons it can teach us …
Why Screenwriters Should Consider a Second Act Subplot
While first and third acts pose their own challenges, it’s in the weeds of the second act that many scripts (and movies for that matter) go astray. Introducing a second …
The Brit List Scripts 2016
The Brit List Scripts 2016 As reported by ScreenDaily, The Brit List (a kind of contained, sporadic knock-off of The Black List) was released today. Reportedly more than 80 producers, …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Annie Wilkes
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
10 Great Sites to Download Movie Scripts From
This article will delve into the numerous resources for finding movie scripts online. Movie Scripts: Why You Need to Read Them as a Screenwriter Smart and serious aspiring screenwriters not …
Unresolved Plot Threads: Magic or Madness?
Endings are crucial. The feeling an ending gives an audience is the feeling they leave the cinema with. It’s the feeling that will colour their perception of their whole experience …
10 Films That Make You Invested in The Protagonist’s Goal
In 9/10 cases the protagonist is the driving force of a successful film narrative. We invest in their story because we identify with their goal and become invested in it; …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Kate Mercer
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a compressed amount of screen time. Writer-director …
OPINION: Screenplay Anachronisms Can Bring the Past to Life
Films that are set in the past are often judged for their authenticity. The “goofs” section of IMDb is overrun with anachronisms: this porcelain wasn’t made until six years later; or …
14 Ways a TV or Movie Setting Was Used To Enhance a Screenplay
When a TV or Movie Setting IS A Character In the Narrative… Ask yourself this: what is a TV or movie setting? Really think about it. Is it just a …
20 Great James Cameron Quotes on Storytelling
20 Great James Cameron Quotes on Storytelling With a filmography that boasts the likes of THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, and THE ABYSS, James Cameron is undoubtedly one of the finest genre …
OPINION: Hacking Films Don’t Have to be Boring
Computers are not the most interesting subjects. Anyone who’s had to watch someone else type very slowly into a search bar can attest to this. In a visual medium like film …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Mark Watney
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
The Insider Interviews: Michael Kuhn
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: MICHAEL KUHN The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatley and Hossein Amini, the …
12 Quotes about the Importance of Networking in Film & TV
12 Quotes about the Importance of Networking No matter if you are a producer, writer or director, a would-be executive or talent agent, if you want to crack film and TV …
20 Great Ingmar Bergman Quotes on Storytelling
One of the most influential auteurs of all time, Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born in Sweden and worked as a director, producer and writer across and theatre and screen. He …
OPINION: Support Your Supporting Characters
While it’s true that the star system is not what it once was, actors can still have tremendous power. Many actors have their own production companies, partly as a route for finding interesting …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Young Adult
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
10 Classic Secondary Characters in THE BIG LEBOWSKI
The Coen Brothers‘ ability to create amazing, ultra-memorable secondary characters with only a few lines of writing is something that all screenwriters can learn from. Consider the giant sea of …
The Insider Interviews: Paul Webster
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: PAUL WEBSTER The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatley and Hossein Amini, the …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Tallahassee
In this series we look at scenes and moments where a film or TV show has revealed a great deal of character information in a short amount of screen time. …
OPINION: This Is (Not) A True Story
This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of …
10 Types of Scene that Work Onscreen but Not on the Page
It goes without saying that reading a script does not have the same sensory effect on a human being as watching a film or TV show. That’s because there are …
The Insider Interviews: Nisha Parti
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: NISHA PARTI The Insider Interviews series started in 2010 as a set of recorded interviews, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Gareth Unwin, who produced THE KING’S SPEECH, Ben Wheatley and Hossein Amini, the …