Think about when you tell the truth. The circumstances under which you wouldn’t bother to polish it up even a little bit. Think about when you lie. The reasons you lie. The person you’re lying to. You can ramp up your dialogue by finding the relative drama on a sliding scale of truth in a…
Read morefootybedsheets: “40% of Afghanistan’s skateboarders are female.100 % of those are tough as nails. ” Source: @Skateistan Here is that awesome plot you were looking for.
Read moreIn the 60’s and 70’s, you could make films like this—films that asked questions—and we accepted them. Now, the majority of people like everything to be underlined. They look at a film as a puzzle to be figured out with a right answer. I didn’t want to do that. It’s fascinating that people will know…
Read moreJOHN AUGUST’S HOW TO WRITE A SCENE – ANNOTATED
Read it in pdf at http://johnaugust.com/2014/how-to-write-a-scene-in-two-pages with gratitude to freelanceanthem
Read moreI want to start entering screenwriting competitions but I don’t know how and I’m worried my work will be massively inferior to everyone else who submits. Usually how experienced in screenwriting do you need to be in order to enter these competitions? And what kind of genres should I avoid? Any advice would be great! – L
screenandscripts-deactivated201: Hi L, It’s actually very simple to enter screenwriting competitions. They can be entered online – 99.9% of the time for a fee – and the screenplay is submitted through their website or through withoutabox.com, or some variation. Hayley McKenzie posts a list of the most prominent screenwriting competitions on her blog every month….
Read moreDON’T GIVE IT AWAY
I was just reading a spec script, and a great thing happened. I was intrigued by an idea it proposed at the inciting incident. I thought to myself, “This question is going to get me all the way to the end, still guessing.” And in the very next scene, it was answered. Why? WHY? Creating…
Read moreBoth me and Edgar are firm believers in never underestimating or talking down to an audience, and giving an audience something to do, to give them something which is entirely up to them to enter into the film and find these hidden things and whatever. Simon Pegg (via ub-sessed)
Read morefuckyeahdirectors: Cinematographer Ben Smithard and director Amma Asante on the set of Belle (2013)
Read moreCOUNT YOUR WAY TO A BETTER DRAFT
Get your notebook Watch a movie Make a hashmark for every thing that HAPPENS Open your screenplay Repeat step 3 Compare Define HAPPENS? An action that pushes the story forward. Pro tip: Look for verbs. Examples? Emily asks for a divorce Molly smashes a photo of Cal and Emily, Jessica smiles at it Hannah discovers…
Read moreHow to dialogue. How to character. How to comedy.
Read more