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When Secondary Characters Fall In Love
Love. A many-splendored thing. To add some heart to your script, you decide to create a subplot where two of your secondary characters fall in love. Nothing could be finer, right? Wrong. For some reason, I'm seeing a certain misstep lately -- in both client spec...
Deckchair
I love it when a short film can make you laugh out loud a couple of times in the space of 90 seconds. That's more laughs than many modern comedies can generate in the space of 90 minutes. Here's Deckchair by sheepfilms.
Guru Quote: Pilar Alessandra
"In Juno, the main character had a tendency to joke and elaborate in fairly graphic terms. Yet her boyfriend, Bleeker, was a one-sentence answerer. Vanessa, the woman she planned to give her baby to, was a bit of a teacher and explainer, while Vanessa's husband, Mark,...
Modern Craft: The Voices
Intro Every few weeks I'll showcase a modern script that does something really well. The discussion will center on a specific facet of "screenwriting craft." It won't be a critique of the full script. Today's script is... The Voices Genre: Black Comedy / Horror...
How To Be An Agent’s Dream Client
Reminder: Michele Wallerstein will be holding a book signing and free talk today from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Sherman Oaks. Click here for details. How To Be An Agent's Dream Client by Michele Wallerstein An agent works very hard to guide a writer’s career. We help...
Quick Screenwriting Tip: Deus Ex Machina = Bad
Avoid a deus ex machina ending to your story. What is deus ex machina? According to Wikipedia: A deus ex machina (Latin for "god out of the machine") is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and...
Michele Wallerstein Book Signing: August 28th
Michele Wallerstein will be holding another book signing next Saturday. She'll also be giving a free talk called: "How To Jump Start Your Writing Career" As you may recall, I reviewed her new book, Mind Your Business: A Hollywood Literary Agent's Guide To Your Writing...
Deleted Scenes
This really should be kept secret, but you can learn a lot by watching the making-of DVDs. - Bill Murray[1. From a fascinating interview with Bill Murray for GQ. H/T to Scott M. for sending me the link.] Scene Bloat Many a screenplay has been scriptwrecked by scene...
365 Days of Missing Blake Snyder
One Heck of a Guy A year ago today, on August 4, 2009, popular screenwriting mentor Blake Snyder died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism. It was a tragic loss to those who knew him. Because to know Blake, was to love him. I was one of many aspiring screenwriters...
Michele Wallerstein Book Signing
Michele Wallerstein -- former Hollywood agent, popular speaker/consultant, Scriptwrecked contributor and now author (!!!) -- will be holding a book signing and Q & A this Saturday. As you may recall, I reviewed her new book, Mind Your Business: A Hollywood...
The Madness of Comedy Movie Ratings
Invictus A while back I watched Invictus, starring Morgan Freeman as President Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon as the smallest rugby captain I've ever seen. (I know Invictus isn't a comedy, but bear with me.) I haven't read the script (written by Anthony Peckham), but...
Modern Craft: Brad Cutter Ruined My Life… Again
Intro As I mentioned in this post (where I brilliantly announced my blogging return, then promptly disappeared for a month), I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the craft of some modern scripts that have garnered attention. Every week or so, I'll...