month : 07/2017 9 results

Wind River writer asks, “How can I wreck the audience’s expectation?”

Taylor Sheridan has written two films previous to Wind River: 2015’s Sicario and 2016’s Hell or Highwater, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. But Sheridan didn’t start out as a writer. He came to Hollywood to be an actor. But soon that all changed.

When a Script Is Too Personal

Sometimes a script is too personal, at least this has been my experience. What I mean by that is you don’t always have to mine your life for the sake of your art. Why? Because sometimes, it’s just not necessary. I’m not saying this is a hard and fast rule. Let me explain. I appreciate and respect writers who can bring their darkest ...

Girls Trip writer Karen McCullah: “They brought me on to be outrageous”

Girls Trip writer says they brought me on to do outrageous R-comedy for women.

Five Writing Tips From Top Writers

Let’s showcase the methods of working screenwriters who are making television shows and movies now. If you’re going to study screenwriting, why not learn from the best?

8 thriller subgenres to explore when writing your blockbuster thriller

We love the excitement of a thriller. Its plot twists, mistaken identities, savage villains and high anxiety brought on by the element of suspense gets our blood racing. To help us relate to the protagonist (and up the terror), he is usually an “every man,” someone just like you or me, compelling us to coldly consider that the same ...

How To Beat Pitch-Meeting Anxiety

Picture this: You’ve written a great pitch. You’ve connected with a producer. You’ve set a meeting date. This is everything you’ve wanted since you started working on your gem of an idea. You’ve got a chance to grab the brass ring! If you’re like most writers, that half-minute of joy after you land the Big Meeting is followed by ...

Six Types of Characters Audiences Love

Indiana Jones. Hannibal Lecter. Seinfeld. Rocky Balboa. Walter White. These memorable characters are dynamic, puzzling, funny, terrifying, and inspiring by turn. Audiences crave characters that transport them to new worlds. They want characters who offer a vicarious thrill ride through lives they’ll never lead themselves – that’s part of the ...

Making a Passive Protagonist Work in A Ghost Story

A Ghost Story, written and directed by David Lowery, (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Pete’s Dragon) is one of the most bizarre yet beautiful films I’ve seen in a long time. It’s both clever and frustrating, both emotionally consuming and numbing, both sentimental and existential. That’s a lot of contradictions for one movie. Spoilers ...
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