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 …
Film
Articles focussing heavily on Film.
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 …
Writing Science Fiction Screenplays
Writing Science Fiction Screenplays Sci-Fi is one of those odd genres – like the Western – that among script theorists often stimulates more argument about ‘defining your terms’ than it …
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Teen Horror
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Teen Horror From 1974’s BLACK CHRISTMAS – rightly credited with being the god-monster of the modern mainstream genre – through to every postmodern twist …
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Occult Horror
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Occult Horror Occult literally means ‘hidden’ so all Horror could be described as occult in the sense that all Horror deals with things that …
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Supernatural Horror
Writing Horror Screenplays: How to Write Supernatural Horror Supernatural Horror is perhaps the most writer-friendly of all Horror sub-genres because its effectiveness really does live on the page, rather than being hostage to practical …
Unheralded Scenes: MONSTERS (2010)
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: When Is It The Right Time For Voice-Over?
Using Voice-Over At the beginning of a screenwriter’s career, it is likely they will be hit by a deluge of information pertaining to offer the rules of how to write a script. Not …
Writing the Stalker Film Screenplay
Writing the Stalker Film Screenplay Stalking is an inherently cinematic activity and it crops up everywhere, in every kind of story. Following people around (with a camera) is what film-makers do, …
The Insider Interviews: Andy Brunskill
THE INSIDER INTERVIEWS: ANDY BRUNSKILL 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 …
In Script Development Nobody Knows Anything
Nobody Knows Anything When I worked in screenplay development, I spent an awful lot of time befuddled because William Goldman had really nailed it when he said: “nobody knows anything”. Nobody …
Unheralded Scene: FURIOUS 7 (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: Beginning With A Bang
Importance of Beginning With A Bang One of the most over-stated maxims when it comes to screenplays and screenwriting lies in the importance of the first ten pages. Not only …
These are the Only Screenwriting Tips Worth Keeping
In a giant sea of screenwriting tips and advice, where does one begin? It’s almost as bad as dieting these days. Cranberries are bad for you. No, scrap that, we’ve …
The Agony of Screenwriting Success
Screenwriting Success Hurts Some years ago I wrote a film that eventually I called ALBATROSS and subsequently it has been my own private albatross. I was incredibly fortunate. A series of …
10 Fee-Charging Screenwriting Contests, their Likely Profits and Prestige
You’ve rewritten, redrafted, typed ‘Fade Out’ more times than you can count. You’re finally satisfied that your script, the one you’ve poured months maybe even years into writing, is finished. …
10 Hollywood Films Made from British IP
Hollywood Films and British IP The wider British public are usually treated, once-a-year or so, to a slick piece of PR spin usually including the phrase “British film is booming” …
Genius Hitchcock Decisions at Screenplay Stage
What hasn’t been written about Hitchcock already? From Francois Truffaut and Raymond Durgnat, to every casual message board user on IMDb, great swathes of humankind have discussed at length the …
The Hierarchy of an Executive’s Script Pile
A couple of months ago I had a friend round for dinner who just so happens to be the Head of Development at one of the best TV companies around. In …
Lessons From Timing the Death Sequence in PREDATOR
Way back when… For much of the 80’s and into the 90’s, “Schwarzenegger” was a byword for a movie with a high body count. The box office was peppered with …
The Top 8 Crowdfunding Pitch Movies on Indiegogo
The crowdfunding pitch film is the campaign’s secret weapon. The pitch film sits at the forefront of your ask for the crowd to fund you. The pitch film literally should …
5 Bits of Famous Writing Advice You Should Ignore
You’re no stranger to getting advice if you’re a writer. Thousands of books, hundreds of films, and even entire college majors have been dedicated to the art of honing the …
Unheralded Scene: WEST OF MEMPHIS (2012)
Unheralded Scene: WEST OF MEMPHIS (2012) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it …
Unheralded Scene: DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (1997)
Unheralded Scene: DECONSTRUCTING HARRY (1997) 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 …
Unheralded Scene: THE FISHER KING (1991)
Unheralded Scene: THE FISHER KING (1991) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it …
Unheralded Scene: NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)
Unheralded Scene: NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration …
Unheralded Scene: PI (1998)
Unheralded Scene: PI (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: RUNNING ON EMPTY (1988)
Unheralded Scene: RUNNING ON EMPTY (1988) 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 …
Unheralded Scene: O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000)
Unheralded Scene: O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration …
Unheralded Scene: THE MACHINE (2013)
Unheralded Scene: THE MACHINE (2013) 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 …
Unheralded Scene: GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997)
Unheralded Scene: GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration it …
Unheralded Scene: PULP FICTION (1994)
Unheralded Scene: PULP FICTION (1994) 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 …
Unheralded Scene: BOILER ROOM (2000)
Unheralded Scene: BOILER ROOM (2000) 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. …
The Film Producer Salary & A Pocket Full of Dollars
Let’s be blunt about it: the financial outlook isn’t great for Film Producers at the moment. A Film Producer Salary is firmly not what it once was… I remember the …
Unheralded Scene: THE GODFATHER (1972)
Unheralded Scene: THE GODFATHER (1972) 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 …
Unheralded Scene: FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)
Unheralded Scene: FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998) In our “Unheralded Scene” series, our consultants nominate a classic film or TV scene, which in their view hasn’t received the admiration …