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 …
Film
Articles focussing heavily on Film.
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 …
OPINION: The Art of Misdirection
** SPOILER ALERT: this article reveals key plot points from THE WITCH and THE PRESTIGE ** Holed up alone and away from the world, it can be too easy for …
GENIUS CHARACTER REVEALS: Jay Cavendish
Genius Character Reveals: Jay Cavendish 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 …
10 Extreme Character Arcs in Film & TV
We all know that most good characters undergo some kind of change over the course of their story. Whether it’s a change in perspective, circumstance or goal, WE as the …
OPINION: Scope, Scale and Stakes
OPINION: Scope, Scale and Stakes ** SPOILER ALERT: this article reveals key plot points from 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE ** Scoped Out 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE is an object lesson in the …
The Insider Interviews: Celine Haddad
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: CELINE HADDAD 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, …
10 Great Empire Magazine Articles For Screenwriters
Empire Magazine has been a staple in the film industry for many years. The magazine, and now the website, is seen as one of the world’s leading authorities on film-related content …
OPINION: The Riddle of Tone
Understanding The Riddle of Tone The release of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is an appropriate moment to talk about tone, one of the least understood tools in the …
Unheralded Scene: V FOR VENDETTA (2006)
In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it deserves. It might be a scene from …
The Insider Interviews: Bradley Quirk
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: BRADLEY QUIRK 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, …
How to Write a Film or TV Treatment
Putting A Film or TV Treatment on the Couch Treatments are misunderstood and undervalued. It’s time to investigate why they’re an invaluable tool in the screenwriter’s toolbox. Imagination can be …
Unheralded Scene: THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)
Focus On: THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012) As a direct contrast to last month’s Unheralded Scene from FALLEN, this month we look at a scene that’s completely without on-screen dialogue. The …
Unheralded Scene: FALLEN (1998)
Focus On: FALLEN (1998) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it deserves. It might …
Unheralded Scene: TANGERINE (2015)
In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it deserves. It might be a scene from …
OPINION: The Power Of Linear Storytelling
Linear Storytelling Power How important is the straight-and-narrow in screenwriting? Can so-called conformity actually get you noticed? As screenwriters, we are left to own imaginations to find ides that strike …
Screenwriters and The Flash of Genius
Screenwriters and The Flash of Genius The other day I awoke having had the most glorious film idea I felt I had ever had. IN MY SLEEP. I dreamt it. …
Unheralded Scenes: ENTER THE VOID (2009)
In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it deserves. It might be a scene from …
OPINION: SPECTRE & The Problem With Patchwork Narratives
Despite SPECTRE’s impressive show at the box office that has recently confirmed its place as the second highest-grossing James Bond movie of all time (after SKYFALL), Sam Mendes’ second outing …