helping filmmakers tell amazing stories
In 1968 being a homosexual in 47 states (in the US) was illegal. It was a crime. Punishable by prison and fines. There was no RuPaul. No Anderson Hays Cooper. In 1968 there were no homosexuals!!! Except Troy Perry. After being outed in 1968, Reverend …
This issue seems so obvious. I think it’s a challenge because, in part, we avoid escalation of problems in our personal lives, but in the make believe fantasy worlds we spend so much time in, escalation is the backbone of intrigue. I’ve been teaching for …
Lesson 2: Underdeveloped Characters The more you write, the more active you are in learning to become a better writer, the more you’ll see these glaring problems diminish. You will learn to spot them faster, and avoid them the first time. Practice is king. According …
In my recent short-form screenwriting class, a student asked about the ‘show don’t tell’ technique/rule/commandment. I think the easiest way to explain it, isn’t. Instead, let me show you. First pass: There is a knock on the door. Louise answers, Mr. Harbinger has returned. He …
LESSON 1: UNDERDEVELOPED PLOTS I love this visual. In fact, I love it so much I thought I would spend 10 articles writing about each category. I came across this image in an email recently (you may have gotten too). Maybe it was the …
The terms “based on” and “inspired by” suggest very different standards of adherence to the facts providing the ideas for a film and the degree of fictionalization used to enhance the story, change the narrative, or make the film more marketable. A film that was “inspired …
Screenwriting Competition — Now Accepting Screenplays Is your script ready? Writing screenplays is a beast, so shouldn’t a short screenplay be easier.YES. And I believe they are – if you know what you’re doing.Most people try to do too much in short screenplays. The key …
None of them had any filmmaking experience, and even fewer had any interest. This is high school, after all, and not just any high school. These are students from a socio-disadvantaged location. There isn’t even a theatre in town. These kids just don’t care about …
There’s a reason I like to call it feedback instead of criticism. First, feedback doesn’t sound so harsh, and second, most people (even writers) don’t know how to properly give constructive criticism. But let’s look at the word criticism before we decide how to deal …
And if it sounds like I’m bragging, maybe I am. Just a little. Because I’m proud of my students. And I’m proud of the positive impact my student’s script are having on the collective competition. The past two years we’ve seen the quality of storytelling, …
Screenwriting competitions require strategies; You’ve worked hard on your script. Plotting. Crafting. Writing. Rewriting. Reading. Rewriting. Basically, you’ve done everything you can to make your script, YOUR STORY, the absolute best it can be. Now what? There are literally hundreds of screenwriting competitions, and while …
