From structure to content to representation to industry trends, this is the place to discuss, share content and offer tips and advice on the craft and business of screenwriting
Hi All,
I know the common ones:
Show don’t tell.
Start late, end early (or however you want to say it)
Less is more
What others do you good people know. I am putting together some articles for each saying. Just realised I couldn’t remember many.
Thanks again.
Hello...I’ve gotten accepted into a Sundance directing workshop and I am looking for a screenwriter to work/partner with that has a competed Feature length screenplay.
No big budget action or Sci- Fi stuff. Ya know? This is an indie and I think we all know the “Sundance” type genres and stories.
I c...
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Just emailed you pitch deck for my movie "What Red Wrote."
Didn’t get it
send you an e-mail.
After more advice cos you guys are just too good at it, so today's question, I had feedback from script coverage, took on board all the advice so what next, do I resubmit for coverage again, or do I go one step up for a script consulting.
The reason for asking is on the feedback I was given they said...
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If you feel confident, step it up. You need to reward your confidence with moving forward.
Hi Samantha, often times writers will request the same reader for feedback to see how the notes were implemented and if it gets them to the next level. Those resubmissions lead to a double recommend in a lot of cases.
Hi Samantha. I'm a competition reader/feedback-notes - send me that report, together with your script and I'll give it an overlook for you. - N-C.
Nick Assunto - thanks for that tip, will bear that in mind!
I need help with that logline, I feel something wrong with it but I can't figure it out.
"When a disturbed withdrawn young man finds the right job, woman and life, he kills the first woman that reminds him with his cheating mother, now he must face his worst enemies, him self, before losing his new...
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Try this:
After getting his life together, a disturbed man kills the woman that reminds him of his immoral mother.
Stick to your A-story. Don't talk about the B-story in the logline. Ideally, try to follow this guideline to write your guideline: Protagonist+Inciting incident+action+antagonist (obstacle or enemy).
Thank you all for your kind comments, what I was looking for is Adam Jestin's concept, but I wasn't sure that the hero's life went straight and then collapsed due to the impact of the trauma on him, r...
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The logline is no more than an exposition.
Hi, Mohamed Ali! Loglines can indeed be tricky! Sometimes we try to fit the whole story into it, but the focus is at a higher level. Here’s a template I received from a fellow screenwriter and friend:...
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When I write scripts, I use words like "ok" and "TV" instead of "okay" and "television." This saves space in dialogue and action lines.
This is a simple tip, but it can help cut down on unnecessary extra pages in a script.
... a dark alley, a quiet night, but for the overhead thundering clouds that thunder the words of the narrative, Maurice. Leave CJ to be.
Brevity is key to good writing after all.
Who has the time to peruse an article chock-full of extraneous adjectives and adverbs after all? But trimming down individual words sounds like a symptom of st...
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Nicely put, Brad.
Depends on needs of the producer and team involved.
J.O.
Jonah Hill is attached to act in Kenya Barris's directorial debut (whom you may know as the creator of Black-ish), but it's worth noting that they co-wrote the script. What a great idea! I'd love to hear about y'all's experience attaching talent as writers.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/mo...
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I attached Charlie Picerni to my "Glass House" Screenplay. It was option shortly after and died in development. I attach Vic Armstrong to my "Hot Stuff" screenplay that was optioned but died in develo...
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I want to attach RB to one of mine! LOL
back in the day when erotic movies were a hot genre and Playboy was spending big $ for original content and shooting on 35mm film, I got a verbal committment from actress Julie Strain for my erotic de...
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Yeah, Dan, I'm old enough to remember Julie Strain... Shoooo :-))
My spec 'The Third Bomb' made it to the FINALS :-) http://www.screencraft.org/blog/2014-screencraft-action-thriller-script-... ...so tantalizingly close!...
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Thanks again for the support guys!!
Congrats!
Congratulations!
Thanks everyone! It looks good in a pitch/ query letter at least :-)
Ace!!
I received a message from Ruchika who wants to improve her pitches. I am a member of the Writers Room and every Thursday Brooklynn Fields and Nick Assunto host Practice Pitch for us to pitch our screenplay in a non-judgmental environment. Their notes are tremendously helpful and I've learned so much...
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I second this nomination - Nick & Brooklynn give such valuable feedback! The Writer's Room also hosts a monthly Pitch Tank where you get the chance to pitch to one of our Stage 32 Executives as well....
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I always seem to have two themes running through all my stories and just a minute ago I discovered a third. Freaks and outsiders, vigilantism (or fighting the bully) and struggling with failure. I guess these all reflect aspects of my own life. How about you?
Some of my recurring themes are "patience," "teamwork," "unselfishness," and "don't be reckless."
Cherie, since most of the stuff I've written emphasizes ensembles, my biggest recurring theme is "We need to work together."
Another recurring theme of mine is "Music is the healing force of the world,...
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dark comedy, my life story ;)
Ego verses Authenticity.
I write about people in powerful positions who attempt to suppress what they fear the most – being exposed as frauds when compared to individuals who are grounded in talent, character, or courage.
People hiding their true selves, and being much happier when they have been on their voyage of discovery. I also do a mean line (literally) in manipulation.
I have to admit of all the festivals this one was the one I was sweating out. A few days ago I was notified that my TV Pilot Script "In the Shadows of November" had been selected and the winners were to be announced in just a few days. How many times can you hit refresh on a website? More than you c...
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Well done Bill.
That's great! of course :) time to celebrate!!!
Awesome Bill! Congrats!
YAY! Congrats, Bill!
Well done!
Hey guys (and girls),
I see that many screenwriters struggle a lot with their loglines. Let me share with you a little guide made by Studiobinder. It helped me so much to understand what a logline is and what it should contain.
Here's the link to the page. I also suggest you download the free documen...
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I love Studio Binder. Their teaching tools are of great value. Thanks for posting!
James Welday, me too! They're great! I think they are partners with stage32 as well.
I feel like being a copywriter has helped immensely with my loglines. I see a lot of writers not understanding that the logline has got to hook me immediately. It's that sentence you say to get your f...
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Evelyne Gauthier even better!! I didn't know that!
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Here are Billy Wilder's:
The audience is fickle.
Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go.
Develop a clean line of action for your leading character.
Know where you're going.
The more subtle and elegant...
Expand commentHere are Billy Wilder's:
The audience is fickle.
Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go.
Develop a clean line of action for your leading character.
Know where you're going.
The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.
If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.
A tip from Lubitsch: Let the audience add up two plus two. They'll love you forever.
In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they're seeing.
The event that occurs at the second act curtain triggers the end of the movie.
The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then—that's it. Don't hang around.
1 person likes this
Here's a few that I've taken from Instagram - Outstanding Screenplays feed (had to credit them - it is a good feed, lots of tips):-
Don't get it right, get it written (applies to first draft, of course...
Expand commentHere's a few that I've taken from Instagram - Outstanding Screenplays feed (had to credit them - it is a good feed, lots of tips):-
Don't get it right, get it written (applies to first draft, of course)
Writing is rewriting
The story is king
One page at a time
Every scene needs to have a point
I've got a couple:
• Write every day.
• Don't say you're gonna write. Just write.
1 person likes this
If you are writing for money and fame you're writing for the wrong reason... Actually I kind of like that one.
spending twenty years researching is not writing. WRITE THE DAMN THING THEN FIX IT