Movie Reviews · 2 min
Mini Review – The Rocket
The Rocket Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Ahlo is an only twin (as Peter Cook would have it), his sibling having been stillborn. In Laos,…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
26 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 1 Sep
Story & Structure :: Concept = Hook :: Finding Your Voice In Your Screenplay :: TV Pilot - The Blacklist :: Daily Dialogue — The Bourne…
Logline It! · 3 min
Logline it! – Black List 2012 – Week 30
Writing loglines is an essential skill for screenwriters, from early development through to the pitch. In this section, we review the loglines and short synopses of…
Uncategorized · 1 min
[Video]: Jenji Kohan’s Stories To Tell
Critics adore Orange Is The News Black, the kooky brainchild of Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Tracey Takes On...). The enigmatic showrunner discusses getting stories about women on…
Story & Structure · 8 min
Writing the High ROI Screenplay (Part 8)
This week we continue with part eight in a twelve part series of JT Velikovsky's doctoral thesis: “Understanding And Exploring The Relationship Between: Creativity; Theories Of…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 25 Aug
Story & Structure :: How to Write a TV Pilot :: 5 Ways To Write A Script Scene Like You’re Trying Your Shoelaces :: The Secrets…
Story & Structure · 5 min
What is a Real Movie Anyway? Part 2
We continue on with the study of What is a Real Move Anyway? Catch up by reading part 1 here. by Sergeant Hauville There is one…
Movie Reviews · 1 min
Mini Review – Kick-Ass 2
Kick-Ass 2 Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Dave/Kick-Ass, the superhero with no actual superpowers, is bored with life now he’s hung up his suit. He…
Logline It! · 3 min
Logline it! – Black List 2012 – Week 29
Writing loglines is an essential skill for screenwriters, from early development through to the pitch. In this section, we review the loglines and short synopses of…
Story & Structure · 7 min
What is a Real Movie Anyway? Part 1
In 2010, while visiting the Cannes Film Festival, the late, great film critic Roger Ebert wrote a column for the Chicago Sun-Times. He was quite taken…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 18 Aug
Story & Structure :: The Four Types of People Most Likely to Murder Their Families :: Is Any Exposition Scene a "Crock of Sh*t"? :: Scene…
Logline It! · 3 min
Logline it! – Black List 2012 – Week 28
Writing loglines is an essential skill for screenwriters, from early development through to the pitch. In this section, we review the loglines and short synopses of…
Movie Reviews · 2 min
Mini Review – Frances Ha
Frances Ha Mercifully Short Review by Jonathan Empson Frances (Greta Gerwig, also the co-writer) shares a New York apartment and pursues her dream of becoming a…
Pitching & Selling · 7 min
Surviving Script Development
Congratulations! After all that hard work and self-doubt you’ve finally had your spec script optioned / been commissioned to write a treatment or script. It feels…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best of the Web 11 Aug
Story & Structure :: Visual Mindscape: Anchors, Triggers and Writing Flashbacks – Oh My! :: Damon Lindelof on Blockbuster Screenwriting :: Scene Of The Week: 'Dirty…