ALL ARTICLES
How a Big Life Leads to Better Writing
The other night I read a script that could be simply and, without question, described as one thing and one thing only: Derivative.The first act was almost 100% a poor man’s INCEPTION, the second and third act had bothersome parallels with EDGE...
Choosing Between Agents, Managers and Lawyers
QUESTION FOR FILMTVLAW.COM:I’m an experienced showrunner with two series under my belt. I’m shopping around a third but getting shut out of all but current connects and friends. I never went the agent route, but now considering agent vs. manager...
Up Close And Personal With Guillermo Del Toro
Señor Del Toro is a very special filmmaker. The self-described traveling Mexican lives out of a suitcase from film set to film set, from life experience to life experience. He is simultaneously a Hollywood studio system misfit and Hollywood...
The Circle of Lady Parts
It has been a whirlwind of a month. Ups and downs. Lows and highs. It’s almost as if I’m doing this thing called life.
June marked my two-year anniversary of moving to Los Angeles. For those of you who do not know, I purchased a one-way...
7 Reasons Your Characters Hurt Your Script
Your characters compel you to be honest, and this creates a challenge. The actions of the characters make your story. Writers often focus on plot, structure, theme, dialogue, description, amongst many other elements, but the success of your script...
Scripted Audio Is Having Its Moment… Again
It’s said those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Well, we’re learning from the past and looking forward to repeating it.There’s a new game in town.Rather an old game. Really a ‘new old’ game....
Warner Bros. Chiefs On The Present And Future Of Film & TV
Each year, the Producers Guild Of America (PGA) hold the Produced By Conference to discuss the state of the industry with film and TV powerhouses. Good times. Bad times. Things are certainly changing fast. Screenwriters and producers...
Uhhhh… What Now?
Like many writers fresh out of college, I moved to Los Angeles, unpacked my suitcase, sat on my bed and said, “… Okay what do I do now?” And like many writers before me, I didn’t really have a “plan” mapped out...
Elaine Loh Talks “Stringer”
As part of our continuing series showcasing up and coming screenwriters, Creative Screenwriting Magazine spoke with Elaine Loh. Elaine was just named a Top 25 Writer to Watch in 2019 by the International Screenwriters’...
“The Story Is Not True, But The Feelings Are” TV Writer Liz Feldman
Known for her TV writing work on 2 Broke Girls and One Big Happy, Liz Feldman was ready to create her own TV show. She started developing story ideas based on her life experiences and what mattered most. Although death is very much a part of...
Unconventional Roles for Women Aren’t Just Empowering...
Unconventional Roles for Women Aren't Just Empowering, They're Game Changers
It’s a shame the wonderful coming-of-age comedy Booksmart has not done well at the box office. Expectations were high for the clever story about two...
Table Read My Screenplay Winner Releases Short Film
Felix Morgan, Winner of the 2016 Table Read My Screenplay Competition, Releases Short Film with Louis Norton Selzer After meeting in 2016 at the Table Read My Screenplay - London showcase, Felix Morgan and Louis Norton Selzer struck up a...
When Social Media Meets Research, How Do You Know What To Believe?
When there’s a “wow” moment at an awards show or when a new movie trailer drops online, people around the world grab their phones and race to social media to voice their opinions. Even more people jump on just to read the...
Comedy Screenwriting Craft: Using Metaphors
One of my favorite plays (and films and TV shows, for that matter) was Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, in which a pair of mismatched friends, one divorced and one soon-to-be, decide to room together. On the surface, Oscar Madison and Felix Unger...
First Impressions: The Length and Look of Your Pilot or Screenplay
It was a long day. I had just finished 9 client meetings back-to-back. I had a bunch of emails that I still needed to answer, and, just as importantly, a screenplay I needed to read that night for a meeting the next day. All, for the record, great...
Where Does The Legal Battle Between the ATA and the WGA Leave Producers?
With the ATA (Association of Talent Agents) and the WGA (Writers Guild of America) deep in a legal battle for the foreseeable future, where does that leave producers? Here are some practical tools to help producers connect with writers and navigate...
10 Simple Rules for the Best Life Ever
When he first visited the asylum for the mentally disabled, Jean Vanier was overwhelmed by the filth and overcrowding.
It was inhuman. The year was 1964 and Vanier, a French-Canadian philosopher/theologian who had served in the Navy, was...
Top Industry Reps’ Advice for Breaking into Screenwriting
The other day, as I was clicking through computer folders, I found something I forgot I had: A treasure trove of screenwriting career advice, on topics ranging from screenwriting career mistakes to the importance of living in Los Angeles, straight...
What Are We Really Selling?
Early in my career, I learned one of the shrewdest questions an entrepreneur can ask themselves, "What are we really selling?" For example: You are not selling grass seed. You are selling a greener lawn.You are not selling boilers....
Screenwriting Craft: Creating a Proactive Protagonist
I sometimes joke that if someone were sitting next to me regularly during my client meetings at the Akasha Cafe in Culver City, they’d think I have one note in particular that I REALLY like to give. And that note, said in many different ways,...
