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8 Keys to Writing a Marketable Script
1. ONE GENRE TO RULE THEM ALL I recently sat through a webinar where writers were given the opportunity to pitch their concepts. One lady stuck out to me because she described her project as a suspense, thriller, and comedy, with horror elements....
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” 7 Tips for Great Dialogue
Jacob Stuart's advice on writing dialogue for screenplays.Hollywood has a short attention span. Unlike writers, who may have all day to sit and ponder, plotting out their next script, or revising and revising a screenplay until their fingers are...
How to Write Action Description
Alex Southey explores five different kinds of action description, and how they dictate tone in a script. Many people tend to assume that because it doesn’t affect the final film, action description doesn’t matter very much. But this couldn’t...
Vince Gilligan on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
Showrunner Vince Gilligan discusses structuring an episode, pacing a season, character development, and Easter eggs for fans.It’s not every day one has their work referred to as quite possibly the greatest television series of all time. And...
To Every Character Their Moment
Art Holcomb discusses the importance of Moments for characters, and offers advice on how to use them in your own scripts.By Art Holcomb.Moments.They’re what the audience remembers about a great movie. They’re what actors (and script...
Have a Horrible Holiday
Horror Equity Fund discusses the relationship between Horror and the Holidays.
'Twas the night after X-mas and all through the house… bodies and corpses were starting to mount...Most people don’t think of Horror when they think...
Why The Crocodile Dundee Super Bowl Ad Made An Impact
Are They Really Remaking Crocodile Dundee?
No, but the Super Bowl ad was pretty fun!
For all of you out there who are Eagles fans, I send you a happy congratulations on your Super Bowl win. Being a fan of the Chicago Cubs, I know how difficult it...
The Power of Belief
We all have obstacles of some kind. A personal challenge. A flaw, or for most of us, a series of flaws – a whole host of issues, really. We deal with them on a daily basis, whether they’re literal and physical, or mental and...
Screenwriting Within The Parameters of a Film Budget
Films right now are very expensive to make, and very expensive to market. Even TV series on streaming networks such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are dealing with multi-million-dollar film budgets per episode. If you're trying to work in Hollywood, you...
Interview with Bestselling Author and Screenwriter Dougie Brimson
"I never actually set out to be a writer at all, it just kind of happened. Indeed, it's fair to say that even after three award winning feature films and 750,000 book sales, I spend most days waiting for the literary police to bang on my door and...
You're Not Going To Win An Oscar...
You're Not Going To Win An Oscar......but hold on, I'll explain.I'm sure most of you did it Sunday night at some point in the evening (if you watched the Academy Awards). You imagined what you would say if you were up on that stage accepting...
Interview with ISA Fellowship Winner Sean Collins-Smith
Ever since graduating from film school in 2010, Sean Collins-Smith has wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue a TV writing career. His goal seemed unobtainable, though, until he won an ISA Fast Track Fellowship on the basis of his...
How To Prepare Your Pitch
I say “Pitching,” and writers groan. I’m no different. As a writer myself, my instinct is to say, “If I could tell you my story in 90 seconds, why would I have told it to you in 90 pages?” But pitching is a necessary...
Book Adaptations And The Fidelity Argument
Kirsten Dunst, in her directorial debut, will be directing Dakota Fanning in an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. In an interview, Dunst has noted that her approach in adapting the seminal text has been to avoid the ‘didactic’...
Why You Need a Professional Consultant to Give You Screenplay Feedback
What should expect from a script consultant? Creative Screenwriting Magazine gets into the weeds with our friends at the International Screenwriters’ Association to help elevate your screenplay to a marketable level and strategize your career.When...
The power of the annoying LOGLINE
The power of the annoying LOGLINE:By Jimmy Matloszwww.jimmymatlosz.com So yes, you may have written a screenplay that you are as proud of as your first… ok your second child. For those of you who have kids you understand. Now...
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Dr. Linda Seger, author of Making a Good Script Great and 8 other books on screenwriting discusses how to set yourself up as a writer so that there is ALWAYS something to write about ! Writers vary in terms of how many ideas...
Model NDA: Nondisclosure Agreement
This Guide provides a simple Model Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA), controlled by California law and venued, for any action, in San Francisco. This is a fairly broad NDA for parties seeking to collaborate, partner, or buy or sell interests in...
Should I Work For Free?
Should you work for free?
That depends on what you mean by “work” and by “free.”Work is what you do as a professional, when you make a promise that involves rigor and labor (physical and emotional) and risk. Work is showing...
Gravity
I watched GRAVITY (Alfonso Cuarón 2013) again recently. Why? The film's astonishing visual impact. I think Gravity is one of if not the most phenomenal technical productions in film history. I am also fascinated with all things space. 2001 A...
