Story & Structure · 14 min
Charlie Kaufman Masterclass In Sweden
Nakedly sincere, Charlie Kaufman presents us with a strikingly insightful masterclass on writing without a formula, the responsibilities of a film-maker and the art of failing.…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
25 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
Movie Moments · 3 min
Back To The Future [Goals From The Get-Go]
Back in 1985, Back To The Future received 3.5 stars from Roger Ebert. Ebert was always my preferred reviewer, and he got it almost always right. Like…
Movie Moments · 4 min
King Kong Dies [As Does The Movie, A Little]
When director John Guillermin died a few weeks ago, I missed this news. He directed two films that I enjoyed as a child. I will forever…
Best of the Web · 4 min
4 Questions For Writers [Make a difference]
Today, Seth Godin posted four "Simple Questions For Writers". Godin usually blogs about marketing, business culture, and what he calls 'art' (doing your job as your 'bliss').…
Story & Structure · 4 min
Wanted: Creative Inspiration [Babies Don’t Come From Babies]
About his creative inspiration, Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett once said “Babies don’t come from babies.” He meant that the greatest music doesn't come from studying other great music. He is…
The Screenwriter's Life · 9 min
Film School Is NOT A Waste Of Your Time [10 Reasons Why]
Peter Jackson once said "The more you know, the less you achieve." He is a self-made filmmaker, and claims to have proven you don't really need…
The Screenwriter's Life · 7 min
Why Creative Careers Fail [And Why You Will Succeed]
There are just as many ways to break into the creative industries, as there are people working in it. Similarly, there are as many reasons for failure as…
Movie Moments · 4 min
Whiplash – Winner Or Loser?
Whiplash is one of the lowest grossing movies ever to be nominated for Best Picture. Totally unfair, if you ask me. It is a brilliant picture.…
The Screenwriter's Life · 6 min
Creative Fatigue? [Don’t Worry. It’s Not About You]
Some of you are in a funk right now. Creative fatigue. (I know, because I can tell. Or because you told me.) It happens to everyone; not…
Logline It! · 4 min
Screenwriting Basics [Story’s Holy Trinity]
Many teachers and writers have tried to capture the screenwriting basics. Unhappy with most of them, I boiled them down to a simplicity I have not seen anywhere else.…
Video · 1 min
[Video]: The Charlie Kaufman Masterclass
'Situation comedy writing... you sit in a room with a bunch of other comedy writers and you pitch jokes. The first job I got, I didn't…
Pitching & Selling · 2 min
Your Screenplay Will NOT Pay You Millions [About Hope and Hype]
Earlier this month, Seth Godin published a blog post that resonated with me. A piece so sharp and pertinent, I decided to translate it to screenwriting. (It was…
Logline It! · 6 min
Loglines Are The Key To Understanding Your Own Story
I have worked in the film and television industry for thirty-five years now. And I find there is one really easy way to tell whether someone…
Movie Moments · 5 min
Kuleshov In The Parallax View [You Don’t Really Want To Watch]
Some claim the 70’s was the best decade for film. I agree. The decade of Jaws and Star Wars was also that of Chinatown, One Flew…
Uncategorized · 2 min
[Video]: THR Producer Roundtable
'Everything that could go wrong was going wrong, I was sort of dead man walking in Hollywood, like, yeah that guy's getting fired... and on the…