year : 2017 104 results

Greta Gerwig on her powerful mother-daughter love story, Lady Bird

“People say that acting is listening, but I find that writing is listening as well,” says Greta Gerwig, writer and director of the beautiful new film Lady Bird. Gerwig’s successful acting career has led her to forge an unconventional, yet organic way to tell stories. We sat down with her to find out more about her screenwriting process.

Learn from the best: Murder on the Orient Express’ Michael Green on Writing Mystery

We sat down with Michael Green, screenwriter for the latest remake of Murder on the Orient  Express, to talk about the mystery genre and what writers can learn from Agatha Christie.

Richard Linklater Examines Truth and Lies in Last Flag Flying

“We always forget,” says Richard Linklater, “it’s just not natural to want to kill or be around death. You see the toll it takes on our returning vets. It’s horrific. A national tragedy. Unless you’re a psychopath, it isn’t fun. It isn’t manly. It’s damaging. We’re not cut our for it.”

How Thank You for Your Service’s Jason Hall Transformed From Actor to A-List Writer

Like many screenwriters, Jason Hall started his career as an actor. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other TV shows kept him busy, but he was eager to move into film roles. When an actor-buddy gave him a movie script and suggested Hall audition for a role, his agents tried, but couldn’t get Hall the audition. The most frustrating part was the ...

How to Write Binge Worthy TV

Ever wonder how the creators of shows like Orange is the New Black, House of Cards or Stranger Things get us to stay up late on a work night or spend an entire weekend watching a full season of their show?

How to Use the Hero’s Journey to write about Jeffrey Dahmer in High School

Written and directed by Marc Meyers, My Friend Dahmer is based on the award-winning graphic novel by John “Derf” Backderf, who was a classmate of Jeffrey Dahmer’s in high school.

How to Make Formula Your Friend

One of the worst things that can be said of a film (or your script) is that it’s too formula. This is a common criticism among reviewers, audiences and probably even members of your writing group. This criticism is taken so seriously that I’ve seen young writers doing everything in their power, and wasting a lot of time, trying to avoid formula and instead be original. So let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat…

Goodbye Christopher Robin Writer Breaks Down Characters by Archetype

Screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce is known for powerful films like Hilary and Jackie, Welcome to Sarajevo, and for writing the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder, where Queen Elizabeth appeared to skydive into the arena with James Bond. Boyce’s latest film is Goodbye Christopher Robin and tells the true story of ...

Wonderstruck’s Writer Creates a New Generation of Selznicks in Hollywood

If the name Brian Selznick sounds familiar, it’s because the author, illustrator and now screenwriter is a relative of film mogul David O. Selznick, who produced dozens of films including Gone with the Wind. Brian’s grandfather was David’s cousin. He says having the famous name is a lot of fun but it hasn’t necessarily helped him in any way.

Do You Overwrite? Here’s How to Stop.

One of the biggest mistakes screenwriters can make is overwriting their screenplay.  Unless you’re Aaron Sorkin, whose screenplay for The Social Network was a whopping 164 pages with scenes lasting eight pages, you need to keep the dialogue, scene descriptions and page count as short and tight as possible. It’s worth repeating that film is a visual form of storytelling and we want to support the images with our screenplay, not the other way around. Here are a few guidelines to keep you from writing too much.

5 Tips to Make Exposition Invisible

A hundred years ago it was popular to start a story with two maids working in a foyer talking about the crisis the family of the house was facing. They would then leave and the play would begin. That kind of thing is far from acceptable these days. In fact, you have to do the opposite. You have to make your exposition invisible. Here are five tips to doing just that.

Did You Have Overly Critical Parents? Then You Probably Have an Overly Active Inner Critic.

When we talk about the inner critic we usually focus on someone else’s inner critic—we read the article about the successful director that still suffers from self doubt, or we talk to the person in our writing group who just sold a script and they tell us they’re worried that everyone will think they’re a fraud. In cases like these it’s easy to see the inner critic for what it is: A nebulous cloud of doubts and worries that isn’t rooted in reality. But when it comes to our own inner critic, truth and fantasy become much more difficult to separate from each other.
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