‘Frozen’ Writer/Director Jennifer Lee Breaks Down the Story & Screenplay on ScriptNotes « No Film School quatorz: Very cool article and a podcast too! Cool for writers but also fans of Frozen too. Free links to the podcast and script for Frozen to read along with as it is broken down beat by beat.
Read moreTENSE IS IMPORTANT
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE: Zoe is not liking it. SIMPLE PRESENT: Loki likes it. John is yelling, Margaret is walking, Chris is barking like a dog. John yells, Margaret walks, Chris barks like a dog. Write your screenplay actively. Is _____ing is not your friend.
Read moreTHE FIRST ACTION LINE IS WRITTEN IN PASSIVE VOICE
Do not start your script with a slugline, then anything in this whole genus of action lines: A NOUN is VERBED (adverb, prepositional phrase) by a NOUN. The reader’s spleen will burst. Screenwriting is active. An ipod is not placed in a dock by a hand. MATT puts the IPOD in the DOCK.
Read moreChristopher McQuarrie on filmmaking: “McQuarrie along with his… –
Christopher McQuarrie on filmmaking: “McQuarrie along with his… – seanbhood: Christopher McQuarrie on filmmaking: “McQuarrie along with his composer Joe Kraemer sit down to discuss some of their thoughts on filmmaking and motivations on certain scenes. Stick through until the end to find out the lessons McQuarrie learned from making his directorial debut.” —filmschoolthrucommentaries Do…
Read moreSHAZAM, YOU’RE A PILOT
When you take that feature script and make it over into a pilot, and you will… Open the end. Films arc to a close. TV shows tend to keep going. Unless they are Firefly, which I’m still too raw to discuss. The arc that you efficiently built into 100 pages now has to have the…
Read moreYou have to know human behaviour … And the quality of your writing is absolutely capped at your understanding of human behaviour. You’ll never write above what you know about people. Tony Gilroy (BAFTA/BFI Screenwriters Lecture)
Read moreSHOW, DON’T HINT
It’s okay to plainly state your intent. It’s a pretty good idea, actually, because subtle little brushstrokes are open to a lot of misinterpretation, or worse, not being interpreted at all. Showing is better than telling, but telling is better than hinting. There is no point in constructing an elaborate thematic device and leaving it…
Read moreIt is a hell of a lot easier to write someone else’s idea because you aren’t attached to it.
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Bang a Gong
Notes from a Screenreader: Bang a Gong nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. Theme is the beating heart of the screenplay, the proposition about the human condition that your story explores—the big issues. Love. Faith. Resilience. Trust. Power. Courage. All the goosebumpy things. The theme, that single, simple thesis that creates…
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