It’s a situation all too familiar – the hard work of writing the script is done, now for the tricky task of getting it read.Friends and family are too nice. Agents too busy. And producers don’t know what they want until after...

Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, story analyst Michael Ray Brown hunted for crawdads in a creek, and whiled away days reading comic books in a treehouse.“Going to movies was a rarity in our family,” Brown says. “One of my fondest...

Jen Grisanti has always been fascinated with film and TV. For her, it was the escapism and wish fulfillment of it all that ignited her love for story.“I remember seeing The Hardy Boys when Joe Hardy’s girlfriend, Jamie, died. I...

The following article is an edited excerpt from Karl Iglesias’s DVD seminar Crafting Compelling Stories for Emotional Impact:Emotional ImpactEmotional impact is what craft is all about. In other words, when you hear about honing your...

The only thing I’ve ever wanted as an artist was to say that I never repeated myself. As an artist, I just want to do more - Robert Townsend.Sitting in a borrowed office, surrounded by Indie film posters, and with the perpetual aroma of...

Richard Walter discusses teaching, the importance of new media platforms, and explains why we should rejoice in the collaborative process of film-making:Richard Walter is the chairman of UCLA’s prestigious graduate program in screenwriting. A...

I was recently asked for advice on how screenwriters can break into the entertainment industry. My experience has mostly been in Los Angeles, but I believe that the following tips can be applied to wherever you are located.  The notes will...

James Napoli discusses the use – and over-use – of dialogue:A funny thing happened when I decided to revisit the car chase from Bullitt. I found myself on edge in a way I could not quite define. I seemed to be experiencing more of a...

Karl Iglesias discusses the elements of a well-written screenplay, today’s movie landscape, and writing for emotional impact. - "The emotional response of the audience is the most paramount and important thing when it comes to...

Excerpted in part from 'Real Screenwriting: Strategies and Stories from the Trenches' by Ron Suppa:Face it folks, we screenwriters can be as invisible as a polar bear in a snowstorm. Out of sight, out of mind. If they can’t see you, how can you...

Ron Suppa discusses the importance of rewrites, and offers crucial advice on how to go about making them:When I published the following strategies in my book, Real Screenwriting: Strategies and Stories from the Trenches, I received a ton...

Writers and screenwriting teachers Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir share their insights on writing with partners, developing scripts for television, and adaptations.Life has a way of getting in the way of writing. How much of our own writing we...

Script Reader Amanda Pendolino talks grammar, multi-tasking and reading more:Sure, her college degree sounds scientific – a Bachelor of Science in Television – but script reader Amanda Pendolino didn’t spend much time in the lab at...

Is being a screenwriter a real job? One that regularly pays the bills and affords all screenwriters a luxury lifestyle? To answer the first questions. Well… if you dedicate your career to screenwriting it is. Second question… yes...

Scott Frank talks about on how he became a writer, how luck has played a part in his career, and offers advice on how to improve your screenwriting craft:Screenwriter and director Scott Frank has one hard-and-fast rule that he says has led directly...

Ron Suppa discusses the importance of Short films, and offers crucial advice on how to create them:It’s how Spielberg, Coppola, Lucas and Scorsese got their start. As a producer, I found the first three filmmakers I ever worked with through...

"Great films do not get by on the visceral alone." Michael Welles Schock concludes his two-part article on Visceral Storytelling:In my previous article Gut Reaction: Visceral Storytelling Part I, I established the cinematic audience’s...

How dramatic films appeal to the primal instincts within us:I know of writers who like to pen very intelligent scripts. These scripts can be clever and witty. They often contain skillful wordplay and philosophical premises. But often, no matter how...

James Napoli discusses what to do – and what not do to – when setting scenes in your screenplay.EXT. STREET – DAYA car is parked at the curb. Inside, a group of screenwriters wait at the corner of nothing and nowhere, failing to...

Will your script be another Hollywood casualty or does it have a chance at life beyond the page?The screenplay is not a completed work even after the writer types the final “FADE OUT.” For the writer’s vision to be fully realized,...