I cannot begin to express how impressed I am with who you are and who you want to be, and how you are getting there. I’m in awe. You keep protecting and employing and relying on each other and nothing in the world can stop you. You’re fantastic, thoughtful, ethical storytellers and filmmakers. Do not…
Read moreSell the Bite
If there is absolutely nothing else you take away from the blog of a person who reads scripts for money, take this: Move forward and bite. Don’t stop to explain how the ocean works. Or how eating fish to survive works. We get all that. When you rewrite, move forward. And bite. There will be…
Read moreA visual joke, ladies and gentlemen.
Read moreDESCRIBING BORING OUTFITS IN YOUR CHARACTER INTROS
Please don’t tell me he’s wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Or that she’s wearing a tank top and skirt. That is a waste of words. If the clothes are an important part of the character, WRITE it. “Her skirt matches her shirt like she ransacked the dumpster behind Forever 21″. It gives me something…
Read moreCLARITY
This is what it’s like to read a script with clarity issues. You can see that there’s a story there, but you can’t exactly make it out because it is mixed in with so much stuff that looks like it, but isn’t it. To improve your clarity, pick your idea and stick to it. First…
Read moreUseful Confession #9
If you read a script for a movie you love, you will immediately grasp how much of what you experienced was NOT ON THE PAGE. So read a bunch of scripts from movies you love. Screenwriting is not hand-holding and spoon-feeding.
Read morejudiops: tastefullyoffensive: by Doghouse Diaries Rule of thumb: If a conflict can be resolved with a single conversation, then it’s not strong enough to support a plot point. If a plot point depends on somebody being really fucking stupid for no apparent reason, then it’s not strong enough to be in your story. It’s called…
Read moreWhen Conceiving Your Script Idea
Don’t stop at an iteration of your idea that can be explained in dialogue. Envision ways to tell your story in which things happen that are interesting to WATCH.
Read moreWhy You Can’t Get the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Theme Song out of Your Head | Vanity Fair
Why You Can’t Get the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Theme Song out of Your Head | Vanity Fair Awesome quick article with bonus videos about how the Kimmy Schmidt title sequence was conceived.
Read moresunshinegoawaytoday: White dudes hold the record for creepy crimes, but females are strong as hell. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt pilot will teach you everything you need to know about how to present exposition visually. Pay attention to how much you know by the time the credits are over. It’s a miracle! Also, it’s a fun…
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