Not many of us enjoy selling ourselves. It can be awkward and embarrassing. But since it's such an important part of the meeting structure here in Hollywood, let's think about some ways to pitch yourself.
Writers rarely stop to categorize the many different variations of characters out there. But categories can be useful if you are at the conception stage and unsure which way to go, or stuck in the middle of draft and wondering what your hero ought to do next. Let's look at five types of classic heroes.
The Ellen Page thriller Into the Forest is like most indie films in that character - not plot or action sequences – fuels the movie’s central story arc. Here are 5 tips according to writer/director Patricia Rozema to distinguish your character- driven indie film from the rest.
“My biggest fear is that I’m too old, if you want to know the truth,” she said. I was on the phone with a new client, it was our second session together, and we had begun digging into the deep ugly roots of her crippling self doubt and writer’s block. I wasn’t surprised that one of the first monsters to jump out of her closet was the fear of being too old.
We've all heard that "good writing is rewriting," and we all know that first drafts aren't meant to be perfect -- they're our so-called "vomit" drafts, and their purpose is to get the story OUT. But what happens after that? How do we go from a rough draft to a polished script?
ScreenwritingU sat down with The Secret Life of Pets screenwriter Brian Lynch to find out his secret to balancing lightness and darkness in family-focused movies. But before we could get into the nitty-gritty of storytelling, Lynch revealed to us that he was almost a cartoonist – not a screenwriter. Ironically enough, a can of cat food changed the course of his career forever.
Everyone knows a compelling hero is central to a good script. Writers spend hours thinking through our hero's back stories. We grace them with inspiring goals and bedevil them with fascinating flaws. But the real secret to a good hero is a good villain.
A master storyteller when it comes to action adventure films, Steven Spielberg is the best when it comes to learning the craft of telling good stories. We took a look at his latest film The BFG to give you seven ways to get all Spielbergian on your script.
