Screenwriters shouldn’t direct on the page? […] Screw that. We’re building a movie on paper. We should use all tools available both to make the reader see the film and our fellow filmmakers understand our intentions. Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 4, The Hangover Part II, Identity Thief) Craig has a big personality and is wonderfully generous…
Read moreCONFLICT: CATS EDITION
LOW CONFLICT BETTER CONFLICT ACTUAL CONFLICT
Read moreHOW TO CONFLICT
Never AND. Always OR. Real dramatic conflict gives the protag a choice. This OR That. Success OR Failure. Save the mother OR the child. Capitulate to the antagonist OR get shot. Conflict that has a lot of options is not real conflict. The protagonist is free to save the mother AND the child only after…
Read moreSTRONG EMOTIONS MAKE STRONG SCRIPTS
When you conceive your story, don’t forget to build in emotion. People watch movies to feel things. It gets no simpler than that. That begins with the writer. We can talk all day about structure and beats and plot points, but if nobody in the script has their heart on the line, then it all…
Read moreWE DO NOT DISCUSS THE CRANE
ME LISTENING TO CONVOLUTED BACKSTORY
Convoluted backstory feels right to the writer, but it’s bad. Good backstory is concise, gaspworthy gossip. Not then-he-said, but-she-thought stuff that could barely keep a therapist awake.
Read moreIAMA Professional Hollywood Script Reader AMAA • /r/Screenwriting
IAMA Professional Hollywood Script Reader AMAA • /r/Screenwriting lifeascaty: Hi, /r/screenwriting! I am a professional Hollywood script reader. I am considered part of the coveted Hollywood inner circle known as… For anyone who might find it useful or interesting, here’s a Reddit AMA with a Hollywood script reader. Of course, if you want to speak…
Read moreWriting advice so obvious it gets overlooked:
witchlingfumbles: Figure out whose story it is, why it’s their story, and why it’s their story now. Knowing whose story it is is sometimes more important than (and sometimes intrinsically linked with) knowing what the story is and how to tell it. It was the best comment I ever got from a writing group and…
Read morepixiepienix: look at this fragile delicate flower of a man look at how precarious his value and identity is wonder at the marvel that is masculinity The reason I post this is because it is full of visual information that fills readers with questions and confusion. It’s obviously based on a trope that goes back…
Read morewriterdirector: Great #screenwriting advice by @ruth_atkinson about the diff between reading a movie and watching one @scriptmag Screenwriting for Readers vs. Audiences By Ruth Atkinson, Story Editor & Script Consultant Here’s a screenwriting truth. A script is for READERS. A film is for AUDIENCES. Seems obvious, right? Clearly, you can’t have a film without a script…
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