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Reaction shots for maximum humor
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 shots[1. Now when I say...
No-Spoiler Review of: 2012
As with all my reviews, there will be absolutely NO spoilers. Sometimes even trailer moments will be excluded from my discussion. I hate it when surprises are ruined for me, so I'll never ruin them for you! - Trevor This review is easy. Do you enjoy seeing big budget...
Are Your Female Characters Disney Princesses?
At contexts.org, Jeff Brunner has provided this biting analysis on the "evolution" of Disney's princesses. Are the female characters in your script living in the past too? Make sure you take those negative character clichés and turn them into something positive and...
Always be on your best behavior at Pitch Festivals
Maybe it's because it's Friday the 13th today... Maybe it's because I wrote a post about James Cameron yesterday... Whatever the reason, it's time to tell you... Cautionary Tale #19: Always be on your best behavior at Pitch Festivals [Queue scary music] They say you...
The Return of James Cameron
Man of Extremes In anticipation of the upcoming movie, Avatar, Dana Goodyear of The New Yorker has written an in depth article about James Cameron, his life and his movies. If you don't know who James Cameron is, you A) have some 'splainin' to do, and B) have some...
Don’t get progressive with your tense
Simple is Better I'm sure you already know that your scene descriptions should only be written in the present tense, right? Riiiiight? Okay good. But are you using the simple present tense or the progressive present tense? Whuh? That's a fancy way of saying: Are you...
One Letter Off
Earlier this year, Blake Snyder held a contest that asked people to take a well-known movie title and change just one letter to come up with a funny new concept and logline. A couple of examples: THE HEN COMMANDMENTS A meek Idaho chicken, on the verge of being...
Respecting The Antagonist: Part 2
In Respecting The Antagonist: Part 1, I covered the basics of the Antagonist and his function in a screenplay -- as discussed in Bill Boyle's speech at the Alameda Writer's Group over the weekend. In Part 2 today, I'll be paraphrasing the parts of his speech that...
Respecting The Antagonist: Part 1
Today I went to the Alameda's Writer's Group's monthly open meeting in Los Angeles, where I took in a great speech that Bill Boyle was giving called: "Respecting The Antagonist." In this first half of a two-part article, I thought I'd summarize and paraphrase some of...
Show, Don’t Tell
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 and readily by seeing....
Agents, Personal Managers, Lawyers
Today's article comes courtesy of Michele Wallerstein -- a highly respected screenplay, novel and career consultant. Her specialty is helping writers get their work into shape so it is marketable for the Hollywood community and/or publishing world. I first heard...
The Grouse Grind of Your Script
In Vancouver, British Columbia, the Grouse Grind is a trail that has become infamous among local hikers. Actually it's not so much a trail as it is a seemingly neverending staircase forged by evil forest gnomes. Hiking it for the first time can be a truly soul...