Of all your favorite books, shows and movies: who is your favorite Antagonist and why? I know for some of you that this is like asking you to play favorites amongst your babies, but just pick the one that is striking you at the moment. For me, my favorite Antagonist, at the moment, is Ted from Ted Lasso. I know some of you mig...
The international film landscape is essential in shaping a global approach to cinema. Oftentimes, it isn’t simply the types of stories or the way they are told by specific voices that excite audiences, but also the way in which they were made.Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig is astonishing in its raw truthfulness, ...
Mark Anthony Green discusses his approach to filmmaking, focusing on thematic anchors, like tribalism and character development, particularly Ariel’s character. As well as his overall mission to engage with audiences, his dream collaboration with music artists Nile Rodgers and The-Dream and praises his crew for giving it their a...
Full Sail University takes a real-world approach to teaching its students about filmmaking and production. That means creating up-to-date curriculum with input from industry pros, building project-based classes, and giving students hands-on opportunities on professional productions. Over the years, the university’s industry-sta...
Each year, The International Screenwriters’ Association compiles a list of the 25 screenwriters to watch. This year, Film Inquiry is here to guide you through the incredible list of gifted individuals! Our next writer is Adam Karlson. Film Inquiry spoke with Adam about his writing process, the details of his script Choke, tips f...
In a speech celebrating the first 100 days in office of his second term, President Trump responded to new articles of impeachment brought against him by asking, “What the hell did I do?” to a crowd of cheering supporters in Warren, Michigan.In a lengthy speech streamed live on Tuesday, he referred to Michigan Democratic Rep. Shr...
Let’s do some more “Yes, and’ing” of movie stories, shall we? This time, I’ve looked at a screenplay that I originally covered on the job as a professional Reader, then watched it sell in a huge $3+ million deal for M. Night Shyamalan to write and direct the film that not only went on to become a huge hit, but at the time it bec...
When watching a movie or TV show, I’m always thinking about how and why a story works, and how and why the writer made those particular story choices. I’m also intrigued by how the concept began. How small was the kernel of the idea when they began to formulate the story and how did they go about expanding on the original premis...
Today is all about pitching. I worked with one of my coaching clients last week and he needed help with his pitch. It prompted me to really dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of how a pitch should be written and developed. You’ll notice that the process of developing a pitch is quite similar to the process of developing a sto...
Every now and then I will be treating this “Screenwriter’s Almanac” a bit more specifically. And today, I did a little research - a pretty wide net was cast with just a simple search of, “What cool thing happened today in history?” Yeah, pretty broad, so of course I focused it more around screenwriting and Hollywood, and I found...
ArchetypesParents (good and bad), teachers (good and bad), friends, teammates, and classmates (good and bad), and siblings all form the basis of an archetypal character set.In The Edge of Seventeen:Nadine’s mother: a bit unraveled and trying to cope with her own life as well as her two children. Nadine’s father is dead and that’...
High school movies span decades. There are thousands covering most of film and TV history. This is mainly for one reason: the themes in them are universal.The stories of high school are the stories of life. Of joy, sadness, yearning, accomplishment, and all things in-between.On The Edge of Seventeen is a prime example of the com...
Short films have been an effective way for many screenwriters to showcase their storytelling skills. They can be shown at film festivals, industry screenings and events, and online to help promote your screenwriting career.Here are some pointers that screenwriters might consider when writing a short film script:1) Make It ShortA...
Erotic thrillers are back.In an electric explosion of passion, sexuality, and gender dynamics, Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Red Light, Bodies Bodies Bodies) tracks two super-charged and vulnerable characters Romy (Nicole Kidman) and Samuel (Harris Dickinson) who break most corporate and relationship norms when CEO Romy and her ...
In this wide-ranging interview, Susan Kouguell discusses with filmmaker Catherine Gund their respective work and shared artistic sensibilities in terms of employing nontraditional filmmaking structures, the inclusion of poetry in film, tackling challenging subject matter, and how to make it the most honest. It was a pleasure to ...
David Koepp talks about penning this crackling thriller, writing on spec, and utilizing a MacGuffin that’s simple and powerful. Espionage films are notoriously delicious. Black Bag--the new spy thriller written by David Koepp, is no exception. In this taut tale of British intrigue, National Cyber Security Centre agent George Woo...
This live webinar will explore why these pages matter so much, and how you can entice a reader to stay with your script.The opening pages of a script matter far more than you think. They are the chance a busy Literary Manager/Agent/Producer/Actor gives you to impress them with your command of craft, story and above all, characte...
When writing the Sci-Fi script, audiences are looking for entertaining stories with interesting, developed characters that take them out of this world and into another. The Writer’s Store staff created this bundle of ten products to help Sci-Fi writers take their script to the next level and get it sold. With examples from block...
These sequels were made for no reason except to make money. And some of them didn't even do that.Star Wars: The Force AwakensDisney - Credit: C/OYou know that whole happy ending at the end of Return of the Jedi? This movie ruins it by revealing that Han and Leia went on to have a whiny child, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), who spoiler ...
Conclave, the Best Picture-nominated film about choosing a new pope, has spiked in viewership with the passing of Pope Francis.According to the media tracking agency Luminate, the film was viewed on Amazon Prime for 6.9 million minutes on Monday, the day of the pope's death. That was up from 966,000 the previous Monday. On Tuesd...
Here are 12 classic movies you can watch for free today, with no credit card or any of that nonsense, from your home. Allow us to explain.Kanopy is an app, funded by libraries, that allows anyone with a library card to access thousands of excellent movies — from classic movies to new releases — at no cost. If you don't have a li...
These Roger Corman 1950s movie posters are a testament to his storytelling and marketing genius.But FirstRoger Corman, above right, in Silence of the Lambs, in which he played FBI Director Hayden Burke. The film was directed by Jonathan Demme, one of many young directors Corman helped launch. Orion. - Credit: C/OWe love Roger Co...
There seems no end to the vulturous nature of late-stage capitalism. Just when it seems every crevice of society has been mined for content, a fresh new subject crops up waiting to be explored. In this wintery cold noir from Karl R. Hearne, the subject is elder care facilities and the way they’re used to exploit the elderly and ...
Skin Deep opens as a disoriented man totters through a bedroom. There’s a catatonic figure lying in the bed nearby as light streams through the window. His befuddlement is ours as well. It sets a perturbing mood against the Gregorian undertones of the music. There’s something strikingly beautiful in another subsequent image: a y...
In the world of horror podcasts, some can be a nightmare. Or, in the case of Scream Dreams, AMP’s podcast, the horrors are actual nightmares, as the podcast dives into them in a compelling and unique fashion. With a myriad of guests from within the horror genre, co-hosts Catherine Corcoran and James A Janisse interview and get i...
In her ongoing quest for world domination, Taylor Swift made a quick detour at the gates of cinema last year with her uniquely marketed concert film. Being released in tandem with her ongoing Eras Tour, which the film documents, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was a box office juggernaut that defied expectations. And while the film ...
Tucker Carlson guested on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Tuesday, and both Republican commentators agreed: It’s a mistake for their right-wing colleagues to appear on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast under the guise of reaching across the aisle. “I’ve said I’m against conservatives going on his podcast because I think it’s ...
Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro and Bill Duffy will acquire WME Basketball from WME Sports and form a new venture as the agency is divesting its basketball representation business, TheWrap has learned. Duffy will continue to lead day-to-day operations for WME Basketball along with head of basketball marketing Carlos Fleming, head of b...
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