Bad Parking and Screenwriting

Bad Parking and Screenwriting

“If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” – Proverb Holiday Hypothesis Today I was out and about (or as my Canadian friends would say — “oat in a boat”), doing my usual last minute holiday shopping (God bless the...
Are your slug lines naked?

Are your slug lines naked?

What’s a slug line? It’s another way of saying “shot heading” or “scene heading.” What’s a naked slug line? A naked slug line is a scene heading that has no direction below it — only dialogue. It’s considered bad...
Script vs. Movie: ARMORED

Script vs. Movie: ARMORED

This is the first in what may become a series of articles where I’ll take a look at an early version of a script and compare it to the resulting movie. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! This article discusses everything from plot twists to the ending...
Show Don’t Tell: The Revenge!

Show Don’t Tell: The Revenge!

Preamble In a previous post, I discussed some of the concepts and examples behind the expression, “Show don’t tell.” A picture says a thousand words — imagine how many words motion-pictures say. That’s why it’s a well-regarded rule...

11 Laws of Great Storytelling

Jeffrey Hirschberg has written a great article discussing the 11 laws he believes are critical to your script’s success. While it is impossible to have a foolproof formula, I have learned certain principles dramatically increase the probability of your story...