by Trevor Mayes | Jun 12, 2010 | Scenes, Writing
There’s a UFC event tonight, so I thought it would be appropriate if I posted the following article I recently wrote for the Scriptwriters Network June newsletter. *** The Mixed Martial Arts Screenwriter Mixed martial arts (MMA) is one of the world’s...
by Trevor Mayes | May 18, 2010 | Scenes, Writing
Some movies are unstoppable I’m not talking about runaway box office successes. I’m talking about those movies that can hold your rapt attention in every scene until the closing credits — whether you want them to or not. Sometimes I’ll flip...
by Trevor Mayes | Apr 13, 2010 | Scenes, Style, Writing
Short And Sweet I’m fortunate enough to have two friends named Donna. Curiously, they both share a trait: they get straight to the point — no padded sentences or beating around the bush. I love it. You always know where you stand and it saves a ton of...
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by Trevor Mayes | Mar 10, 2010 | Diversions, Scenes, Writing
The Wow Factor Want to know a surefire way to impress someone reading your script? Surprise them! That doesn’t mean coming up with a twist ending. That means ensuring there are surprises in every scene. Yes, EVERY scene. Surprises can take on many forms: Actions...
by Trevor Mayes | Nov 17, 2009 | Humor, Scenes, Style
There’s a real joy that comes with learning an inside trick of the trade. In film school, one of the first such screenwriting secrets I remember learning was that funny things are made ten times funnier by showing reactions to them — reaction shots1. Show...
by Trevor Mayes | Nov 6, 2009 | Characters, Dialogue, Scenes, Style
There’s an old adage in screenwriting — show, don’t tell. If there’s a key character trait, event, or setting that the audience needs to know about, provide that information visually. Why? Humans are visual — we learn things more quickly...
