Script Check · 5 min
The Unfilmables
'Unfilmable' has two distinctly different meanings for screenwriters. On the one side 'unfilmable'(*) are those works that are impossible to adapt to the screen, Ulysses being…
The Journal
Vol. 17 · 1,240 entries
26 August 2026
Quote of the day
Take what’s useful, argue with the rest.
Vol. 17
MM on Monday · 2 min
The Great Voice Over Debate
Yes, Robert McKee is a god. His work is full of power and majesty and inspiration. I love him for his contribution to the great discussion…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 25 Apr
:: The Matrix: Act I breakdown. Is Neo the One? :: Get writing. Bring the good movies back! :: Plots 101: a breakdown in threes. :: IndieWire's…
The Screenwriter's Life · 5 min
I Don’t Believe In Scripts (2)
Many films produced at UTS by students were undisciplined attempts at story telling, seemingly without methodology. In fact, considering the subject's structure, students were all but…
Structure Analysis · 6 min
Structure: Gladiator
It hasn't been that long since we saw this year's Oscars Ceremony. But where are the movies? If you ask me: largely forgotten. So I felt…
MM on Monday · 7 min
Kurosawa on Screenwriting [Yes, He Had An Opinion]
The photo is from Ran. Isn’t that a fabulous image? Of all the directors in the history of cinema, I’d rank Akira Kurosawa somewhere at the…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 18 Apr 10
:: Check out the "Death at a Funeral" script. :: Stop talking, checking, blogging and start writing. :: David Lynch's favorite filmmakers in 60 seconds. ::…
The Screenwriter's Life · 6 min
I don’t believe in scripts. (1)
Story telling has always been a tool for people to make sense of life. It's a way to boil reality down to a smaller and more…
Book Reviews · 8 min
Reviewed: Poetics by Aristotle
"Poetics” by Aristotle. Penguin. London, UK. 62 pages. ISBN 014-04-4636-2 Amazon Price: US $7.88 THE INSPIRATION The Dionysia was a religious festival held once a year…
MM on Monday · 8 min
Write the Shots (2)
So let’s talk about writing the shots. I once had a brief conversation about this topic in e-mail with Jennifer van Sijll, a screenwriting professor, consultant, former…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 11 Apr 10
:: Keep it clear, clarity in your script. :: First half, second act, all development. :: Considering evil: crafting your villain's motivations. :: The climate of selling your…
Pitching & Selling · 5 min
The Road to Representation
Nine years ago I discovered I wanted to be a screenwriter. A few weeks ago I became one. That’s not true. I’ve been one for nine…
MM on Monday · 5 min
Write the Shots! (1)
Okay, let’s just clear the air of so much bad thinking about action lines. I don’t know how or why this happened, but a lot of…
Best of the Web · 1 min
Best o/t Web 4 Apr 10
:: The art and effect of the extra-long take. :: Two-in-one: how to show the same actor plays multiple parts. :: Raising the stakes in story,…
Story & Structure · 6 min
Novel Adaptations: 4 Challenges
Brimming with brawn, you've just bought the rights to a novel. John Doe's fabulous, but little known title, Lawrence of Monrovia. Panic. "What was I thinking? How the…