You will sink your script if you take your alpha bro protagonist and twist him around into a self-aware gentleman scholar for five seconds to advance a plot point, or worse, keep a line a dialogue you’re proud of. All character changes must be properly and visibly motivated by what has already happened, not by…
Read moreTHEIR NAMES ARE GRANT AND GRAHAM
LONG DESCRIPTIVE SLUGLINES
THE FIRST LINE OF DIALOGUE MAKES ME LAUGH
COACHING ACTORS
The odds that an actor needs you to tell them to toy with a napkin or scratch their forehead at a given moment in the story are vanishingly small. It’s also not very interesting to read. Little meaningless details don’t belong in the script at all. The exception is when a character’s tic or physical…
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YOUR FIRST TEN PAGES
It’s not interesting to read expositional scenes that dump lots of information about events leading up to this opening. That information doesn’t belong in the beginning. Just wade right into the story. Show who the person is. Show what the problem is. Develop those two things in an interesting way, use visuals, be entertaining about…
Read moreNotes from a Screenreader: Your Tenth Idea
Notes from a Screenreader: Your Tenth Idea nywift: Photo via Go Into the Story. No amount of technique can make up for a weak story. Weak stories are bland and predictable; they treat familiar themes and conflicts in familiar ways. They feel recycled. A fresh and original take on your story does 75% of the…
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