15 Great Alfred Hitchcock Quotes
15 Great Alfred Hitchcock Quotes The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock was a genius who needs no introduction. He cut his teeth in the UK with early thriller masterpieces like …
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Articles based on Lists.
The Ultimate Guide to Paid and Free Screenwriting Software
This guide (updated for 2021) has been divided into the best free screenwriting software and the best paid screenwriting software, for the benefit of writers strapped for cash. It’s obviously important to find screenwriting software that suits your approach to screenwriting. Trying to craft and edit a script with non-specific screenwriting software can feel like pushing a boulder uphill. Microsoft Word and Notes do not address specific screenwriting issues and wrestling with their margins is time-consuming. That time’s better spent
15 Paul Feig Quotes Writers and Filmmakers Can Learn From
15 Great Paul Feig Quotes Paul Feig has had a unusual career. He created the cult comedy FREAKS & GEEKS, where many of the Judd Apatow stable (James Franco, Seth …
15 Spike Lee Quotes Writers and Filmmakers Can Learn From
15 Great Spike Lee Quotes Spike Lee, with 32 years of film experience, is a figure that any aspiring writer and filmmaker can learn from. His breakthrough debut film SHE’S …
Chris McQuarrie Quotes For Writers, Directors & Producers
Christopher McQuarrie After an inauspicious few years working at a detective agency, Christopher McQuarrie broke out as a screenwriter with two collaborations with director Bryan Singer. PUBLIC ACCESS won the …
Taylor Sheridan Quotes For Writers, Directors & Producers
Taylor Sheridan Taylor Sheridan got his start as an actor, his most notable role arriving in the form of Deputy Chief of Police David Hale in SONS OF ANARCHY. He …
Vince Gilligan Quotes For Writers, Directors & Producers
Vince Gilligan Vince Gilligan got his start as a writer for THE X-FILES, but these days he’s best known as the creator, showrunner, writer and director of BREAKING BAD and …
Ryan Murphy Quotes For Producers, Writers & Directors
Ryan Murphy Quotes Ryan Murphy is one of the few super-producers working in TV, along with the likes of Shonda Rimes and Greg Berlanti. His run of hit shows includes NIP/TUCK, …
Jason Blum Quotes For Producers, Writers & Directors
Jason Blum founded Blumhouse Productions in 2000, but it wasn’t until 2009 that it started getting its reputation for making some of the most profitable films of all time. The …
15 Greta Gerwig Quotes for Writers and Filmmakers
Already one of the key, iconic actresses of the American indie scene, appearing in the likes of FRANCES HA, MISTRESS AMERICA and 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, Greta Gerwig made her solo …
10 Jordan Peele Quotes Writers and Directors Can Learn From
Jordan Peele, one half of the sketch comedy duo KEY & PEELE, burst onto the cinema scene with the highly acclaimed and successful “social thriller” GET OUT, which he wrote …
14 Industry Quotes Proving Writers NEED Pro Script Coverage Now, More Than Ever
The times they are a’ changing, as Bob Dylan once said. Who’d have thought a few years ago that full blown movie stars would be appearing on TV? And within …
15 Inspiring Dee Rees Quotes for Writers & Filmmakers
Screenwriter and director Dee Rees’ debut feature film PARIAH was met with positive critical acclaim and since then, her Emmy Award-winning HBO series BESSIE and her feature film MUDBOUND have impressed …
The 10 Best Literary Agents for Writers & Filmmakers
As a screenwriter, it can be confusing navigating the multitude of literary agents out there. Big or small, almost all literary agents won’t accept unsolicited material. Many specify that unsolicited material will be returned or destroyed unread, in order to protect them from complaints or lawsuits from disgruntled amateurs. These days, when it’s easier than ever for a script to linger at the bottom of an unread email folder, it’s a business of referral. The ideal scenario is, with some buzz
10 Cinematic Scenes of People, Arguing and/or Laughing
Cinematic Scenes of People, Arguing and/or Laughing It sounds like a dull writing exercise. Put your characters in a room and see what happens, arguing or laughing. But here are …
31 Writing Lessons From Iconic Author Kurt Vonnegut
31 Writing Lessons From Iconic Author Kurt Vonnegut With his deceptively simple prose style, novelist, playwright and essayist Kurt Vonnegut, jr. (1922 – 2007) bridged sci-fi and literary fiction. Novels like …
15 Edgar Wright Quotes for Screenwriters and Filmmakers
15 Edgar Wright Quotes for Screenwriters & Filmmakers Edgar Wright quotes aren’t hard to find: the celebrated writer-director is as open about his process, inspiration and influences as any Hollywood …
20 Kathryn Bigelow Quotes For Writers & Filmmakers
Alongside an eclectic filmography that includes vampires in NEAR DARK, surfing in POINT BREAK, and war in THE HURT LOCKER (though as yet fails to combine them), Kathryn Bigelow is …
John Carpenter Quotes and Lessons for Screenwriters
15 John Carpenter Quotes Writers & Filmmakers Can Learn From John Carpenter entered film wanting to make cowboy films. He claims that horror as a genre found him, not the other way …
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 a producer; trying to be original; trying to meet genre expectations (but not too much); pandering to multiple outside opinions from industry members, friends, family; listening to the market; maintaining a ‘voice’. It can end up feeling prescriptive, like ticking off a checklist. Sometimes, there’s value in a little defiance.
10 Thriller Screenplays You Should Read
Thriller Screenplay Power As a genre, ‘thriller’ tends to gently caress several others, namely horror, sci-fi, and drama. As such, thriller screenplays provide a goldmine of various narrative and structural …
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; …
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 …
25 Francis Ford Coppola Quotes For Writers & Filmmakers
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola is one of the greatest writer-directors to come out of the so-called “New Hollywood” wave of filmmaking, having made THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER PART …
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 …
10 Almost-Great Screenplays
An almost-great screenplay can be more frustrating than a really bad one. The potential is strong and the execution is almost there, but something went wrong at the final hurdle. …
15 Genius Inciting Incidents by Screenwriters
15 Genius Inciting Incidents by Screenwriters You’ve created a fully developed character or series of characters and are now pondering their motivation through the narrative you’ve started to develop. Inciting …
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 …
10 Classic Mid-Film Plot Twists by Screenwriters
10 Great Mid-Film Plot Twists by Screenwriters Too often when watching a film, especially for those of us who have seen many of them, you can read where the story …
In Screenwriting terms, what is ‘tracking’?
In screenwriting terms, ‘tracking’ refers to being able to follow or ‘track’ the logic of a premise smoothly. The moment the audience starts to think that the story does not …
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 …
15 Classic John Ford Quotes about Storytelling
The legendary director John Ford enjoyed a remarkably long and successful career, working on over 140 films and winning four Academy Awards for Best Director. His most well known films …
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 …
10 Moments Where Problem Upon Problem Hits the Protagonist
Conflict is essential in every great story. The amount and complexity of the situation can obviously vary greatly depending on the scope, settings and characters involved. In some cases, loading …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
20 Must Know Hollywood Literary Management Companies
20 Must Know Hollywood Literary Management Companies Figuring out how to get a bona fide literary management company to represent you is complicated, especially if you’re new(ish) to the …
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” …
10 Reasons Every Writer Should Explore The BBC Writers Room
What is the BBC Writers Room? Writing may be a solitary task and, frankly, that’s often one of the things that appeals to those of us who do it, but …
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 …
12 Things Screenwriters Can Learn from Musicals
12 Things Screenwriters Can Learn from Musicals I recently ventured from my comfortable world of screenwriting into completely new territory. No, I’m not acting– I’m working on a stage musical. The process …
15 Great Scorsese Quotes on Storytelling
Scorsese and Storytelling Martin Scorsese needs little introduction. The visionary director behind a lengthy list of iconic films from Taxi Driver to Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and through to The Wolf of Wall Street has inspired generations …
9 Observations about Aaron Sorkin’s THE NEWSROOM
THE NEWSROOM This post started as a tweet, developed into a Facebook status and is now finding full expression as a blog post. recently I finished, in a double-bill, The …
31 Screenwriting Books You MUST Own
When I say “screenwriting books you MUST own”, I’ll be honest: the MUST is for effect. You don’t have to do anything, particularly buying screenwriting books in such volume that …
10 Signs That You, My Friend, Are A Writer…
Do These Signs Match Your Habits? Someone tells a tragic family story that has taken them years to open up about and you unwittingly shout “DIBS ON THAT” the second …
How to Write a Screenplay: Your 30-Step Guide
So – you want to learn how to write a screenplay. You think about it constantly. Whenever you watch a movie you annoy your friends, going on about how you could have written a better script. You daydream about Jimmy Kimmel making fun of you as you sit in the front row at the BAFTAs or Oscars. Perhaps you’ve even purchased Final Draft or another screenwriting software package and spent hours staring at your laptop screen, not sure where to
30 Quotes about Screenwriting from A-List Directors & Actors
30 Quotes about Screenwriting from A-List Directors & Actors Whether they produce films, direct them, write them, or star in them, these iconic figures all agree on one thing: the importance …