Deep-dive study guides on complex areas of screenwriting.
The horror genre is undergoing a renaissance. After the awkwardly-named ‘elevated horror’ trend that followed on from 2018’s HEREDITARY, the distinction between mainstream horror and its more highbrow cousin started …
The old cliché goes that you never get a second chance at a first impression. Truth is, if you don’t nail the first page of your screenplay, you may never …
There’s a well-known Howard Hawks quote that goes: ‘A good movie is three good scenes and no bad scenes’. Casting aside its direct meaning, it also hits on an interesting …
There’s a great quote from F. Hauser and R. Reich that states: “In all the best material, the outcome is inevitable and inherent in the opening moment and every moment …
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 …
There are two kinds of rugby player”, the legendary Scottish coach Jim Telfer told his players, “there are the honest ones, and there’s the rest. The honest player gets up in …
Writing mythically with cliché is relatively easy: watch a couple of films, read a couple of books then regurgitate the obvious stuff: quasi-religious story world, the quest, the mentor, initiation, …
The key is writing characters that – crucially – fascinate… Writing great, multi-dimensional characters is one of the hardest – and most important – facets to successful screenwriting. The …
How to Create Intrigue – The Screenwriter’s “Golden Goose” To create intrigue is one of the greatest things a screenwriter can achieve. Be it via an urban rom-com, a micro-budget horror, …
What is Script Coverage? Whether you’re a screenwriter or a director, a producer or a distributor, a financier or a development executive, script coverage is something that the lion’s share …