George Bernard Shaw once wrote that plot was the creation, manoeuvering and destruction of relationships between characters. Plot is derived from character and it’s sole purpose is to drive the story so the character can attempt to achieve their goal. Every scene in your script must either reveal something about the character and advance the… [Read more…]
November 21, 2009
Humans have been telling stories to each other since time immemorial. They serve a deep psychological and sociological need. Let us examine a few key concepts: WHAT IS A STORY? Quite simply, it is a journey of inter-connected events with a beginning, middle and an end providing dramatic fulfillment education knowledge entertainment emotional stimulation and,… [Read more…]
November 17, 2009
Well the good news is… things aren’t getting any worse. Not that there was much scope for the spec script market to fall any more. Universal and Sony have used up their development budgets for this year, or had it taken away form them The other studios aren’t faring much better. So far this year,… [Read more…]
November 13, 2009
Here’s the third post of the “In Too Deep” series. Paul Attanasio, the executive producer of the television series House once claimed that since cinema is primarily a visual medium, dialogue is the soundtrack in that it augments the images. Slash and burn, cull and chop away the excess fat. So make each element of… [Read more…]
November 11, 2009
You’ve all worked out that we are complex, multi faceted beings. So why do we feel that our characters don’t need to be as richly textured? Film characters are a composite of human traits. Of course, you can’t stuff too many of these traits in your characters, because your audience will get confused. However, try… [Read more…]
November 9, 2009
Many readers and writers complain that scenes they read are flat and shallow. They are superficial despite the fact that they fuflil their primary purposes of either advancing plot or revealing character. Even in high octane action films, the audience needs occasional respite in a soft scene. However, these scenes usually reveal something about a… [Read more…]
November 5, 2009
The AFM in Santa Monica, CA is an inaugural fixture in film business calendar. This year, it will screen 445 films and 73 world premieres. In terms of the state of play, well… things aren’t getting worse. There is movement at the station and a few glimmers of hope. The US is officially out of… [Read more…]
November 4, 2009
Mr. Snyder, RIP, was never a fan of stuffy, academic definitions of genre. He talked about audience expectations and divided his stories into the following categories to help us remember them more easily. These are explained in more detail in his book “Save The Cat Goes To The Movies”. We all need stories to guide… [Read more…]
November 1, 2009
In memory of a much respected compadre Blake Snyder, let’s take a look at some of his work and his colorful take on the story structure paradigm. Visit the tools section of his website and download your own copy of his beat sheet. Make sure to read his bestseller “Save The Cat”. Meow! It’s one… [Read more…]
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November 26, 2009
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