Story & Structure · 3 min

Bold Reimagining or Pale Imitation?

Having read thousands of scripts and watched hundreds of films and television dramas I’ve found that classic stories appear over and over again. And that’s not…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best of the Web 31 Aug

Story & Structure :: Texting in Film and Television :: Amateur Friday - Black Autumn Script Perfection :: Scriptnotes, Ep 159: The Mystery of the Disappearing…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: David Simon’s Dangerous Ideas

A local gem you may have missed: at The 2013 Festival of Dangerous Ideas, David Simon speaking at the Sydney Opera House David Simon (showrunner of…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: Nailing a Crowdfunding campaign

With disappearing government and industry support for emerging filmmakers, many creatives are turning to the wonders of Kickstarter (and its Australian equivalent Indiegogo) to fund their…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best of the Web 10 Aug

Story & Structure :: Clichéd Character Introductions :: Script To Screen: “Aliens” :: How to Create Characters That Feel Like Real People :: Screenplay Review -…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: John Truby on Successful Writing

'It's also important that writers read a lot of scripts. Because it's only through reading a lot of scripts that you get a sense of the…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: Paul Haggis’ Introspection

'Usually around noon, I feel really guilty and so actually open the script and start to work on it...' Paul Haggis outlines a chaotic, self-diagnostic, yet…

Script Check · 4 min

Texting in the Movies

I am frequently asked how to format text messages and email messages while maintaining the script’s “readability.” There are several methods depending on your dramatic purpose.…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: Comedy Roundtable

Another Hollywood Report Showrunners Roundtable, focusing on the art of writing a successful comedy show. Mike Schur & Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation), Matthew…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: The ‘Vomit Draft’ – Dustin Lance Black

Are you plagued with a deluge of ideas, clustered around a series of themes? How do you whittle down a thousand magical ideas into a lean,…

Pitching & Selling · 2 min

How to Pitch in One Sentence

I’ve heard thousands of pitches in my thirty years as a screenwriter. What I’ve found is that the majority of pitches were too long, unfocused and…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: Vince Gilligan’s Island

Adam Savage sits down with legendary showrunner Vince Gilligan for a gloriously rambling discussion. Why does TV allow you to get to know your characters better…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best of the Web 6 Jul

Story & Structure :: TV Pilot Tuesday! - The Strain :: Chicken or the Egg? Pitching & Selling :: ‘Extant’: How a Contest Led First-Time Creator…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best of the Web 22 Jun

Script Perfection :: Drama Showrunner Roundtable: Watch The Full, Uncensored Interview :: Following Disciplines To Stay On Target… Pitching & Selling :: 29 Ways NOT To…

Video · 1 min

[Video]: Morgan Spurlock on Selling Out

The enterprising filmmaker Morgan Spurlock - of the McDonalds takedown documentary Supersize Me - jumps on stage for a Ted Talk on the relationship between art…