Story & Structure · 7 min
The greatest movie ideas are high concept. That's what they say. Then, they waffle a definition of what high concept means. The discussion ends soon thereafter. What…
Story & Structure · 4 min
This post is about fantastic story ideas, not just any story idea. It is about finding the gems, and not settling for the duds. Tomorrow I will help…
Story & Structure · 5 min
When HBO launched the eponymous TV show, I took the opportunity to discover Westworld, the movie. The directorial debut of writer-director Michael Crichton has always been a part of pop…
Story & Structure · 4 min
In the early days of cinema, the feature presentation contained two parts, with an intermission halfway, at the mid point. The audience would stretch their legs, visit the…
Story & Structure · 7 min
In an earlier post I warned you about the 2-Act Structure. If none of the structural paradigms offered by the gurus work for you, why don't…
Story & Structure · 7 min
When How To Train Your Dragon was released, some people learned to their horror that the film was written following Blake Snyder’s beat sheet. How could such…
Software Reviews · 7 min
How do you go about writing a screenplay? There are a few of us who sit down at the computer, like some modern day Dalton Trumbo…
Story & Structure · 5 min
In Writing Screenplays that Sell, Michael Hauge singles out Chariots Of Fire (1981) as a cinematic outlier. It was an unlikely movie to generate big box office.…
Movie Moments · 4 min
Watching Kung Fu Hustle (2004) reminded me how many amazing movies are out there that we won't get to see - unless we seek them out. After…
Story & Structure · 6 min
Yesterday I told you about where the master learned his craft. Today we'll learn about scene structure from my favourite Sorkin scene. And you'll be surprised, as you may have missed…
Script Perfection · 4 min
If I see the face of Aaron Sorkin one more time in my Facebook feed or in a newsletter, I’m going to punch my laptop. Okay,…
Movie Moments · 4 min
Disney’s Frozen is one of a few movies I had to see a couple of times before I got it. I am not a fan of musicals, didn’t…
Story & Structure · 6 min
Easy Rider shows how subtext is not what most teachers and gurus tell you it is. Many mistake subtext with non-verbal communication. It is true that most of our…
Movie Moments · 4 min
As a student I lived only a 25min train trip away from the Brussels “Cinematek”, once hailed by Martin Scorsese as the world’s best cinema repository. Among…
Movie Moments · 3 min
It doesn't happen often that you can write a title with pure Scarlett Johansson link bait, yet keep a clear conscience. Unless you've read the original novel,…
