Adaptation
- Screenwriters don't simply adapt, they adopt
Novelist Daniel Wallace looks at how books become movies.
- What audiences know
Figuring out what the audience needs to know -- and when they need to know it -- is one of the trickiest aspects of screenwriting.
- Why must we have board-game movies?
Reader Logan is dispirited by Hollywood's zeal to turn every toy and board game into a franchise.
- Can I use a book without permission?
No! Stop and re-assess. There are at least three options, but simply stealing the plot and characters isn't one of them.
- On adaptations and picking projects
MakingOf has an interview up with me in which I talk a bit about my writing process, the challenge of adaptations, and why one's career is often as much about the scripts you *didn't* write.
- Kurtzman and Orci on Trek and writing together
Story lessons from Star Trek, from the mouths and minds of the writers.
- Take away the questions
You shouldn't just answer questions. Get rid of them before they're asked.
- Why aren't adaptations ok for competitions?
With an adapted screenplay, it's not altogether obvious what awesomeness came from the screenwriter, and what came from the underlying material.
- Preacher
I might as well confirm the news: I'm writing a big-screen version of Preacher.
- Lessons of the summer, so far
Let's look at what we can learn from the first batch of summer movies.
- Does a screenwriter have to be well-read?
If I've only read 38 on the list of 1001 "Books You Must Read Before You Die," does that mean I'll live a long time?
- Mysteries of Pittsburgh
The story behind former assistant Rawson Thurber's second feature.
- Short answer sprint
Nine second answers to nine burning questions. Ready...go!
- Is it risky to spec something in the public domain?
Not if it will get you read and your expectations are adjusted.
- Based on your own novel
Titles matter.
- Should I write a novel or a script?
If you're looking to put your story out into the world, paper beats film, hands down.
- Finding out if a book has been optioned
Easy steps to tracking down rights.
- Clive Cussler really, really dislikes Sahara
An author rails against his Hollywood adaptation.
- As good as the Good Book?
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day or something?
- Where to find Natural Born Killers novelization
Two stories of letting down a great script.
- Ph.D. on adapted screenplays
Where the adapted screenplay might reside in academia.
- Adapting a videogame into a movie
I adapted a computer game into a movie and I didn't feel a wee bit cheap.
- Book before the script?
Let your story pick your format.
- Third-party storytelling
Why attorneys exist.
- Script adaptations
Turning book into movie: from acquiring rights to writing.
- The essentials of adaptation
Books and movies should be compared, if only to understand what each does well.
Directors
- Shine on, you Kubrick theorists
When I criticized Rob Ager’s analysis of spatial impossibilities in The Shining, I didn't realize the extent of wild theories about Kubrick's film.
- Working with directors
In episode four of Scriptnotes, Craig and I discuss migraines and zombie apocalypse preparations before we segue to the main topic: how screenwriters work with directors, from the first meeting to on-set etiquette to giving notes in post.
- Cinematic geography and the problem of genius
The genius fallacy at work: Since Kubrick was a perfectionist, anything that seems like an error in Kubrick's work *must not* be an error, but must instead be a deliberate choice.
- What happened in August
No Meaner Place has a lengthy conversation with Howard Rodman about August, his original screenplay that become the Josh Hartnett tech-startup indie from last year.
- Surviving the director's rewrite
There is no grand tradition of a "director's pass." When it happens, it's because some directors (1) believe they can write and (2) believe they can fix the perceived problems in the script. They may say they want to "make it their own." But underlying that is the fact that there's something about the script that bugs them, and you haven't been willing or able to address it.
- Are music videos worth the bother?
As a general rule, don't waste your time building a proxy career. But if your goal is to direct big action movies, a killer reel may make commercial and music videos worthwhile.
- On Dogfooding, and scratching your own itch
When you make something that you yourself use, that's called dogfooding, a contraction of "eating your own dogfood." That's developer-speak, but it's something screenwriters would do well to appropriate.
- Three directors, no money for rent
Most screenwriters are broke at some point. Better it happens at the start of your career than the end.
- On Alice in Wonderland
I've not written Alice in Wonderland three times. It's a recurring motif, dating back to 1995 and the very start of my career.
- Prepping for the Directors Close-Up panels
Tonight and next Wednesday, I'll be hosting the Director's Close Up panels for Film Independent. Tonight's director is Jason Reitman, joined by cinematographer Eric Steelberg, editor Dana E. Glauberman and composer Rolfe Kent. We'll be talking about Up In The Air, Juno and Thank You For Smoking.
- Learning story as a director
Film is a hundred different skills and disciplines, and no one person is going to be great at all of them.
- What does "execution dependent" mean?
What makes one high-concept idea more execution-dependent than another?
- Referring to famous people
Yes, you can have characters talk about people like Michael Bay without getting permission.
- Show your work
Screenwriting continues to be the most transparent and opaque part of moviemaking.
- Raiders story conference
Lessons on screenwriting in action, straight from George, Steven and Larry.
- Alaska: The Satchel Boy
A clip from my 2003 pilot, directed by Kim Manners.
- Rewriting the rewriter
Sometimes there's good reasons why original writers leave and return to their projects.
- On creating emotion
How the writer, actor, director and audience work together.
- James Cameron on 3-D
A pioneer explains how 3-D changes (or doesn't) cinema.
- Should I direct my spec?
How to avoid being talked out of your dreams.
- Changes while directing
When the shoot begins, the real world comes to play.
- Giving credit where it's due
In a collaboration, how to identify contributions and distinguish contributors.
- Follow up: What job should I beg for?
A blog reader helps steer another reader towards his dream job.
- Movies look nothing like reality
The disorienting effects of movie magic.
- As it turns out, I could care less
And both the film and I were better for it.
- What job should I beg for?
Access leads to learning which is everything.
- Am I a writer or a director?
If you don't like it, don't do it.
- J.J. Abrams got a $55+ million deal
I feel exhausted just thinking about it.
- What's it like being the writer and director?
There's little time or room on set for the writer in me once the director in me takes over, but he's good to have around.
- What if the movie I wrote turns out god-awful?
This is one of the worst things about being a screenwriter: you ultimately have very little control over the movie that gets made. Here's how to deal.
- Does the editor even read the script?
Almost certainly once, before she signs on for the job. After that, it's hard to say. And that's not all bad.
- Writer and Director and Disaster
The job of a writer and the job of a director are fundamentally different, which is why so few people are great at both.
- Seeing a rough cut of your film
If a screenwriter gets a film produced, will he or she get to see a rough cut of the film at its earliest stage?
- Actors and dialogue
How to bring your dialogue to life without stepping where you don't belong.
- Film festival contacts
Timed right, they can take you places.
- Writer/director disagreements
What happens when you disagree with what a director does with your script?
Education
- From thesis script to feature film
- The Good Boy Syndrome, and whether film school is worth it
John and Craig discuss why screenwriters want to please people -- and how it often hurts them and the movie they're writing -- before a lengthy discussion of the pros and cons of going to film school.
- From Greenlight back to page one
Today's First Person demonstrates an important point: you can't pick the single moment at which you've "made it."
- Transitioning from comics to TV
Jay Faerber is trying to transition from writing comics to writing TV, and is doing so with the help of the Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop.
- Juggling paid work and specs
Allison Schroeder works in both features and television. She exemplifies something I've seen again and again: a career is shaped by talent, luck and extraordinarily hard work
- Anatomy of a script series
Every year, the Writers Guild Foundation holds a series of discussions with film and television writers focusing on one of their past or current projects. This year, I'll be a guest, talking about Big Fish.
- A visit from the ghost of coverage past
A reader unearths coverage I wrote for both Quentin Tarantino's NATURAL BORN KILLERS and Sam Hamm's PULITZER PRIZE.
- On film schools, and the business of education
In general, it's a mistake to think of universities as businesses and students as consumers. But for certain specialized film training, for-profit programs can make sense.
- Should a screenwriter pay for notes?
If you can't find that one smart reader amid your circle, it's possible that you'd benefit from paying someone. I don't have any names to recommend, but if I were in your place, I'd look for a few things.
- Are online film classes worth it?
Scott wonders if his online filmmaking classes are teaching him what he needs to know.
- How to do college
New York Times writers offer suggestions for incoming college students.
- What an undergrad degree is worth
When I was buying a house, the rule of thumb was that you could afford a home three to four times your annual income. It feels like there should be an equivalent rule of thumb for how much you can spend on your education versus average salary of your studied profession.
- On rich plumbers and eggheads
It's easy to pick numbers that show how a plumber who saves diligently will out-earn an egghead saddled with student debt.
- Video from Rancho Mirage Q&A
Synthian Sharp taped my Q&A in Rancho Mirage, and has it available on Vimeo.
- Spanish or Mandarin
At the gym yesterday, we were discussing which language would be the best foreign language for a native English speaker to learn. Specifically, can you make a compelling case for any language other than Spanish or Mandarin?
- Be like MacGyver
My advice to recent film school grads. What did you do today to get closer to your goals?
- USC at Sundance/Slamdance
Connect with your Trojan brethren.
- The Nines, recut
An editing class will recut The Nines from scratch. Final film unseen.
- When friends read your script
You need good readers. Here's how to choose and keep them.
- In other news
USC Film School getting a whole new set up. The spoiled bastards.
- What does he want?
Often, the best answer is the simplest: something physical and achievable.
- Advice for terrible writers
Confronted with a bad script, step back and ask the right questions.
- From Russia with Questions
What are the pitfalls for a foreigner trying to break into Hollywood?
- 2007 Insomnia Film Festival
Advice for hasty filmmakers.
- Skipping drama class
Oh to be 16 and anxious...
- What is a script doctor?
There's no shortcut around becoming a "screenwriter" to becoming a "script doctor."
- How do you become successful?
Ground your notion of Hollywood. While it seems glamorous and lucrative, if you’re coming to the film industry looking to get rich, you’re wasting your time.
- Four for four, or Hooray for Chad
Another assistant makes his way.
- Is the Screenwriting Expo any good?
Thoughts on public speaking.
- Which side of the pond should I choose?
Depends on your sensibility.
- Please state your purpose
Advice for your film school applications.
- How to get into film school
Candid advice, straight from a decider.
- Reading scripts at the WGA library
Cool resources with fountains of inspiration.
- First impressions
How I discovered that good writing is invisible.
- Where to find scripts
There are a few types/stages of scripts. Some teach more than others.
- Journalism degree
Choosing what you study isn't as important as doing it passionately.
- How young were you?
Movie scripts looked so simple, it seemed a lot easier than any other form of writing.
- 11-year old film fan
Encouraging the next generation of filmmakers without scaring them off.
- What should a 14-year old do?
There's so much to play with, study and write about in the world around you. Start there.
- Is film school necessary?
There's a hell of lot to learn about filmmaking, but school's not the only place to do it.
Film Industry
- How to write Groundhog Day
I've only just started reading Danny Rubin's How to Write Groundhog Day, but it's promising enough that I think many screenwriters will want to take a look at it this weekend.
- Standardization and differentiation, or why UltraViolet is probably doomed
Standardization is good. Differentiation is good. But they're *competing forces.* You can only differentiate your product by moving away from a standard.
- First-sale doctrine
Craig and I talk a bit about the effects of first-sale doctrine in this week's podcast, but we don't define it. So let's do that here.
- Redbox's arbitrary winners
Redbox, the DVD rental kiosk company, sent out a press release with a list of their most-rented titles for 2011. The winners are not who you'd expect.
- More on movie money
Following up on last week's podcast about the economics of the film industry, more details on the business from the exhibitor's perspective.
- How movie money works
When you read articles claiming every Hollywood movie loses money, an obvious question arises: "Why do they keep making them, then?" In this installment, John and Craig explain how the film industry spends and makes money.
- Your projectionist and you
Witney Seibold has an extremely useful explanation of what a projectionist does, and why filmmakers should care.
- Motion picture film cameras, 1888-2011
The three major manufactures of motion picture cameras have stopped making new film cameras.
- Still suing
Remember that guy who's suing the agencies for not representing him? Jim Vines has an interview with him, and asks one question that kept nagging at me.
- Oh, they'll remember his name
Aspiring screenwriter leaves locked suitcase at talent agency. Bomb squad destroys it.
- R-rated comedies to the rescue
Superhero movies continue to make money, but the rise of very profitable R-rated comedies is the box office story of the summer.
- Hollywood interns aren't essential
Nicole Iizuka takes issue with my assertion that "All the interns in Los Angeles could get Raptured tomorrow and the town would function just fine.”
- Suing to get an agent, cont'd
Justin Samuels, the aspiring screenwriter who filed a lawsuit against two agencies for not representing him, wrote in with comments on my original post about his case.
- Harry Potter and the Well of Red Ink
Cory Doctorow revisits a 2009 Harry Potter participation statement, marveling at how the hugely successful fifth installment manages to lose $167 million.
- Get a manager
Justin Marks argues on behalf of literary managers.
- Staying indie after getting big
Following up on an email exchange, I sat down for a conversation with writer/director Jay Duplass to talk about his Kickstarter-backed indie documentary, and the larger questions of balance indie projects with studio features.
- Can my script be as short as Somewhere?
As a screenwriter, with no aspirations of getting behind the camera, how hard is it, or would it be to sell a spec script, that could possibly be a 100-110 min movie, but only a 65-70 page script? Understanding that execution is key, is it even possible to get your screenplay looked at, with it being so short?
- The podcast with me in it
I'm the guest on the most recent installment of the New Mediacracy podcast, discussing The Remnants, this blog, and the shifting role of the screenwriter.
- Revenge of the snarky script-reader
I wrote a lot of coverage during my first few years in Los Angeles. Sometimes, the only way I could get through 120 terrible pages was imagining what I'd get to write about it.
- Don't send him everything
An agent may ask to see "everything you've ever written." Don't take that too seriously. Show him your best screenwriting.
- You can't copyright titles
Copyright is a bundle of protections granted to the creator of a work. It doesn't cover the pure idea ("Save the Last Dance with dinosaurs"); it covers the expression of the idea (your original, 120-page screenplay Dinosalsa: The Jurassic Dance).
- Amazon Studios now slightly less terrible
When it was announced in November, one of the bold new ideas of Amazon Studios was letting any user rewrite any screenplay in the competition. I thought that was a terrible idea, and users agreed.
- Giving up on Blu-ray
Khoi Vinh argues the Blu-ray format is demonstrably worse than what came before it.
- 2010, the year in film
I'm perpetually amazed by mega-edits like this one, which combines pieces of 270 movies from this past year.
- Dick jokes for classy producers
While you can intuit a bit about producers' taste by the films they've made, don't assume producers only get certain genres. And never turn down a chance for a read.
- Getting paid late
A screenwriter colleague recently vented her frustration with always getting paid late for her studio jobs. I didn't have any particularly good advice for her -- what she describes is hardly unique. In fact, the situation is so much the norm that I asked if she would write up a post about her experiences, since I've never really discussed it on the blog.
- On the Amazon film thing
If Amazon Studios were a simple finance and production outfit like Relativity or Morgan Creek, there would be nothing more to say. But Amazon Studios has an unusual strategy that combines competition, crowdsourcing and a lot of question marks.
- Oh, Jessica
I have to believe she was misquoted, or excerpted in some unflattering way, because Jessica Alba couldn't have actually said this.
- When is it okay to write for free?
Any work you're not getting paid for should be yours and yours alone. That's why aspiring screenwriters write spec scripts. That's what you should focus on writing. Still, there may be situations in which it makes sense to write a script for someone else without getting paid.
- The One-Month Manager
What's a reasonable amount of time to give your manager to read a draft of your script? It sometimes takes this screenwriter's manager up to a month.
- How many times can a meeting get pushed?
General meetings aside, how many pushes merits cause for concern regarding interest in you/your idea?
- How to write on the spine of a script
Based on some printed scripts I've seen recently, a related skill may be on verge of being lost forever: writing on the spine of a script. Here's a quick tutorial.
- Advice for Canadian criminals
Could a Canadian screenwriter with a criminal record sell specs in Hollywood?
- In praise of unsheets
"Unsheets" are posters made *after* the movie by talented fans -- in many cases, decades later. They're not trying to make a movie look appealing. They're celebrating movies that are already beloved.
- Hope springs eternal
A Slinky movie parody is all too real.
- Three directors, no money for rent
Most screenwriters are broke at some point. Better it happens at the start of your career than the end.
- Do novelists get more for successful adaptations?
When a novel is adapted into a film or television series, how does compensation to the writer of the original novel work?
- Why must we have board-game movies?
Reader Logan is dispirited by Hollywood's zeal to turn every toy and board game into a franchise.
- Producers, managers and deals
How much should a first-time writer expect to make on a sale?
- Women in film
The Bechdel test points out how rarely women characters in movies talk about anything other than men.
- Do you tip studio valets?
I follow the keys rule: only if they take possession of my car keys.
- Writing for 3-D
In the short term, yes, the rush towards 3-D may affect the kinds of movies that get greenlit. But the underlying "nature of cinematic storytelling" doesn't tend to change much even in the face of tremendous technical innovations.
- On Golden Handcuffs
Paul spent 29 years in a job too good to leave, and regrets it.
- Unpaid internships in the crosshairs
NYT on unpaid internships, which are common and often illegal.
- Reading scripts on the iPad
The iPad makes a terrific device for reading screenplays as .pdfs, particularly with third-party apps.
- How to leave an agent
The job of an agent or manager is to put your work in the hands of people who might like it, then get you into rooms to meet with them. If they can't do that, you need someone new.
- Free ebooks correlated with increased print-book sales
In books and in movies, increased sampling usually generates more sales than it costs.
- On Alice in Wonderland
I've not written Alice in Wonderland three times. It's a recurring motif, dating back to 1995 and the very start of my career.
- Should I mention the script was optioned?
Producers and production companies aren't necessarily going to be excited that someone else had the project before them. Yes, it validates their taste a bit, but they may worry that the script has already been burned out around town. If everyone has read it and passed, what are they going to do with it, exactly?
- Are online film classes worth it?
Scott wonders if his online filmmaking classes are teaching him what he needs to know.
- Writing while at a studio
Chris works as an assistant at a studio? Do they own anything he writes?
- Why the Netflix/WB deal isn't a bad thing
Netflix announced that it wouldn't be shipping new releases from Warner Bros. until 28 days after street date.
- Seven writer's rules for survival in animation
Useful suggestions for screenwriters working on their first animated feature
- How ScriptShadow hurts screenwriters
ScriptShadow reviews scripts to upcoming movies. And that hurts screenwriters more than anyone.
- Startups and slippery facts
Since I was name-checked twice this interview from the top-ranked Wharton School of Business, I feel some responsibility to point out a few fallacies and follies.
- WGAw screenwriter survey
WGAw screenwriters should have received an email yesterday about an online survey the Guild is conducting. Please find the email -- it might get stuck in your spam filter -- and click the link.
- How to handle a meeting
For newcomers, I can offer a bit of a summary
- Hulu is not dead to me
I have little sympathy for users outraged that Hulu is going to start charging.
- Making Christian movies
Is it a good idea to focus on making a movie for Christian audiences?
- What's wrong with the business
Writers are making less money, and it's part of a bigger shift in the industry.
- Is it fair use to perform one scene?
A reader asks if a planned DVD crosses into dangerous copyright territory.
- Subtitled success stories
Somewhat remarkably, the top two movies in America have subtitles. Lots and lots of subtitles.
- Are studios open on Saturdays?
It's the wrong kind of question, but you don't know that at the start.
- Setting is not story
An LA Times article about the island of Pagasa makes a great case study in the difference between an interesting setting and an actual movie idea.
- Playing to the core
Brian Lowry cautions against [taking Comic-Con buzz too seriously.
- Cablevision and the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on the Cablevision case, allowing the Second Circuit Court's decision to stand. Cablevision can begin introducing its service.
- Per-screen average
Indies have high per-screen averages *because* they're on so few screens, not despite it.
- When is it brown-nosing?
Any sort of application, whether it's for a grant, for college or for a job, needs to do exactly three things.
- Learning story as a director
Film is a hundred different skills and disciplines, and no one person is going to be great at all of them.
- The only one who has seen the movie
At a screenwriting panel last week, Robin Swicord said something that reframed the issue in a very helpful way.
- What does a showrunner's assistant do?
Jonny Sommers has a job many readers want -- or at least, think they want: the assistant to a successful and busy TV showrunner.
- Pixar
I flew up to Oakland yesterday for lunchtime lecture and Q&A at Pixar. And wow. It's really nice up there.
- Kurtzman and Orci on Trek and writing together
Story lessons from Star Trek, from the mouths and minds of the writers.
- What does "execution dependent" mean?
What makes one high-concept idea more execution-dependent than another?
- Not great news at Blockbuster
They filed with SEC, noting "substantial doubt" about their ability to continue.
- Redbox, video and economics
An article about Redbox, whose kiosks rent DVDs for a dollar a day, isn't quite the beacon of doom it's made out to be.
- Should I write a straight-to-DVD knockoff?
Don't turn up your nose to actual paid writing for a company that makes movies.
- Why do LA people suck?
Is one reader's frustration indicative of the Hollywood culture, or specific to him? Likely both.
- Cams, rips and release dates
I've been asking around to find more information about studios' anti-piracy efforts.
- Tony Gilroy in The New Yorker
The New Yorker has a terrific piece about screenwriter-director Tony Gilroy.
- Raiders story conference
Lessons on screenwriting in action, straight from George, Steven and Larry.
- What should I do in a general meeting?
Taking generals: how to turn a get to know you meeting into paid work.
- Movie speak
Terms that will save you some embarrassment on set, unless -- writer -- you start throwing them around like you know what you're talking about.
- Notes on the state of the industry
Matt gives the full report from a WGA panel about the film industry.
- Script to greenlight panel
WGA hosts a panel and Q&A on studio feature development.
- Nice to meet you. Again. Maybe.
The Kevin Williamson Problem, explained.
- The biggest TiVo in the world
The thin line between unlimited DVR and video-on-demand.
- No, really, everything is fine.
Hey SAG, back away from the crazy.
- Cablevision and the infinite TiVo
How technology could upend the economics of filmed entertainment.
- Why is joining the WGA mandatory?
If it were optional, the studio would make sure you didn't take that option.
- Charlie Brown, advertising, and whatever comes after postmodernism
What a mash-up indicates about genres and modern storytelling.
- VHS, RIP
Thanks and good riddance.
- Money 101 for screenwriters
Read this before you cash that first check.
- Rewriting the rewriter
Sometimes there's good reasons why original writers leave and return to their projects.
- How long should it take to write a script?
Knowing the answer is part of the craft, just like a cabinetmaker promising a delivery date.
- Bailing on an idea
Knowing when to cut and run.
- Sending out to multiple agents
Rifle or shotgun approach to getting an agent?
- Indie film, cont'd
How some are navigating distribution of indie fare.
- Two from the file
Old questions, dusted off and answered.
- The purpose of drama, and its relationship to Cameron Diaz's ass
David Mamet argues that even high-minded goals like social commentary ultimately become Cameron Diaz's swirling ass -- attractive distractions that ultimately lessen a movie. And he's got a point.
- How to handle a phone meeting
A play by play of how it should go down.
- Shouldn't I get credit for the outline?
Explorations of ownership in a corporate environment.
- What do you do when the buzz fades?
You made a movie. Get the most you can out of it, then get cracking on doing the next project.
- Using a pseudonym
You can do it, but know the facts and consequences.
- WGA Board election preview
A plug for staying involved in WGA politics.
- Making unnecessary and possibly horrible changes
Making your movie. Keeping your soul.
- Writers need actors
The survival of dayplayers benefits us all.
- Sundance, The Nines, and the death of independent film
A long hard look at distributing independent films.
- If film studios developed videogames
Why is Puzzle Farter so gassy?
- Looking at the credit proposals
Challenges and fixes to the WGA arbitration process.
- The triumph of product integration
The brand to content relationship has come full circle.
- When friends read your script
You need good readers. Here's how to choose and keep them.
- How to Meet
Moment by moment; what to expect and how to behave in meetings.
- Shot an indie pilot. What's next?
How to expose, fund and distribute your pilot appropriately.
- Test screening questionnaires
DIY audience screenings help your product and save you money. Here's what to ask.
- For Your Consideration
How some scripts get an awards push.
- Should I change my name?
As a writer who legally changed his difficult-to-pronounce German name, I gotta say yes.
- What to do with a mediocre short film
If there's an idea that really is phenomenal at the heart of the short, you're better off writing it as a script again.
- Why writers get residuals
Why you don't get residuals for old spreadsheets but you do for screenplays.
- Pencils down
Why the WGA was forced to strike.
- They love it and they're passing
Capitalize on people's affection for your script to find something that pays money.
- Mom and Dad are fighting
Some families, like the WGA, just have a lot of Big Drama, and once you accept that, it's much less uncomfortable.
- Strike authorization vote
Solidarity equals leverage in negotiations.
- Quitting, and the age question
A tough question. Here are some signs that you should quit or stick with it.
- Moving to LA (via NYC)
Sage advice from a fresh transplant who took the plunge.
- Starting out in Hollywood
First person account of the glorious drudgery of starting at the bottom in Hollywood.
- The big Fox deal
The key ingredient is mutual benefit. Both sides have a lot to gain from making it work.
- Selling novel rights
Steps a publisher can take to offer up properties to moviemakers.
- Filmmaking, permitted
Update on New York City's struggle with what to charge productions.
- Student Films Across America
Apologies and congratulations to the filmmakers, I had to bolt.
- Permitted filmmaking
If it's you and a buddy with a tiny camera, should you really have to register with a governmental agency? I say no.
- Look out! He is a Spider-Pig
MPAA carries water for The Simpsons movie.
- Economics of Screenwriting
Who gets paid what, when and how. Broken down.
- My role in Transformers
Why I can't say definitively that I'm not in Transformers.
- Her least favorite mistake
An episode of Grey's Anatomy might have the same title as your spec. That's not even close to being plagiarism.
- Should I direct my spec?
How to avoid being talked out of your dreams.
- I talk with my hands
Video links explaining how film and television writers should approach promoting themselves and their work through the media.
- An intern with a script
Every intern has a script. So tread lightly.
- Giving credit where it's due
In a collaboration, how to identify contributions and distinguish contributors.
- Screenwriters' dinner
A read-out from the first WGAw Screenwriters' Dinner.
- Hello, Residuals
How I earned $86.50 a second.
- What is a script doctor?
There's no shortcut around becoming a "screenwriter" to becoming a "script doctor."
- Being typecast as a writer
Your (excellent) suspenseful thriller spec will find a receptive readership no matter what your ethnicity.
- How do you become successful?
Ground your notion of Hollywood. While it seems glamorous and lucrative, if you’re coming to the film industry looking to get rich, you’re wasting your time.
- Writer/Directors and Co-Ops
When writers direct and a screenwriters' co-op, discussed.
- Publicity 101
It would be nice if the general public had some sense that movies are actually written, and that the actors aren't making up their dialogue.
- Writing for the very small screen
The iPod and mobile phone media will demand their own unique ways of telling a story.
- What if my agent doesn't like my idea?
Knowing the market isn't the same thing as taste, and everyone's taste is different.
- What is independent film?
Should the independently financed Star Wars prequels count?
- The Queen on a silver platter
The 2007 Oscar screeners.
- Ands and Ampersands
The decision about which writers' names are listed in the credits, and what the conjunctions mean between them.
- Little Children, a little late
2007 Screeners update.
- For My Consideration
Coming across the accidental debris of celebrities -- or better yet, quasi-celebrities -- is strangely fascinating.
- Is Scriptblaster worth trying?
Your money would be better spent elsewhere. Such as Vegas.
- Should I worry about a competing project?
When to sell and when to hold.
- Because nothing says quality like a cow
No studio push for an Academy Award for your film? David Lynch inspires to get creative.
- Follow up: What job should I beg for?
A blog reader helps steer another reader towards his dream job.
- Clive Cussler really, really dislikes Sahara
An author rails against his Hollywood adaptation.
- When should I panic?
How to deal with the waiting cycle. The good/bad news: no screenwriter, at any level, is immune.
- When do you walk away?
Often, the only power a screenwriter has is to walk away, and the decision whether to do it is almost never straightforward.
- Is the Slamdance script competition a bad idea?
No. But getting a movie made is worth a lot more than any award.
- In defense of script supervisors
Scripty is often the last defense against our scripts being mangled.
- What job should I beg for?
Access leads to learning which is everything.
- Do screenwriters get a chunk of foreign TV money?
When writers do and don't get paid residuals.
- Two thoughts on the future of video
Fuck Wal-Mart, seriously.
- Agency wants me to pay their "editor"
Is your agent asking for money up front? Run away.
- Test screening The Movie
Test screening is important but potentially dangerous in the internet age.
- Crisis of Infinite Celebrities
The Tabloids would do well by following the example of DC comics.
- J.J. Abrams got a $55+ million deal
I feel exhausted just thinking about it.
- Spec, or write it for the producer?
Have it your way first, then compromise if need be.
- Are you somebody?
Awkward dances with public recognition.
- Does the editor even read the script?
Almost certainly once, before she signs on for the job. After that, it's hard to say. And that's not all bad.
- Why most scripts never become movies
As the screenwriter, there are hundreds of variables I can't control. So I consider it a minor miracle any time a movie gets made.
- Virtual Sundance
Can't make it to Sundance? Here's what you're missing (or not).
- Interview with me at DVguru
Link to an interview on the blog and the state of digital arts in 2005.
- Set lingo for the clueless writer
Good to know before you walk onto a set.
- Avoiding AD mistakes
Entering production, introduce yourself to the AD (if possible) and stay on top of the schedule.
- Which side of the pond should I choose?
Depends on your sensibility.
- The sky is not falling
Debunking the so called "crisis" at the box office.
- Being a reader
Detailed account of the lifestyle of a professional reader.
- Curse of the Pop-In
More from inside the meeting room.
- Someone actually wants to read my script
Not the time to play it cool. Don't waste a day and risk her forgetting who you are.
- Which agent should I choose?
Important questions to ask the clients of prospective agents.
- When should a writer become a corporation?
When why and how to incorporate.
- Read lots of bad scripts
It's just as important to read bad writing as good.
- Good advice from agents
The single most asked question (How do I get an agent?) answered directly by the source and amended by me.
- Glossary: Manuscript and Tentpole
Two new terms for the glossary.
- Good interviews about Father Knows Less
The step by step process of making a Hollywood movie.
- Good article on Shane Black
Including the best explanation for how to keep a pitch engaging. Two words: "But then..!"
- Taking a meeting without an agent or manager
If you can set something up without an agent, go for it. But don't do it without a lawyer.
- LA Times story on DVD sales
DVD revenue is often bigger than theatrical. No wonder some studios hide their numbers.
- Whether to pitch or to spec
For working writers, Craig Mazin says to pitch.
- Whether or not to American-ize
Not from these parts? Don't try to sublimate your natural writing style to match some mythical American standard.
- What does a writer's assistant do?
I outsourced this question to my former assistant, Rawson Thurber.
- Rewriting bad movies
You don't want to make a career of it. But sometimes, rewriting a bad movie can be liberating, because you know that almost anything you do will improve it.
- Screenwriter makes, saves a million dollars
Why it's important for screenwriters to stay active throughout production.
- Good discussion on end credits
Is it reasonable that a writer who's spent several months working on a given film may find her name is nowhere on the final product?
- Are four scripts better than one?
You're much better off with one good screenplay than four noble intentions.
- Pay-for-mentoring, part two
Scam warning for so called "mentor" programs.
- His name is my name too
What to do if you share a name with other screenwriters. In this case, me.
- How wide to take your spec script
The downside of going wide is that if your script doesn't receive a great reception, it's over pretty quickly.
- Big Green Envelopes
The WGA tracks down money owed, even for my failures.
- Producer credits and what they mean
The nomenclature's different for both TV and films. Here's a way to match titles with functions.
- Writers Guild agreement reached
2004 WGA agreement reached. Here's the good, bad and ugly therein.
- How do I find out who represents a given actor?
Unless you're calling to offer him gainful employment, an agent is not the one to help you. But here's where to find out.
- Can you be just a screenwriter anymore?
On whether making films or writing them is an easier way in. My writing is what makes me hirable, but it's sociableness that gets me hired.
- Short films and writer's assistants
Short answers to two questions: How do I get exposure for my (un-screenable) short. Can you make enough as a writers assistant to survive?
- The not-so-well-dressed screenwriter
Why the writer should always be the worst-dressed person in the room.
- Why agents send out terrible scripts
Do agents submit anything their clients write, or do they ever tell clients that they need to work on something a little longer before they'll send it out?
- Getting a reader job
Where to find the jobs. Warning: you may have to start at slave wages.
- Do screenwriters make anything from video rentals?
The writer doesn't get residuals on rentals, except for whatever Blockbuster paid for each videotape or DVD it bought it from the studio.
- Sending a script to an actor
If you've written a role that's "perfect for Tom Cruise," you have almost zero chance of getting it to him. But the more specialized the actor you're targeting, the more reasonable it is to try.
- Franchises and the original writer
Initial contracts are what keep you from being booted off the gravy train of a franchise.
- Good day jobs for writers and others
In finding a day job, ask yourself what other people always say you're good at. Then do it. But never stop paying attention to your real career: the one you're not getting paid for yet.
- Will digital ever replace film?
Weighing the future of celluloid.
- First rewrite
So does the WGA absolutely guaranteed the first rewrite on your spec script? No.
- Movie quotes
Those great movie lines, bringing infamy to those who deliver them, are actually written by writers.
- Film censorship
Is picking a fight with the MPAA a good way to market your film?
- More LA relocating
Should you move to Los Angeles? Only if you're really serious about making it as a writer.
- Writer's strikes
Baby-writer protocol. If you're not yet in the WGA, can you sell during a strike?
- Scripts sold
There are resources for finding out what scripts sold for what, but verifying the truth is another story.
- Does a Brit have a chance?
When or whether to cross the pond.
- Moving to Hollywood
If it's big movies you're talking about, big movies require big money, which pretty much means LA.
- Male vs. Female lead
The awful truth: having a female lead in an action script will cap the budget at a lower level than the male equivalent.
- Writing a biography
Trouble writing a biography? Feeling like you've done nothing as a young screenwriter? Here, I wrote one for you. Fill in the blanks.
- The problem of multiple screenwriters
The mechanics of multiple writers jumping in and out of a single project.
- Nominated screenplays
Screenplay awards are handed out based on the final movie. Would it be better or more fair if they were based on the actual script?
- Being rewritten
Even the most experienced writers with multiple credits find themselves rewritten badly at times. When should you take your name off a movie?
- Good writing vs. the idea
Well-written is rarely good enough. The idea must be compelling and marketable.
- Shooting shorts
Making a good short film is an incredible amount of work, but it's absolutely worthwhile if you have directing ambitions.
- Determining credit
Screen credits are a huge, sticky mess that pits writers against writers.
- Agency papers
When you sign with an agent, know what you're signing and how to protect yourself.
- Sold a script, next stop: agency
Finding the right agency means doing your homework and consulting with others.
- Finding assistant gigs
Advice on finding those hard to come by writers assistant jobs.
- Writer on-set
What few writers understand before visting a set is just how boring they are. For my money, a writer's time is better spent in the editing room.
- To live and die in LA
Boy does this question come up a lot. If your life's dream is to become a giant Hollywood screenwriter, then you need to live in Hollywood.
- MPAA numbers
Way down on the list of MPAA responsibilities is the job of keeping track of its members' movies. That's all the numbers are for.
- Do I show my scripts or my short?
Not many agents are apt to pop in a videotape to check out a low-budget movie from someone they've never heard of. The odds of suckage are just too high.
- Naomi Foner on How I Got My Agent
RUNNING ON EMPTY screenwriter on going from Sesame Street to Hollywood.
- Tom Smith on How I Got My Agent
A case of paid script analysis paying off for an aspiring writer.
- David Steinberg on How I Got My Agent
Someone (anyone) else saying your script is great is infinitely better than you doing it yourself.
- Howard Rodman on How I Got My Agent
Thai noodles led a baby writer to a baby agent. This is more likely to happen in LA.
- Derick Martini on How I Got My Agent
Using a short to lure agents to your script.
- James LaRosa on How I Got My Agent
A good example of why impressing assistants matters.
- Doug McGrath on How I Got My Agent
Oscar nominee for BULLETS OVER BROADWAY tells his story.
- How I Got My Agent
My personal answer to the most asked question of young writers.
- Craft service
The differences between craft services and catering and who to go to when one isn't up to par.
Formatting
- Observations on the evolution of screenwriting based upon reading one script from 1974
For work this afternoon, I needed to read a screenplay written in the early 1970s. I think it's the earliest-dated script I've read that wasn't reprinted in a book.
- Intercutting within a musical sequence
Musical numbers are a lot like action sequences: you're trying to convey how it's going to feel in the final movie, not beat out every little moment.
- Formatting notes in a screenplay
Only very rarely do you have to do a full dead stop to explain something to readers. I've probably done it twice in 40+ scripts.
- Formatting an interview montage
If you're staying in one location -- or a series of similar locations -- you don't need individual sluglines.
- Outlines, treatments and numbered pages
To me, an outline tends to be less prose-y and feature more bullet points, but there is no common consensus in Hollywood about what's what. We use "treatment" and "outline" interchangeably.
- Okay to use bold for scene headers?
You can use bold sluglines in your screenplay. It's just a matter of personal preference.
- Talking over a black screen
A black screen is a black screen. It's not INT. or EXT. Whether you start the film with a black screen, or you create one mid-way with a CUT TO BLACK, you can simply have your characters speak over it.
- Handling IMs in screenplays
How do you go about formatting IMs and text messages in your scripts?
- One dash, two dashes
One hyphen, two hyphens or none at all?
- Are parentheticals overused, cont'd
An ambitious reader crunches the numbers to find how many parentheticals successful screenwriters are actually using.
- Angles, spacing and monikers
Three quick answers on writing camera angles, formatting TV scripts and choosing a pen name.
- What belongs on a title page?
Check through any of the .pdfs in the Library, and you'll see that title pages are kept minimal: the name of the script, your name, based on (if any), and the date.
- Stressing out in dialogue
If you have a line that only makes sense one way -- and it's not the first way someone would read it -- you have a couple of choices.
- Formatting the faux-documentary
How to format the script for faux-documentaries like "The Office."
- Numbers in dialogue
For dialogue, use as few numbers as possible, and write them out unless it's cumbersome to do so.
- When two characters are played by the same actor
If it would be obvious to the viewer, make it obvious to the reader.
- (cont'd) vs. CONTINUOUS
You may notice several variations on "continued" in screenplays.
- Last looks
I handed in a script today, and thought it might be helpful to talk through my best practices when finishing up a draft.
- Variant cover artwork
Since you released "The Variant" independently, how'd you get the nifty cover art?
- How to format an on-screen note
First, avoid it if possible. But if you have to, here's how.
- How to include sign language
Italics are a good choice for sign language.
- Are glossaries a good idea?
Generally, no. Try to make terms understandable in context.
- The Kindle is not good for screenplays
Kindle 2: great for books, but not ready for screenplays.
- Can I go beyond DAY and NIGHT?
Sluglines can be more specific, but only when it's important for the reader.
- Comic book grammar
Great lesson in how comic books distinguish action, dialogue, and all the rest.
- How do I show simultaneity?
A couple of techniques for letting the audience know that two things are happening at the same time.
- How do I include animated sequences?
Clear sluglines help to weave in and out of animation.
- On the radio
Formatting radio chatter.
- Handling a character's POV shot
Formatting for a specific character's point of view.
- Five quick questions
One writer, five questions.
- How to cut pages
Just as important, what NOT to do when trying to cut length. Don't cheat.
- Writing silent scenes
Always treat your readers like audience members, and think about it from their perspective.
- One-sided dialogue
Sometimes, you only see one side of a conversation. That's okay.
- Pre-Lap
Using dialogue to bridge a cut. (Warning: some readers are haters)
- Split screens
Split screens aren't always spelled out in scripts, but you can get the idea across.
- Renumbering when moving a scene
It takes both a letter and an omit.
- That's a pretty expensive pad of paper
You really don't need fancy paper for hand-writing drafts.
- The Hollywood Standard
All you need to know about formatting a screenplay, right here (for sale anyway). Second opinions included.
- Chicago: The Musical. No, not that one.
I spent a few days in Chicago to see the workshop of my friends' new musical, Asphalt Beach. And then I wrote a play.
- When characters have multiple names
Treat your reader like an audience member. Give them the same information on the page that they would get on the screen.
- Mixing in bits of other languages
Your characters won't always be speaking English. Here's how to handle that.
- How to format lyrics in scripts
Generally, italics and a parenthetical.
- Should I fudge the date on the cover?
Yes. Sometimes.
- Welcome to the O.C., bitch
O.C. means "off camera." But O.S. does the job just as well.
- What format should I send my script in?
PDFs are almost always the right choice.
- Formatting the one-sided phone conversation
You don't need as many parentheticals as you think.
- Fixing double-spaces after periods
Two spaces still looks best for screenplays.
- Handling dialogue-like situations
If it feels like dialogue, it's fine to use that formatting.
- From FD to MMS
Some thoughts on the two major screenwriting platforms.
- Opening titles
You can indicate where the titles go, but only if it serves a story purpose.
- Teenage girls and gay men
Figuring out what to capitalize when indicating groups of people.
- How to include abstract images
Don't be afraid of including imagery if it's important for your story.
- Printing words on-screen
If you need us to know that it's 1945, put it on the screen.
- Intercutting
When intercutting between two scenes, the key is keeping it readable.
- Sensible sluglines
Sluglines are a powerful tool. Use them wisely.
- Picking a printer
You don't need a great printer, just one that can kick out 120 pages.
- Keep scene headers simple
Nobody really wants to read them anyway.
- Introducing off-screen characters
You can reveal a character any time you want.
- Celtx screenwriting application shows promise
An early look at an early version of the alternative screenwriting platform.
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Courier
As a former designer, I now spend most of my working life in the world's most boring typeface.
- Formatting for sign language
As long as the reader understands what you're doing, it's no big deal.
- Formatting text shown on screen
Keep it short and simple.
- Cover page artwork
It's not a great idea.
- Formatting a reality show proposal
Here's how to present a reality TV show. Use it wisely.
- How many lines per page?
It's actually not as standardized as you'd think.
- Page count and tight formatting
Everyone can tell when you're fudging. So don't.
- New CSS template for screenplay formatting
An early draft of what would later become Scrippets.
- Avoid CUT TO's in a busy sequence
Think like a reader, not like an editor.
- What does I/E mean?
Shorthand for INT./EXT.
- Page count for animation scripts
Does the page-a-minute rule apply across the board?
- Writing the script for a cooking show
There's not a standard format, so try to anticipate what producers would like to see.
- 'A' scenes and 'B' scenes
Once you start numbering scenes for production, you have to find ways to add new scenes between existing ones.
- Screenwriting software survey results are in
I took a poll, and here's what you said.
- Using a different font for the cover page on a script
It's okay. And if you're having trouble getting FD to do it, here are some workarounds.
- Survey up for screenwriting software
I asked readers to tell me about themselves and the software they use.
- Met the guy who runs Final Draft
I met the Final Draft guy.
- New Final Draft version 7.0 is...marginally better
Review of the Final Draft update.
- Formatting a montage sequence
A few different versions shown here. Pick the simplest version that gets the point across.
- Incorporating titles into a screenplay
How to superimpose places, times and dates into your screenplay.
- Script writing software
Which software to use?
- Voice-overs
Voice-over should never replace actual scenes, nor should it be redundant to what we do see.
- Secondary scene headings
Ways to say "moments later" without necessarily writing it.
- Various locations
Keeping the reader oriented as characters move through a space.
- Script formatting
Not only will looking at real scripts show you how they're formatted, but it will also give you a sense of how standardized the format truly is.
- Script length
Anything shorter than 100 pages feels too short. It's literally just not enough pages in your hand. And if you go much beyond 120 pages, people get nervous.
- Int. and Ext.
How to handle scenes that take place both inside and out.
- Using parentheticals
Overusing parenthetical comments will not only break the flow of the dialogue, they'll drive the reader crazy.
- Using CUT TO:
CUT TO: is an effective transition when used appropriately and sparingly.
- Split-screen
While someone watching a movie can follow the action happening in multiple sections of the screen at once, the reader simply can't.
- Character caps
ALL CAPS for character names is fine throughout plays, but just use them once in screenplays.
- Foreign languages
If you think the dialogue would probably be subtitled in the movie, italicize it in the script.
- Flashbacks and dreams
Use common sense in differentiating between the two and try to read the script as if you didn't write it, then see what's clearest.
- Characters w/ multiple names
From SUPERMAN to FIGHT CLUB, keeping the reader clear on characters with multiple names/identities.
- How many pages
The majority of scripts that go into production fall between 110 and 120 pages. That's generally what I aim for.
- Courier 12 pt. font
If you have the choice, always pick the Courier version.
- Formatting and software
Best practices for keeping your script formatted correctly.
Genres
- How to write Groundhog Day
I've only just started reading Danny Rubin's How to Write Groundhog Day, but it's promising enough that I think many screenwriters will want to take a look at it this weekend.
- Wishing Pixar were braver
Theresa Couchman wishes Pixar hadn't played into princess tropes for their first female-driven movie.
- From Captain Trips to Bowden's Malady
In the spirit of the season, let us say thanks to Wikipedia for this comprehensive list of fictional diseases.
- Stay away from this girl
Wait, how did I not know the Manic Pixie Dream Girl existed as a trope?
- Aline Brosh McKenna and the BlackBerry 3
NY Times has a nice piece on Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of "the BlackBerry 3."
- R-rated comedies to the rescue
Superhero movies continue to make money, but the rise of very profitable R-rated comedies is the box office story of the summer.
- H.P. Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book
Bruce Sterling publishes a list of Lovecraft's undeveloped story ideas.
- Get better flashlights
The Lazy Self-Indulgent Book Reviewer asks why graduates of Starfleet Academy lug around physical cylinders that emit light from one end? Why don’t they all have chip implants in their palms that glow when activated?
- That'll teach her
Tad Friend points out that funny women in movies must not only be gorgeous; they must fall down and then sob, knowing it's all their fault.
- On Google, and evil
It's remarkable how much my appreciation for Google has shifted over the last year or two. I use their products, but I don't love the company anymore. In fact, I'm kind of nervous about them.
- Why Harry Can't Spell
While I'm worrying about higher education as philanthropy, Samuel Arbesman dares to question the value of a Hogwarts education.
- How to write romance
You have to make us care whether the two lead characters end up together, which is really two requirements.
- Is machinima worthwhile?
Machinima offers a lot of potential for making cool projects, but you need to match the idea with the style.
- Formatting the faux-documentary
How to format the script for faux-documentaries like "The Office."
- Worst-case thinking for the screenwriter
Screenwriters benefit from worst-case scenario thinking.
- Get out of there
In real life, people do say this. But in movies, maybe they shouldn't anymore.
- Don't make the feature version of your short
Having worked with many emerging filmmakers through the Sundance Institute and other programs, I'm convinced it's usually the wrong choice.
- Academy's Film Noir series
The Academy is hosting a Monday night screening series focusing on film noir of the 1940's. I'll be handling "The Dark Mirror" on July 12. (Olivia de Havilland! Twins! Murder!)
- On the physics of space battles
Joseph Shoer looks at some of the uncomfortable science behind these science-fiction mainstays:
- Seven writer's rules for survival in animation
Useful suggestions for screenwriters working on their first animated feature
- Zombie-class situations
Zombies are more than the walking dead. They're a useful paradigm for a range of common scenarios in many genres.
- Making Christian movies
Is it a good idea to focus on making a movie for Christian audiences?
- "No signal" is the new air duct
This compilation clip demonstrates what a hoary cliché it has become to explain why movie characters can't use their cell phones.
- Groundhog Day and Unexplained Magic
An observation made halfway through a five-hour meeting in Beijing: in the movie Groundhog Day, it is never explained why Bill Murray's character is stuck in a time loop.
- Setting is not story
An LA Times article about the island of Pagasa makes a great case study in the difference between an interesting setting and an actual movie idea.
- Challenge results
We've got a winner and a slew of honorable mentions in the Superheroic Scene Challenge.
- Playing to the core
Brian Lowry cautions against [taking Comic-Con buzz too seriously.
- Now that's a gunfight
- How much does a short story earn in a magazine?
I really had no idea what people were getting paid for short stories, so I asked Matt to dig up some numbers.
- What does "execution dependent" mean?
What makes one high-concept idea more execution-dependent than another?
- You only have to destroy the Death Star
Your hero doesn't have to fix The Big World Problem by the time the end credits roll.
- Should I write a straight-to-DVD knockoff?
Don't turn up your nose to actual paid writing for a company that makes movies.
- Tony Gilroy in The New Yorker
The New Yorker has a terrific piece about screenwriter-director Tony Gilroy.
- Pride and Predator
Traditional period costume drama + alien crash landing = the definition of high concept.
- Are animated specs worth the time?
Short answer: yes. But be realistic about the chance of it getting made.
- Scripting a short film
A short film, like a short story, can't waste any time. Here's what to include, and what to leave out.
- The History Boys
A writer can get away with quite a few things on stage that are tough to pull off in movies.
- Her least favorite mistake
An episode of Grey's Anatomy might have the same title as your spec. That's not even close to being plagiarism.
- Should I write a novel or a script?
If you're looking to put your story out into the world, paper beats film, hands down.
- The perils of coincidence
The big villain in Spider-Man 3 was a plague of coincidence. Here's how they could have avoided it.
- The great big list of fictional diseases
The Motaba virus sounds bad, but the cure -- heavy doses of Dustin Hoffman -- is arguably worse.
- Is the Slamdance script competition a bad idea?
No. But getting a movie made is worth a lot more than any award.
- Chicago: The Musical. No, not that one.
I spent a few days in Chicago to see the workshop of my friends' new musical, Asphalt Beach. And then I wrote a play.
- Depression on film
You rarely see clinical depression in movies and TV, despite being much more common in real life than, say, retrograde amnesia.
- What if my movie is too much like another?
In all likelihood, it's not -- you just think it is.
- Can Dracula's son get a book deal?
The vast majority of memoirs are written by vain, delusional nutjobs, so there's no reason you shouldn't be entitled to your six-figure advance.
- Vampires are the imaginary numbers of modern literature
You've never met an undead blood-sucker, and neither have I. Yet we can both agree on quite a few characteristics of these non-existent beings.
- Making the geek movie
There is definitely room in the film universe for a uber-geek movie, be it a thriller, a drama, a comedy or whatever.
- How many drafts does it take?
This "knowing when it's done" sense only develops with experience.
- Inciting Incident: Koo Koo Roo edition
I want to know that no one's hurt, but even more, I want to know what the hell I saw.
- No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!
A useful guide to super-villainy.
- To Do: Destroy the world
It's surprisingly difficult for any villain -- even a powerful alien race -- to actually destroy the planet.
- Blind man's point of view
Welcome to the world of experimental film, where you invite mocking simply based on hubris.
- Getting stuck in a genre
The right genre is the one that will actually get you to fire up your word processor, rather than surf the internet.
- Genres and structures
Nail down characters, tone and action come before plot and structure.
- Western's out?
Yes. So write one.
Glossary
- Hitchcock on MacGuffins
A cleverly animated bit with Hitch talking about these screenwriting staples.
- On protagonists
The protagonist is the character that suffers the most.
- Shoe leather and bric-a-brac
Links to the do's and don't-do's of comedy writing.
- Glossary: Residuals
Residuals, defined.
- McGuffin and Set-Piece defined
Old hollywood constructs still highly relevant.
- Producer credits and what they mean
The nomenclature's different for both TV and films. Here's a way to match titles with functions.
Pitches
- When you only have one sample
A writing team is getting good response to their first script -- but it's their only script.
- Pitching Prince of Persia
Jordan Mechner has posted the game-footage trailer we used when we pitched Prince of Persia to the studios six years ago
- Setting is not story
An LA Times article about the island of Pagasa makes a great case study in the difference between an interesting setting and an actual movie idea.
- Do I need a caveat?
Hollywood folk are savvy enough to realize that the guys who wrote Saw aren't any sicker than most screenwriters.
- Bailing on an idea
Knowing when to cut and run.
- How to handle a phone meeting
A play by play of how it should go down.
- Is it risky to spec something in the public domain?
Not if it will get you read and your expectations are adjusted.
- Spec, or write it for the producer?
Have it your way first, then compromise if need be.
- Writing loglines for a comedy
Check out some great ones to get inspired.
- Whether to pitch or to spec
For working writers, Craig Mazin says to pitch.
- Pitch fests: Are they worth it?
I've heard tales of studio executives buying ideas they heard during a pitch panel, but I don't know of any verifiable success stories.
- Whatever happened to...
Follow up on a pitch I sold.
- Bringing a ringer for a pitch
Don't do it. Unless that person is writing it with you.
- Getting a job from a pre-visualization
When it's useful and how to distribute it to gain interest in your movie.
- Getting a pitch meeting
Getting the meeting, but also what to do in the room.
- What a "pitch"
Do stunts work in pitching?
Producers
- Casting and positive outcomes
Craig and John discuss the screenwriter's role in casting, then segue to the New York Times profile of producer/executive Lindsay Doran's approach to story.
- What do producers do?
Craig and John explain what producers do -- at least, what they're supposed to do -- and discuss the myriad subclasses of producers that litter the opening titles of many movies.
- Endless producer notes
How do you handle a producer who won't stop giving notes?
- When to talk about your idea
Lawrence Turman suggests asking random people for their opinions of your concept. Great idea for a producer, but potentially a bad idea for a screenwriter.
- The One-Month Manager
What's a reasonable amount of time to give your manager to read a draft of your script? It sometimes takes this screenwriter's manager up to a month.
- How many times can a meeting get pushed?
General meetings aside, how many pushes merits cause for concern regarding interest in you/your idea?
- Should a screenwriter pay for notes?
If you can't find that one smart reader amid your circle, it's possible that you'd benefit from paying someone. I don't have any names to recommend, but if I were in your place, I'd look for a few things.
- The only one who has seen the movie
At a screenwriting panel last week, Robin Swicord said something that reframed the issue in a very helpful way.
- Based on an idea by...
"Based on an idea by" is a rare credit, for good reason.
- Sending out to multiple agents
Rifle or shotgun approach to getting an agent?
- Making unnecessary and possibly horrible changes
Making your movie. Keeping your soul.
- Is it risky to spec something in the public domain?
Not if it will get you read and your expectations are adjusted.
- Should I worry about a competing project?
When to sell and when to hold.
- Co-producer credit
How to get producer credit? Use leverage and do the work.
- Surviving development hell
How to handle development meetings. Be open, learn and remember the changes are yours to implement.
- Dead rapper's mom is calling the shots
A good example of why producers matter.
- Writer control
Selling people on your ideas is critical to keeping control of a movie from the beginning.
- More on becoming a co-producer
How a writer can stay involved in a producing capacity once the script is written.
Psych 101
- What it's like when your show gets cancelled
Lauren Bagby offers an office PA's perspective how it feels when your show gets cancelled.
- Unprecedented, just like last year
Over at Tom the Dancing Bug, Ruben Bolling looks at how journalists have a faulty memory when it comes to past award seasons.
- Pitching a show
I'd missed this piece from November by Jesse Lasky in which he describes his first experience pitching a TV show.
- Resenting your audience
Pivoting of the discussion Craig and I had about Charlie Kaufman's speech, Josh Barkey outlines a path that may lead screenwriters to resent their audiences.
- Workspace: Christine Boylan
Screenwriter and TV scribe Christine Boylan talks through her work habits and tools.
- Why France exhausts me
At the end of any day in which I've had to keep up in French, I'm zombie-tired. Research Daniel Kahneman has the explanation.
- The Good Boy Syndrome, and whether film school is worth it
John and Craig discuss why screenwriters want to please people -- and how it often hurts them and the movie they're writing -- before a lengthy discussion of the pros and cons of going to film school.
- Writing and decision fatigue
I had a hunch that late in the day wasn't the best time to introduce a new song for Big Fish. Science agrees.
- What a flop feels like
Sean Hood writes up his experience of dealing with a film flop.
- Endless producer notes
How do you handle a producer who won't stop giving notes?
- You are the host of your own talk show
I never watched Oprah. But I'm not surprised she had some good parting thoughts.
- Write the way you speak
College was the first time I started writing how I speak. Or, more accurately, college was when I stopped trying to write the way I thought I *should* write.
- All fiction is fan fiction
Sure: everyone's already linked to Austin Kleon's wonderful post How to Steal Like an Artist (and 9 things nobody taught me). But I can't *know* that you've read it. And I don't have better advice for you today, or even this week. So I really recommend you read it, and take some notes.
- When to talk about your idea
Lawrence Turman suggests asking random people for their opinions of your concept. Great idea for a producer, but potentially a bad idea for a screenwriter.
- All yourselves belong to us
The Time Magazine profile on Mark Zuckerberg offers a concise description of what makes me uneasy about Facebook in its current form: the binary definition of friendship.
- Dick jokes for classy producers
While you can intuit a bit about producers' taste by the films they've made, don't assume producers only get certain genres. And never turn down a chance for a read.
- On Dogfooding, and scratching your own itch
When you make something that you yourself use, that's called dogfooding, a contraction of "eating your own dogfood." That's developer-speak, but it's something screenwriters would do well to appropriate.
- The One-Month Manager
What's a reasonable amount of time to give your manager to read a draft of your script? It sometimes takes this screenwriter's manager up to a month.
- How many times can a meeting get pushed?
General meetings aside, how many pushes merits cause for concern regarding interest in you/your idea?
- The dark tyranny of crickets
What do you do when your best work is met with an indifferent shrug?
- All of the other reindeer
Ostracism is a handy motivation for both heroes and villains.
- Worst-case thinking for the screenwriter
Screenwriters benefit from worst-case scenario thinking.
- Should she take anxiety medication?
Jenny was prescribed anti-anxiety medication, but worries it will mess up her writing.
- On Golden Handcuffs
Paul spent 29 years in a job too good to leave, and regrets it.
- Can I base a character on a real asshole?
You're naturally going to be drawn towards real-life people who are fascinating. That's a good thing. Observe behavior. Figure out motivations and pathology. Then forget the real person.
- Fake tears
In defense of fake tears and the emotional work screenwriters do.
- Are online film classes worth it?
Scott wonders if his online filmmaking classes are teaching him what he needs to know.
- On 2010
For the past few years, I've been aiming more towards "areas of interest" rather than true resolutions. That way, there's no implied promise to be broken.
- Burn it down
As the writer, you need to burn down houses. You need to push characters out of their safe places into the big scary world -- and make sure they can never get back.
- The only one who has seen the movie
At a screenwriting panel last week, Robin Swicord said something that reframed the issue in a very helpful way.
- Same script, different day
Do you ever get sick of working with the same script that you are loathe to even look at it anymore? Yes.
- When do you move on?
I can't reduce it to some simple "He's Just Not That Into You" formula, but two months is far beyond the limit.
- When writing partners disagree
While it's great to have an extra brain helping to write a script, you're unlikely to always agree, and compromises may not always make sense.
- Inspiration, creativity and showing up
Writer Elizabeth Gilbert discussing healthier ways to look at the creative process.
- Why do LA people suck?
Is one reader's frustration indicative of the Hollywood culture, or specific to him? Likely both.
- Are writing groups a good idea?
They're not a terrible idea, as long as they're approached with the right expectations.
- When writing teams break up
Don't just think about who "owns" what. There are more practical considerations.
- Which project should I write?
I'd recommend writing the one that has the best ending.
- Nice to meet you. Again. Maybe.
The Kevin Williamson Problem, explained.
- Do I need a caveat?
Hollywood folk are savvy enough to realize that the guys who wrote Saw aren't any sicker than most screenwriters.
- Rewriting the rewriter
Sometimes there's good reasons why original writers leave and return to their projects.
- Your first time
Your first script is like the first time you have sex. It's not the best sex you're ever going to have. In fact, it would be sad if it were.
- Shouldn't I get credit for the outline?
Explorations of ownership in a corporate environment.
- What do you do when the buzz fades?
You made a movie. Get the most you can out of it, then get cracking on doing the next project.
- Aquaman is a Pescepublican
Superhero politics should remain abstract.
- Making unnecessary and possibly horrible changes
Making your movie. Keeping your soul.
- Short questions, short answers
Why did Edward Bloom leave Ashland? Does beginners luck exist? Shocking answers revealed, inside!
- Question sprint
Killing backstories, writing out lyrics and why you will always want to be writing something else (amongst other topics), explored.
- Advice for terrible writers
Confronted with a bad script, step back and ask the right questions.
- They love it and they're passing
Capitalize on people's affection for your script to find something that pays money.
- Quitting, and the age question
A tough question. Here are some signs that you should quit or stick with it.
- September 11th
How to write when it suddenly seems to become a trivial pursuit.
- An intern with a script
Every intern has a script. So tread lightly.
- Inconvenient brilliance
Obey the muse, whatever the timing, or risk her departure.
- Lost Rooms and American Zombies
When other people have the same ideas and act on them, it helps me clear my slate.
- When should I panic?
How to deal with the waiting cycle. The good/bad news: no screenwriter, at any level, is immune.
- Workshops: An invitiation to idea theft?
Get over it. No one wants to steal your crappy idea.
- Depression on film
You rarely see clinical depression in movies and TV, despite being much more common in real life than, say, retrograde amnesia.
- Rejection
Eventually, you learn that you can't depend on strangers for validation.
- What if the movie I wrote turns out god-awful?
This is one of the worst things about being a screenwriter: you ultimately have very little control over the movie that gets made. Here's how to deal.
- I am Hillary Clinton's clavicle
A political quiz helps understand characters whose beliefs are different from my own.
- On friends, colleagues and jealousy
The process of adding and dropping friends and colleagues isn't unique to this business. It sucks for them. It sucks for you. Accept that and move on.
- Read lots of bad scripts
It's just as important to read bad writing as good.
- Writing when the movie could get ruined
Embracing the chaos and letting go.
- Does bad work spoil mine?
Rejoice and learn from the suckiness. Their low standards make your great script all the more unusual.
- Getting sidetracked by other movies
Tricks to get you back in the mood of your screenplay.
- Regaining confidence when nothing is working
Methods for breaking through the self doubt and general madness when you've lost your way to the end of your story.
- The fine line between talented and bonkers
I don't think you have to be nuts to be a good writer. Nor do I you should use writing as an excuse for not getting help when you need it.
- Working, but what's the next step?
Important steps for the beginner who's ready for the next level.
- Does lack of confidence lead to great writing?
Pretend you're confident. Eventually, you will be.
- Finding confidence
The flip side of Insecurity tends to be Arrogance. I highly recommend the former over the latter.
- Past mistakes
When you don't think you deserve to be in the room, no one else will, either.
- Writing is hard
Don't wait for flow. It might come; it might not. But it's your job to keep writing anyway.
- How old is too old?
Starting a career in film is difficult at any age, so if it's 15% more difficult at 35 than 25, I can't imagine that would deter you.
Rights and Copyright
- First-sale doctrine
Craig and I talk a bit about the effects of first-sale doctrine in this week's podcast, but we don't define it. So let's do that here.
- Getting ahead of copyright battles
Eriq Gardner looks at lawsuits filed by producers of an upcoming Emma Thompson film trying to establish her screenplay doesn't infringe on existing works.
- Happy Birthday to Lawyers
"Happy Birthday to You" -- a common song famously still covered by copyright -- may in fact be free and clear.
- Everything is a remix, but you can still get sued
Kirby Ferguson and Andy Baio show two very different sides of remixing.
- Getting clearances
Checking clearances means making sure you're not inadvertently referring to real people and real companies in your project.
- You can't copyright titles
Copyright is a bundle of protections granted to the creator of a work. It doesn't cover the pure idea ("Save the Last Dance with dinosaurs"); it covers the expression of the idea (your original, 120-page screenplay Dinosalsa: The Jurassic Dance).
- Surviving the director's rewrite
There is no grand tradition of a "director's pass." When it happens, it's because some directors (1) believe they can write and (2) believe they can fix the perceived problems in the script. They may say they want to "make it their own." But underlying that is the fact that there's something about the script that bugs them, and you haven't been willing or able to address it.
- No one stole your idea
I have very little patience for accusations that someone "stole my idea for a movie." Or a TV show. But such complaints are common. Sometimes, it becomes a copyright lawsuit. More often, it's a campaign of whispers.
- I sing this song for you. For free.
Composer Jason Robert Brown is flattered young singers like his work, but wishes they wouldn't pirate his sheet music.
- When is it okay to write for free?
Any work you're not getting paid for should be yours and yours alone. That's why aspiring screenwriters write spec scripts. That's what you should focus on writing. Still, there may be situations in which it makes sense to write a script for someone else without getting paid.
- Do novelists get more for successful adaptations?
When a novel is adapted into a film or television series, how does compensation to the writer of the original novel work?
- Can I base a character on a real asshole?
You're naturally going to be drawn towards real-life people who are fascinating. That's a good thing. Observe behavior. Figure out motivations and pathology. Then forget the real person.
- Should I mention the script was optioned?
Producers and production companies aren't necessarily going to be excited that someone else had the project before them. Yes, it validates their taste a bit, but they may worry that the script has already been burned out around town. If everyone has read it and passed, what are they going to do with it, exactly?
- Writing while at a studio
Chris works as an assistant at a studio? Do they own anything he writes?
- How ScriptShadow hurts screenwriters
ScriptShadow reviews scripts to upcoming movies. And that hurts screenwriters more than anyone.
- Can I use a book without permission?
No! Stop and re-assess. There are at least three options, but simply stealing the plot and characters isn't one of them.
- Is it fair use to perform one scene?
A reader asks if a planned DVD crosses into dangerous copyright territory.
- Quoting books in a script
Screenplays don't cite references because they don't quote things.
- Referring to famous people
Yes, you can have characters talk about people like Michael Bay without getting permission.
- Authors' Guild vs. Kindle
Cory Doctorow makes many of the points I would about the Authors' Guild's grumpiness over the Kindle's text-to-speech function.
- When writing teams break up
Don't just think about who "owns" what. There are more practical considerations.
- Shouldn't I get credit for the outline?
Explorations of ownership in a corporate environment.
- Question sprint
Killing backstories, writing out lyrics and why you will always want to be writing something else (amongst other topics), explored.
- Selling novel rights
Steps a publisher can take to offer up properties to moviemakers.
- Permitted filmmaking
If it's you and a buddy with a tiny camera, should you really have to register with a governmental agency? I say no.
- Her least favorite mistake
An episode of Grey's Anatomy might have the same title as your spec. That's not even close to being plagiarism.
- Finding out if a book has been optioned
Easy steps to tracking down rights.
- Help! I'm getting screwed on my own series
If this sounds like you, stop reading and start dialing. You need a better attorney, stat.
- Using overheard dialogue
Let's say you're at work and you overhear some great dialogue. Should you worry about co-workers suing when they hear it in your movie?
- Using your friend's name in a script
Do you need signed legal permission to use a friend's name in a script?
- Because really, he should drive a Chrysler LeBaron
Clearing (and not worrying about) brands, artwork and monikers for your movie.
- Copyright: The Comic Book
Link to a great legal resource for filmmakers concerned with portraying reality.
- Writing about real events
How to deal when your situations and characters are based on real incidents and people.
- Using the story of a friend's life
Legal and moral issues arise when taking someone else's story, even just pieces of it.
- Getting permission
Link to a great book to ease your fears of getting permissions to copyrighted material.
- Optioning a screenplay
Options; defined and explained.
- Using a song in a short without permission
Using unlicensed material can be okay at the festival level. The trouble comes when you make money off of it.
- Average price for a short story option
What is the average option price short stories are optioned for? Just to get an estimate of what I should be offering/accepting. Where else can I do research about these confidential matters?
- Setting up a project without having the underlying book rights
If there's a book you can't afford to option yourself, it's worth trying to get someone to option it for you.
- Using the music of an unknown band
Having the rights shouldn't necessarily be your first concern.
- Slandering historical figures
Dead people are fair game, for the most part.
- Dead copyright holders, and being too young
How to track down rights after someone passes on.
- Getting rights when the story is based on actual events
Navigating the differences between public domain and intellectual property.
- Do you need permission to use a quotation?
Let lawyers handle the law. You have plenty to worry about as a mere screenwriter.
- Finding a writer
Got an idea but no writing chops? Here's some options for getting a writer on board.
- Getting rights to a concept album
Copyright almost certainly rests with the songwriters, so start there.
- Copyright and changes
How much needs to change to make re-registering your script worthwhile?
- Spoofs in your script
There's a long tradition of movies parodying each other, and it would be hard to prove any actual damage or wrongdoing.
- Bob Marley
Thoughts on writing a biopic.
- Optioning your book
How much is my book worth? Should I option or sell?
- Based on a true story
How is that label earned? What are the legal parameters?
- Copyrighted materials in your script
Worry about writing the best scenes and not about lawsuits or song rights.
- Optioning a book
If you can, option. If not, don't be afraid to show your script for fear of losing the rights to the source material.
- Getting rights to a concept album
Copyright almost certainly rests with the songwriters, so start there.
- "Fictional events" disclaimer
In GO, the threeway, the strippers and the burning hotel room all happened - at different times, to different people - but in stringing them together, I created a fictious work that is not really "based on actual events."
- Finding the rights
Sometimes an attorney should be your first stop on the search for rights.
- Stealing sequels
If you feel like writing a remake be prepared to approach the original studio first. Know that, If they don't want to make it, and no one else is willing to buy the rights from them, you're screwed.
- Registering ideas
Only written, detailed ideas can be registered and protected.
- Rewriting an old movie
Every studio has somebody who handles exactly these kind of rights.
- Are jokes public domain?
At a certain point, some jokes circulate out in the popular culture enough that I would argue they're essentially public domain.
- Using copyrighted material in a short
The consequences for trampling someone else's copyright are not that dire. Since you're a student, and probably broke, it's not like 20th Century Fox is going to sue you for your life's savings.
- A character sings a song
Hope you have to worry about these problems when the movie gets made. Until then, don't.
- Worried about copyrights
This is America. If you want your characters to say that TOWN AND COUNTRY was a boring, unfunny disaster, they can.
- More copyrights and changes
How important is it to register your screenplay?
So-Called Experts
- Those who can't write, teach seminars
The fact is that very few people who write screenwriting how-to books have meaningful writing credits. They make a living selling advice to aspiring screenwriters, either one-on-one or at seminars.
- Rethinking motivation
Try replacing the question of what the character wants/needs with, "Why is the character doing what he's doing?"
- Short answer sprint
Nine second answers to nine burning questions. Ready...go!
- What does he want?
Often, the best answer is the simplest: something physical and achievable.
- Script Cops
Video link.
- The Hollywood Standard
All you need to know about formatting a screenplay, right here (for sale anyway). Second opinions included.
- Is Scriptblaster worth trying?
Your money would be better spent elsewhere. Such as Vegas.
- Professional Writing and the Rise of the Amateur
A lecture to Trinity University on authorship and authority in the internet age.
- Write-up of my recent WGA Foundation Q&A
Corrections to notes on my Q&A at the WGA.
- Stressing over structure
Stop thinking about structure as something you impose upon your story. It's an inherent part of it, like the setup to a joke.
- Backing up is hard to do
It's the law of delayed consequences: people tend to put off work that doesn't have immediate gratification.
- The Get A Mentor program
Is your mentor program a tad shady?
- Hiring a "script doctor"
If you really have limitations in a given area -- dialogue, plotting, whatever -- you need a writing partner, not a self-styled guru.
- Writers Boot Camp
Workshops often bill themselves as helping writers avoid the painful mistakes, but sometimes what you really need are the painful mistakes.
- Getting help as a deaf screenwriter
If you were hired to write a magazine article in French, you wouldn't think twice about having a native speaker look over your work. That's what you need.
- Robert Mckee
Internalize what makes sense to you and chuck the rest. Anyone who tries to convince you that theirs is the One True Way is deluding themselves and you.
- Screenwriting contests
A couple can be a boon to a young writer, others are in it for the cash.
- Script promotion websites
A waste of time and money?
- Paying for notes?
If you're looking to strangers for notes, protect yourself and check them out first.
- Writing a biography
Link to a template to write your baby-writer biography.
Story and Plot
- Casting and positive outcomes
Craig and John discuss the screenwriter's role in casting, then segue to the New York Times profile of producer/executive Lindsay Doran's approach to story.
- How long is Rope?
All movies exist in unreal time, not because of cuts and gimmickry, but because the experience of watching a movie involves surrendering to that film's reality. We go into dream mode, especially when watching something on a giant screen in a dark theater.
- Dear Cindy in Blue Valentine
So, hey, you're pregnant. And it's not welcome news, because you're in college and hope to go to medical school. But before you marry scruffy-cute ukelele guy, maybe think about adoption.
- Symphonies and screenplays
Roger Kamien's description of the sonata form, a building block of the classical symphony, will seem familiar to screenwriters.
- The two kinds of endings
Most stories end one of two ways: resolution or logical exhaustion.
- If we played by the rules right now we'd be in gym
Nick's heard from the experts is that you need character arcs and all that jazz but he just doesn't see that in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
- How much screen time does the hero get?
Is there a unspecified limit as to how much face time a main character gets on screen?
- What audiences know
Figuring out what the audience needs to know -- and when they need to know it -- is one of the trickiest aspects of screenwriting.
- All of the other reindeer
Ostracism is a handy motivation for both heroes and villains.
- Story is free
If you're making a movie on a limited budget, it may put real constraints on your locations, schedule and cast size. But that frugality doesn't need to limit your story. Story is free.
- On protagonists
The protagonist is the character that suffers the most.
- Women in film
The Bechdel test points out how rarely women characters in movies talk about anything other than men.
- Writing from theme
"Theme" is a word screenwriters use without defining it clearly, but here's a good way to think about it.
- Screenwriting and the problem of evil
One of the joys of screenwriting is putting childhood terrors into words. But nihilism is not a crowd-pleaser.
- How to logline a dual-plot story
If both plotlines are key to your story, you need to make that clear in the logline. Otherwise, you risk future readers feeling like you bait-and-switched them.
- Can I base a character on a real asshole?
You're naturally going to be drawn towards real-life people who are fascinating. That's a good thing. Observe behavior. Figure out motivations and pathology. Then forget the real person.
- 10 hints for index cards
Index cards are a great tool for outlining. Use them wisely.
- Burn it down
As the writer, you need to burn down houses. You need to push characters out of their safe places into the big scary world -- and make sure they can never get back.
- Every villain is a hero
A helpful thing to remember when plotting out stories with a clear antagonist: he probably doesn't know he's the bad guy.
- Groundhog Day and Unexplained Magic
An observation made halfway through a five-hour meeting in Beijing: in the movie Groundhog Day, it is never explained why Bill Murray's character is stuck in a time loop.
- Kurtzman and Orci on Trek and writing together
Story lessons from Star Trek, from the mouths and minds of the writers.
- Take away the questions
You shouldn't just answer questions. Get rid of them before they're asked.
- Inner struggle is not plot
Many great movies feature characters struggling against their demons, or attempting to find themselves. But that's not plot.
- Tony Gilroy in The New Yorker
The New Yorker has a terrific piece about screenwriter-director Tony Gilroy.
- Things We Think About Games
On storytelling in games.
- The purpose of drama, and its relationship to Cameron Diaz's ass
David Mamet argues that even high-minded goals like social commentary ultimately become Cameron Diaz's swirling ass -- attractive distractions that ultimately lessen a movie. And he's got a point.
- Characters for an epic tale
A useful visual reference for that adventure tale you can't work out.
- Question sprint
Killing backstories, writing out lyrics and why you will always want to be writing something else (amongst other topics), explored.
- Does a working writer keep improving?
Dedicate one day a week to disassembling good movies.
- Scripting a short film
A short film, like a short story, can't waste any time. Here's what to include, and what to leave out.
- Linear writing for non-linear films
How to outline and structure a non-linear story.
- What if my movie is too much like another?
In all likelihood, it's not -- you just think it is.
- Can Dracula's son get a book deal?
The vast majority of memoirs are written by vain, delusional nutjobs, so there's no reason you shouldn't be entitled to your six-figure advance.
- Cut-scenes do not a videogame make
Videogame-makers need to stop trying to ape Hollywood blockbusters, and instead focus on creating playable stories. A link to an article detailing the differences between the storytelling needs and styles.
- What's the difference between Hero, Main Character and Protagonist?
Mostly the main character is all three. But the terms apply to separate functions in the story.
- Theory #1
Predictability in structure does not necessarily doom the story to boredom or sameness.
- The difference between homage and rip-off
An "idea" is essentially unprotectable. What is protectable is the execution: the plot, the characters and all of the details.
- Elephant and Columbine's actual events
A question of fair use in the treatment of tragic events.
- Similar plotlines
Be happy you also thought of a great, marketable idea and move on.
- Story first, then characters
Taking the "character driven story" idea too literally can derail your story.
- Themes
Theme defined. Its function explored.
- Original films
Hollywood is making a lot of bad movies, but Hollywood has always made bad movies.
- Choosing character names
Matching the right name to the character while keeping them distinct from one another.
- Theory #2
Why do movies suck?
- My idea's been stolen
Paramount has just bought a project that sounds horribly similar to yours? Remember that there's a vast chasm in scriptland between being bought and being made.
Television
- What it's like when your show gets cancelled
Lauren Bagby offers an office PA's perspective how it feels when your show gets cancelled.
- Pitching a show
I'd missed this piece from November by Jesse Lasky in which he describes his first experience pitching a TV show.
- Downton Abbey, season two
The second season of Downton Abbey debuts Sunday in the U.S. As I've discussed on the podcast, I couldn't wait and bought it off the UK iTunes Store. I've already watched the whole second season and the Christmas episode. So, for American audiences, here's a non-spoilery preview of what I found notable about this season.
- More on Archer's odd pre-laps
Comparing Archer's actual script to my transcript-y approximation shows a little bit more about how Adam Reed's show works.
- Workspace: Christine Boylan
Screenwriter and TV scribe Christine Boylan talks through her work habits and tools.
- Who killed the mystery?
Procedural-plus shows are simply more difficult to pull off, both at the whiteboard stage and in the finished episode. Once you've established the stakes of the A-plot -- a killer is on the loose! -- any scene that doesn't address that feels like filler. So writers need to find ways to weave character moments into plot scenes, which can be difficult.
- How kids become screenwriters
John and Craig discuss the new fall shows and how little kids become screenwriters, with discussion of D&D, Malcolm Gladwell and daisy-wheel printers.
- How The Sopranos killed The Godfather
Peter Aspden remembers when TV wasn't art, and certainly wasn't something to talk about seriously. He argues that cable dramas -- in particular, those on HBO -- changed everything.
- Rob Corddry on getting stuff written
Merlin Mann's Back to Work podcast has a great discussion with Rob Corddry this week, talking about Children's Hospital.
- TV reboots have a bad track record
Kevin Fallon points out that most reboots of classic series don't stick around long. But that's because most TV shows fail. That's TV.
- Pronunciation jokes
Pronunciation jokes have a tendency to feel cheap and hoary. But when they work, they work -- and it's easy enough to show them on the page.
- Javier Grillo-Marxuach on craft
The Tiny Protagonist has a good interview with Javier Grillo-Marxuach (a writer/producer on LOST and many other shows), talking about how he got started and the craft of television.
- Fucking pilots
I'm reading more network pilot scripts this year than in years past, so I can't say whether this is a new trend or just something I was unaware of: What's with all the swearing?
- The 4-hour Staffing Season
Today's First Person comes from Daniel Thomsen, a television writer who’s worked on staff at Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles and Melrose Place.
- One sample, cont'd
Several readers questioned my advice to write a TV spec, even if feature screenwriting is your primary goal.
- When you only have one sample
A writing team is getting good response to their first script -- but it's their only script.
- Transitioning from comics to TV
Jay Faerber is trying to transition from writing comics to writing TV, and is doing so with the help of the Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop.
- Married showrunners
Mary McNamara has an article in the LA Times about married TV showrunners.
- Pitching Star Trek
Roddenberry's 1964 outline is the same kind of write-up TV writers use today.
- Premise pilots
If you're writing the pilot episode of a TV series, you have a choice to make: will this episode be more-or-less typical for the series, or will it be The Beginning?
- Angles, spacing and monikers
Three quick answers on writing camera angles, formatting TV scripts and choosing a pen name.
- Please take your finger out of your ear
Really, wireless radio devices don't need to be touched to work.
- What's wrong with the business
Writers are making less money, and it's part of a bigger shift in the industry.
- Cablevision and the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on the Cablevision case, allowing the Second Circuit Court's decision to stand. Cablevision can begin introducing its service.
- When is it brown-nosing?
Any sort of application, whether it's for a grant, for college or for a job, needs to do exactly three things.
- What does a showrunner's assistant do?
Jonny Sommers has a job many readers want -- or at least, think they want: the assistant to a successful and busy TV showrunner.
- Terminated
Josh Friedman recounts the cancellation of his excellent show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
- Why aren't adaptations ok for competitions?
With an adapted screenplay, it's not altogether obvious what awesomeness came from the screenwriter, and what came from the underlying material.
- Pilot School
A site featuring tons of TV pilot scripts.
- The biggest TiVo in the world
The thin line between unlimited DVR and video-on-demand.
- Alaska: The Satchel Boy
A clip from my 2003 pilot, directed by Kim Manners.
- Kim Manners
Mourning one of TV's great directors: Kim Manners.
- Cablevision and the infinite TiVo
How technology could upend the economics of filmed entertainment.
- How long should it take to write a script?
Knowing the answer is part of the craft, just like a cabinetmaker promising a delivery date.
- Time jumps and oil drilling
Two unrelated questions answered. 1. Clarifying young and old versions of characters. 2. How much research to do before writing.
- Writers need actors
The survival of dayplayers benefits us all.
- HBO
My agent leaves me to head HBO. Yeah Sue!
- Shot an indie pilot. What's next?
How to expose, fund and distribute your pilot appropriately.
- Test screening questionnaires
DIY audience screenings help your product and save you money. Here's what to ask.
- Short answer sprint
Nine second answers to nine burning questions. Ready...go!
- Strike, day 29
The strike gives you time to write fantasy mash-up scripts, if only in your head.
- The Office is closed
Video courtesy of THE OFFICE writers.
- Heroes: Origins: Gone
The WGA strike kills a spin-off, and my episode with it.
- Heroes: Origins
How I got the gig to write and direct an episode of the (now defunct) HEROES spin-off.
- Her least favorite mistake
An episode of Grey's Anatomy might have the same title as your spec. That's not even close to being plagiarism.
- Comments for Jane Espenson
A correction for Jane's awesome website.
- Trusting your audience
Kudos to the writers of HEROES for letting the audience connect the dots.
- Lost Rooms and American Zombies
When other people have the same ideas and act on them, it helps me clear my slate.
- Help! I'm getting screwed on my own series
If this sounds like you, stop reading and start dialing. You need a better attorney, stat.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
A shout out to a good show and their low budget ways.
- J.J. Abrams got a $55+ million deal
I feel exhausted just thinking about it.
- Why I don't have Google ads, part 432
The annoying disparity between google ads and the content they glom on to.
- TV staffing season
Mysteries of the staffing process revealed.
- The TV spec of the season
Writing the right show sample during each season's important.
- On accents
Notes for auditioning actors.
- Organizing reality
In reality TV, editors and producers often perform functions that would normally be the purview of writers; the question is, why aren't they being compensated for it?
- Michelle Pfeiffer, Supervolcanoes and the Yellowstone Fallacy
Having happened in the past doesn't signify future action.
- Formatting a reality show proposal
Here's how to present a reality TV show. Use it wisely.
- New Fox show announced
Announcement for a FOX pilot in the works.
- Very useful "Dead Zone" writer's guides
Example of a show "bible." Yours to mimic.
- Researching and writing The Circle
Four questions related to the research, creation and execution of a TV series.
- Page count for animation scripts
Does the page-a-minute rule apply across the board?
- Television specs
Good reasons why you shouldn't write a sample of LOST if you want to work on LOST.
- Television ideas
Can and unknown writer get a show produced?
- Film vs. TV writers
On the structures and control limitations of each.
- Television scripts vs. Screenplays
Learn and know the qualities of both. They're not independent of each other.
Treatments
- Outlines, treatments and numbered pages
To me, an outline tends to be less prose-y and feature more bullet points, but there is no common consensus in Hollywood about what's what. We use "treatment" and "outline" interchangeably.
- Pitching Star Trek
Roddenberry's 1964 outline is the same kind of write-up TV writers use today.
- WTF is a beat sheet?
Is a beat sheet an actual thing, or a mythical Hollywood construct?
- Based on an idea by...
"Based on an idea by" is a rare credit, for good reason.
- The perils of coincidence
The big villain in Spider-Man 3 was a plague of coincidence. Here's how they could have avoided it.
- Air vents are for air
Ladies and gentlemen, screenwriters, it's time to stop putting character in air vents.
- What became of American McGee's Alice?
Update query on the video game potentially becoming a movie.
- Selling a story if you're not a screenwriter
It's hard work to take an idea and turn it into a movie without knowing how to write, but it happens all the time.
- Got the story, but I can't write
Can't write your great idea? Find someone who can.
- To google google
If Kafka ran google.
- How long a treatment?
There's no standard, but past 20 pages I'd be worried.
- Specs, treatments, and pitches
The differences, defined.
Words on the page
- Observations on the evolution of screenwriting based upon reading one script from 1974
For work this afternoon, I needed to read a screenplay written in the early 1970s. I think it's the earliest-dated script I've read that wasn't reprinted in a book.
- More on Archer's odd pre-laps
Comparing Archer's actual script to my transcript-y approximation shows a little bit more about how Adam Reed's show works.
- Archer's semi-pre-laps
Archer does a strange thing I haven't seen in many shows: the final line of a scene often serves as the first line of the next scene.
- His, hers and ours
A new browser extension points out an interesting and esoteric problem in English: "her" functions as both an objective pronounce and a possessive one.
- Pronunciation jokes
Pronunciation jokes have a tendency to feel cheap and hoary. But when they work, they work -- and it's easy enough to show them on the page.
- Writing fight scenes
In a screenplay, you're not going to write every punch. Rather, you need to get specific about what makes this fight unique to this moment and this movie.
- Javier Grillo-Marxuach on craft
The Tiny Protagonist has a good interview with Javier Grillo-Marxuach (a writer/producer on LOST and many other shows), talking about how he got started and the craft of television.
- Formatting an interview montage
If you're staying in one location -- or a series of similar locations -- you don't need individual sluglines.
- Write the way you speak
College was the first time I started writing how I speak. Or, more accurately, college was when I stopped trying to write the way I thought I *should* write.
- Can my script be as short as Somewhere?
As a screenwriter, with no aspirations of getting behind the camera, how hard is it, or would it be to sell a spec script, that could possibly be a 100-110 min movie, but only a 65-70 page script? Understanding that execution is key, is it even possible to get your screenplay looked at, with it being so short?
- Fucking pilots
I'm reading more network pilot scripts this year than in years past, so I can't say whether this is a new trend or just something I was unaware of: What's with all the swearing?
- Never can say goodbye
Movie characters hang up the phone earlier than actual people would.
- Pardon the interruption
You have several choices for situations in which one character interrupts another.
- What you see vs. what you say
Eric Heisserer offers a good example of why you need to make sure to read dialogue aloud.
- We love our pastor’s wives
A helpful tutorial on apostrophes.
- Cut a character, save a scene
Last night, I struggled with a scene that went on too long without really accomplishing its aims. The solution ended up being pretty simple: get rid of a character.
- One dash, two dashes
One hyphen, two hyphens or none at all?
- Are parentheticals over-used?
What’s the accepted tolerance for parentheticals in screenplay dialogue?
- Angles, spacing and monikers
Three quick answers on writing camera angles, formatting TV scripts and choosing a pen name.
- Stressing out in dialogue
If you have a line that only makes sense one way -- and it's not the first way someone would read it -- you have a couple of choices.
- Writing better dialogue
Today's scriptcast is nominally about dialogue, but I ended up switching a lot of stuff around in the scene in order to accommodate new -- and less -- dialogue.
- Can you include emotion in character description?
It's okay to refer to emotions in character descriptions, even beyond what the character is experience at the moment we meet him.
- Desperate punchlines
How you arrange the words can determine whether a line is rim-shot funny or thrown-away funny.
- What's real, then what's funny
Jane Espenson makes the case for finding the essence before writing the jokes.
- When two characters are played by the same actor
If it would be obvious to the viewer, make it obvious to the reader.
- Seven writer's rules for survival in animation
Useful suggestions for screenwriters working on their first animated feature
- Handling repeating sequences
You're almost never going to show the exact same thing twice. So don't do it on the page, either.
- Narcopalabras
A handy and scary glossary to terms from the Mexican drug war.
- The wall of newspaper clippings
Gary Whitta wrote in with his proposed moratorium: the wall of expository newspaper clippings.
- Breathe, damnit!
Double negative points for saying something quippy after being revived.
- "No signal" is the new air duct
This compilation clip demonstrates what a hoary cliché it has become to explain why movie characters can't use their cell phones.
- Should I include a list of characters?
Is it okay to include a brief list of characters for a particularly complex and character-rich script?
- Last looks
I handed in a script today, and thought it might be helpful to talk through my best practices when finishing up a draft.
- Subtitled success stories
Somewhat remarkably, the top two movies in America have subtitles. Lots and lots of subtitles.
- Quoting books in a script
Screenplays don't cite references because they don't quote things.
- Now that's a gunfight
- Twitchforks
I almost invented this word today. But didn't.
- On accident, by accident
If you say "on accident," you're very likely under 30 years old. In fact, among Americans in that age group, it's more becoming more common than the traditional "by accident."
- Gender-specific douchery
We rarely refer to women as assholes.
- On the present tense
The present progressive tense can be your friend.
- Writing better scene description
A YouTube lesson on making more-readable scene description.
- On square miles
A correction in the LA Times points to a deeper flaw in English.
- Growing sentences
With a few simple instructions, you can turn nay normal sentence into a David Foster Wallace super-sentence.
- Can I go beyond DAY and NIGHT?
Sluglines can be more specific, but only when it's important for the reader.
- How to handle unknown narrators
Do you give them a name, even if they haven't shown up on-screen yet?
- Presidential punctuation
After eight long years in hiding, the semicolon's glorious return.
- How do I include animated sequences?
Clear sluglines help to weave in and out of animation.
- Today's word: Oleaginous
It's a lovely word, and a nice alternative to the similar unctuous.
- 'Wherefore' does not mean where
A pet peeve and a losing battle with popular meaning.
- On the radio
Formatting radio chatter.
- Including an important symbol
Is it okay to put a drawing into a script?
- Two from the file
Old questions, dusted off and answered.
- One. Million. Dollars.
Do millionaires dream of being billionaires?
- On creating emotion
How the writer, actor, director and audience work together.
- Keeping track of time
Ways to keeping the reader engaged and clear when you're skipping around in time.
- Time jumps and oil drilling
Two unrelated questions answered. 1. Clarifying young and old versions of characters. 2. How much research to do before writing.
- Handling a character's POV shot
Formatting for a specific character's point of view.
- Five quick questions
One writer, five questions.
- Simple is better than accurate
Simplicity is not the same as idiocy, or pandering.
- Writing unspoken things
Llittle choices are what form your style, and developing a narrative voice is a crucial part of your career as a writer.
- How to cut pages
Just as important, what NOT to do when trying to cut length. Don't cheat.
- Writing silent scenes
Always treat your readers like audience members, and think about it from their perspective.
- Secret history of the Kleinhardt Gambit
Done just right, jargon helps ground characters in their setting, much the way medical-ese makes you think those pretty people on TV could actually be doctors.
- Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive...
When the subjunctive shows up, there's almost always drama.
- Northeaster
I spent five days in Maine, writing and researching my next project.
- Rethinking motivation
Try replacing the question of what the character wants/needs with, "Why is the character doing what he's doing?"
- How to explain quantum mechanics
Answering the tricky questions elegantly, so your audience can remain focussed on the story.
- Scripting a short film
A short film, like a short story, can't waste any time. Here's what to include, and what to leave out.
- When a character has two names
How to format when characters have mysterious beginnings and change identities.
- You know, like in that other movie
Don't be lazy and stupid by relying on existing scenes to visualize your own.
- On horseshit, and the New York Times
Taking issue with a mischaracterization in the paper of record.
- Characters who are not yet important
How to treat characters we'll meet later but don't hear from right away.
- Including the unknowable
The rules for slipping in unknowable lines in your screenplay.
- Short answer sprint
Nine second answers to nine burning questions. Ready...go!
- The History Boys
A writer can get away with quite a few things on stage that are tough to pull off in movies.
- Using "we" in scene description
Handling perspective in your action lines.
- Pre-Lap
Using dialogue to bridge a cut. (Warning: some readers are haters)
- INT. BOOKSTORE, or something better?
How specific to get in your sluglines.
- Changes while directing
When the shoot begins, the real world comes to play.
- Should I write a novel or a script?
If you're looking to put your story out into the world, paper beats film, hands down.
- Make your introduction
Scene Challenge! Give me your best dry-cleaner intro.
- How to introduce a character
One of the most difficult and important lessons to learn. Here's some great examples and helpful guidance.
- TV in movies
Some rules to using TV for exposition in screenplays.
- Masturbating to Star Trek
Scene Challenge! The first (and dirtiest) ever!
- Pause vs. beat
Most times, dialogue reads fine without any special indicators, so save them for when they're truly needed.
- How to write dialogue
Seven steps to writing meaningful, entertaining dialogue while handling exposition.
- Trusting your audience
Kudos to the writers of HEROES for letting the audience connect the dots.
- Scribble version, final version
Examples of the differences between the sketch and the full scene.
- Clarification on point one
Update on "How to write a scene" post. Does the character drive the story or the storyteller?
- How to write a scene
The steps I take and questions I ask myself in order to write a scene.
- Retcon
New (to me) term for a useful device in serial fiction.
- High net-worth individuals
Why not just call them rich?
- Using overheard dialogue
Let's say you're at work and you overhear some great dialogue. Should you worry about co-workers suing when they hear it in your movie?
- When characters have multiple names
Treat your reader like an audience member. Give them the same information on the page that they would get on the screen.
- Writing what can't be shot
Movies are about what characters do and say, not who they were before the story started.
- Of course grammar matters
True, grammar can't be filmed. But scripts are read by people, not cameras. And people deserve the best writing you can muster.
- What does "calling bullshit" actually mean?
If you're gonna heckle, back it up or look stupid.
- The word escapes me
Needing the right word and finally finding it.
- Four quadrants of screenwriting style
Are you a Literalist Shower Fragmenter Filmist? Discover your writerly personality.
- A movie by any other name
Some projects sell mostly on their title. Choose wisely.
- Character depth in a short film
Most successful shorts don't spend much of their time filling in the details about their characters. Strive for economy.
- Avoid clichés
Look at every scene and ask whether it feels movie-like in the bad way.
- Dialogue versus exposition
Learning how to show, not tell.
- Four Seasons, Five Season or just some fancy hotel
Is it okay to be specific about locations and brands without their pre-approval?
- American English and troublesome contractions
Helpful grammar tips for one of them foreign types writing American dialogue.
- The challenge of writing good dialogue
Movie dialogue is what real people would say if they could take a few seconds to think between lines.
- Including illustrations with your screenplay
Why it's never okay to include drawings with a screenplay. Words are all you get.
- Writing for VFX
The director, cinematographer and visual effects supervisor have the final say about what the effects look like. But until these people come along, the writer is all those jobs
- Avoiding cliches
Cliches are shortcuts. The more you avoid taking them, the more interesting the places you'll end up.
- Ad-libbing
Planned ad-libbing is like hoping for a white Christmas. Maybe it will snow, or maybe it won't. Your sleigh better have wheels just in case.
- Action writing
Give it the attention it deserves or risk it dying in production or edit.
- Drafts and revisions
Expect to do multiple drafts and revisions and make sure the first draft you show people could actually be shot.
- Index cards
They can help visualize the structure and pacing, but allow for invention along the way.
- Over-editing
Always ask, "Do I need this?" But don't sacrifice tone for brevity.
- Ratio of pages to screen time
A page-a-minute is a good rule, with exceptions.
- Do I have to write the courtroom scene?
Sorry, you can't outsource the hard stuff to the actors and director.
- Transitions
When to use them. Which to use.
- How long is a scene?
If I get to the third page of a scene I'm writing, I automatically stop and re-examine it to figure out why it's so long, and whether it really needs to be.
- Camera angles and edits
Until the movie is in theatres, there's no such thing as a final shooting script. Angles are for Directors and edits are for editors.
- More camera angles
Reading a screenplay should give you the sense of watching the movie. There are times when it's appropriate to mention angles, just as it can be necessary to point out costuming, or music, or effects in order to let the reader know what's what.
Writing Process
- Kids, cards, whiteboards and outlines
This week in the podcast, Craig and I follow up on our earlier comment about kids being the death of screenwriters, then dive into the process of outlining a script, from index cards to whiteboards to spreadsheets. Along the way, we discuss Curious George, Torchwood and V.
- Writing Faster
Michael Agger looks at scientific studies on writing to find reasons why it's so damn hard, and slow.
- H.P. Lovecraft’s Commonplace Book
Bruce Sterling publishes a list of Lovecraft's undeveloped story ideas.
- Outlines aren't essential
A reader asks whether it's wrong to skip the outline stage. It's not.
- How do you read a script?
A reader asks: How you read scripts these days? Do you print, or read it on a device?
- The only ache should be in your soul
Your hands shouldn't hurt after writing. If they do, you need to check your ergonomics and habits.
- Which draft should I read?
You'll notice big changes if you read the earliest drafts. But the later ones give you a better sense of how words on the page translate to the screen.
- Rewriting from a blank page?
When approaching a big rewrite, should you start from the existing script or a blank page?
- Step one: Make a playlist
Before you start writing any screenplay, make a playlist of music that feels like the movie. It's a fundamental part of my process.
- Writing off the page
If you're having a hard time finding a character's voice, get him talking about something unrelated to the scene at hand.
- Writing from theme
"Theme" is a word screenwriters use without defining it clearly, but here's a good way to think about it.
- Screenwriting and the problem of evil
One of the joys of screenwriting is putting childhood terrors into words. But nihilism is not a crowd-pleaser.
- Fake tears
In defense of fake tears and the emotional work screenwriters do.
- Tales from the script
I'm interviewed in a new book about screenwriters' experiences.
- 10 hints for index cards
Index cards are a great tool for outlining. Use them wisely.
- Seven writer's rules for survival in animation
Useful suggestions for screenwriters working on their first animated feature
- Habits, heavy lifting, and the possibility of suck
MakingOf has part two of my interview up on the site, in which I talk about work habits, writer's block and 20-minute timers.
- Kurtzman and Orci on Trek and writing together
Story lessons from Star Trek, from the mouths and minds of the writers.
- Same script, different day
Do you ever get sick of working with the same script that you are loathe to even look at it anymore? Yes.
- Not my problem
Alvin Sargent's advice: If you have a problem, give it to the character.
- Writing better scene description
A YouTube lesson on making more-readable scene description.
- How to handle a body-switching protagonist
Readers will follow you down almost any rabbit hole provided you can convince them something rewarding awaits.
- Are writing groups a good idea?
They're not a terrible idea, as long as they're approached with the right expectations.
- Time jumps and oil drilling
Two unrelated questions answered. 1. Clarifying young and old versions of characters. 2. How much research to do before writing.
- Making unnecessary and possibly horrible changes
Making your movie. Keeping your soul.
- Question sprint
Killing backstories, writing out lyrics and why you will always want to be writing something else (amongst other topics), explored.
- Does a working writer keep improving?
Dedicate one day a week to disassembling good movies.
- The six-hour scene
Having trouble with a scene? Here's six questions to ask yourself.
- When friends read your script
You need good readers. Here's how to choose and keep them.
- Northeaster
I spent five days in Maine, writing and researching my next project.
- Rethinking motivation
Try replacing the question of what the character wants/needs with, "Why is the character doing what he's doing?"
- Changing horses mid-stream
I generally caution that rewriting is the enemy of finishing, but sometimes it's necessary.
- Calling on the hive mind: Writing the future
A call to contribute to a lecture on authorship in the digital age.
- Where to begin a script
You don't have to know everything about your story and characters before you begin. Discovery is the best part of the writing process.
- Interview up at cecil vortex
Link to an interview on creativity.
- Inconvenient brilliance
Obey the muse, whatever the timing, or risk her departure.
- What if my agent doesn't like my idea?
Knowing the market isn't the same thing as taste, and everyone's taste is different.
- How to write dialogue
Seven steps to writing meaningful, entertaining dialogue while handling exposition.
- Scribble version, final version
Examples of the differences between the sketch and the full scene.
- Clarification on point one
Update on "How to write a scene" post. Does the character drive the story or the storyteller?
- How to write a scene
The steps I take and questions I ask myself in order to write a scene.
- Workshops: An invitiation to idea theft?
Get over it. No one wants to steal your crappy idea.
- Am I a writer or a director?
If you don't like it, don't do it.
- La escritura profesional y el auge de los amateurs
My first experience with being translated.
- How many drafts does it take?
This "knowing when it's done" sense only develops with experience.
- How to Rewrite
Decide what you want to accomplish, then figure out which scenes would need to change. Only fix one piece at a time.
- Writing characters you would hate in real life
Don't strive for likeability. It's a fool's errand. Rather, aim for believability.
- Screenwriting wastes a lot of paper
Suggestions for saving paper, your money and the environment.
- Happy Easter from Beijing
A dispatch from China.
- Writing vs. relationship
Dedicating to craft and characters while maintaining contact with actual human beings.
- What does a writer's assistant do?
I outsourced this question to my former assistant, Rawson Thurber.
- Keeping motivation after four drafts
Read it as if some other, lamer screenwriter wrote it. What would you do differently? Then, do that.
- Writing about what you don't know
If screenwriters only wrote about subjects they knew intimately, most screenplays would be about Tetris, television or getting picked last for team sports.
- Stressing over structure
Stop thinking about structure as something you impose upon your story. It's an inherent part of it, like the setup to a joke.
- Rewriting based on other people's notes
Be brutal. The needs of the movie outweigh the needs of the scene.
- Does your own writing make you laugh?
Any joke becomes unfunny after you stare at it for too long.
- David Dean Bottrell on How I Write
KINGDOME COME writer talks candidly about his process.
- Working on multiple projects
How to juggle multiple ideas. First, avoid it if you can.
- Ergonomics for the screenwriter
There are real hazards to being glued to a desk all day long. Some tips to avoid pain and suffering.
- Jessica Bendinger on How I Write
BRING IT ON writer on setting goals and taking advantage of fear.
- How I Write
Avoiding the early edit and other ways I get my story down on paper.
- Tyger Williams on How I Write
FOXY BROWN writer on coloring his beats to visualize the structure, and other methods.
- Todd Graff on How I Write
CAMP writer uses bad movies as a muse and motivator.
- Generating ideas
Techniques for solving script problems and staying focussed.
- Script comments
Every screenwriter needs feedback from a trusted set of eyes.
- Writer's block
I can't help with writer's block. But I do have experience with Laziness, Brain Lock and Perfection Paralysis. Defined herein.
- More research
Keep in mind, does it pass the "I'd buy that" test?
- Collaborating with multiple writers
The hive mind approach for screenwriting? Good luck.
- Writing is hard
Don't wait for flow. It might come; it might not. But it's your job to keep writing anyway.
- Generating ideas
Techniques for solving script problems and staying focussed.
- Process of writing
Estimating how it takes to gestate and write a draft is part of the job.
- Finding time to write
You need to actively clear time in your day to write, which means giving up something.
- Research
Knowing the exact shade of ochre in the king's bedroom is pointless unless you have a fascinating scene taking place there.
- Rewriting, but where's the script?
It's awkward enough to take over someone else's script without having to ask for the file.
- How much research does it take?
You don't need to know everything, just enough to firmly place your characters in the world.
- Finding the structure
If you're beating yourself up over not plotting out your whole script beat-for-beat. Guess what? You don't have to.