Pitching & Selling · 6 min

The Screenwriter’s First Pay Check

You sweated and slogged for months to perfect the script. You’ve fought and bled another few months pitching everywhere in LA. At last, a producer has…

Book Reviews · 6 min

Writing Drama (7)

Yves Lavandier's book Writing Drama currently rates as the absolute favorite of our book reviewer Jack Brislee. To give you the opportunity to delve into Lavandier's…

Video · 1 min

Video: Don Roos

When Don Roos says - almost as a throwaway - "For me, all those characters are me", I thought he mentioned something that writers are not…

Story & Structure · 6 min

Structure: Toy Story 1

In his book Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach, Paul Gulino offers an excellent analysis of Toy Story 1, based upon the tools of anticipation.  The breakdown below…

MM on Monday · 6 min

Breathing Room in Films

I really enjoyed this post on Emerson’s scanners in which he talked about an interview of Ramin Bahrani, the director of Man Push Cart and Chop…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 11 Jul

:: The ever-so unconventional Forrest Gump. :: With a focus on craft, getting to the point. :: Unpaid outline? Set your terms. :: A struggle for…

Script Perfection · 15 min

How To Write A Great Script

Everybody always says it. The one surefire way to break into the industry is to write a great script. “All you have to do is write…

Book Reviews · 4 min

Writing Drama (6)

Yves Lavandier's book Writing Drama currently rates as the absolute favorite of our book reviewer Jack Brislee. To give you the chance to delve into Lavandier's amazing…

Video · 1 min

Video: Michael Arndt

Toy Story 3 has been by far the most exquisite screenplay hitting the screens this year. Yes, it was developed over about twenty man years and…

Story & Structure · 12 min

Structure: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 is my favorite movie of the year and it will be hard to beat this. Usually when my expectations are high, I end…

MM on Monday · 8 min

The Timid Screenwriter (2)

Naturally, everyone knows you must keep your action lines in the present tense and use active verbs because you are in the moment with the characters…

Best of the Web · 1 min

Best o/t Web 4 Jul

:: Toy Story 3's Michael Arndt on Unkrich original project :: How to become ... Michael Arndt (or similar) :: Interview with Lee Unkrich and Darla…

News · 6 min

Two Dee Or Not Two Dee

If you go see only one movie this year, let it be Toy Story 3. (People say I might change my mind in a few weeks…

Script Perfection · 7 min

The Dirty Draft

As I write this I’m knee-deep in dirty words. No, not the four-letter variety, although I may mouth off a few if I don’t meet my…

Book Reviews · 4 min

Writing Drama (5)

What we mean by "conflict" is any kind of situation or feeling entailing opposition. These may be battles, struggles, difficulties and a variety of problems such…