Choosing Your Next Screenplay

Scriptwriters should always be working on multiple screenwriting ideas. Hopefully not all at once. You’d be amazed at how you can come  up with story ideas for one screenplay while working on another. This is the beauty of being a screenwriter. Having many projects in development. At some point we need to decide which screenplay…

10 Key Rules For Writing For TV

According to the crew at Raindance: 1) CHARACTER CAST SIZE Consider how many characters you will feature. Typically 4 or 5 with a stronger ‘lead’ character seems to work. Pick a handful of shows and check for yourself. 2) CHARACTERS IN CONFLICT Create characters that will constantly create their own conflict, even if just locked…

What Is An Origin Story?

Origin stories are the birthing stories of the main characters. Where their journeys began and why things turned out as they have? They give the audience an understanding of the characters’ psychology and helps us make sense of the choices they make in the story. The origin is the missing piece of the story puzzle…

Story Templates

According to Pilar Alessandra, most successful stories have for key building blocks. We generally call them plot points, act breaks or story beats. They tend to fall in these major categories. Act 1 Trauma – This sets the stage until the point where an event disrupts the character’s world forcing them to act. Act 2A…

More On Pitching

Doug Eboch and Ken Aguado, co-authors of “The Hollywood Pitching Bible”, discuss the key components of a successful pitch. Most pitches range from 15 seconds to 15 minutes long and they are often delivered in an unstructured, spontaneous environment. The key to delivering an effective pitch is to have a compelling idea with a strong…

The Types Of Fear In Horror Films

Fear is a negative emotional response precipitated by an actual or perceived danger.  It often manifests as anxiety or an  increased awareness of harm. It is an primal survival mechanism designed to remove us from an imminent threat.  On a deeper level, it helps us tackle the negative situations we experience in life. It is…

The Dual Protagonists

There is a long held mantra of screenwriting that there can only be one protagonist in each story. It is the character that undergoes the most change.  By definition, the protagonist should occupy the most screen time. More recently, such character structure is becoming skewed to allow for dual protagonists. That is, two characters, occupying…

Writing Better Web Series

Advice from Stephanie Folsom from an article in Script Magazine. Much of this efficient story telling advice came from the commercials world were a story needed to be told in anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. 1) KEEP IT SHORT Your video should not be more than four minutes long. There are all kinds of…

Creating A Powerful Hero

According to The Scriptlab, the most important character in your screenplay is your protagonist: your hero. Without them, there is no story. Good stories are about character growth and change. 1) CREATE AN INTERESTING PROTAGONIST YOUR AUDIENCE WILL HOPE AND FEAR FOR When creating your hero, audience connection is key. Your hero needs to be…

The Essence Of Science Fiction Stories

Science fiction movies do well at the box office Science fiction is a genre that pushes the boundaries of the current laws of science. The are a hybrid of fantasy and what could happen. Science fiction relates to futuristic technologically advanced societies revolving around a central question of human potential; good or bad, Imagine if…?  Imagine if we were immortal,…

The 10 Screenwriting Sales Commandments

From the Gospel of Marvin Acuna. 1) THOU SHALT SMILE AND BE PASSIONATE  Sales is a transference of energy. So if you are passionate and believe in your material, then your passion will be contagious. But if your pitch is a snoozer, then don’t expect Hollywood Professionals to embrace your material. And remember to smile. 2) THOU SHALT…

Writing Better Loglines

Loglines may the only thing the entertainment world may ever read of your script. According to script consultant Danny Manus, they are the key predictors of your story’s success.  They are a unique blend of substance and style designed to make someone want to read your script and potentially produce it. Given the amount of…