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The Season of Weird, Chatty Dramedies

I can’t say I totally understand it but this year was definitely the reading season for the Weird, Chatty Dramedy.

I’d estimate that approximately 20% of the scripts I read this year involved an ensemble of types sitting around, chatting about various personal issues that were of absolutely no interest to me.

Many of these [...]

Dunne: The story is the journey for truth. The plot is the road it takes to get there.

I’ve just started reading Peter Dunne’s “Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot” and it’s giving me a lot to think about.

Dunne writes in Know Your Story, Know Your Plot, Know the Difference:

When we think about great stories, about great movies, we remember first and foremost about whom the story is told.
The answer [...]

Don’t Forget Film is a Visual Medium

The visual medium is the essence of “show, don’t tell.” A lot of scripts I’m seeing this year seem to have disregarded the fact that these stories should be a blueprint for something visual.

This reading season has been the season of the chatty dramedy. By dramedy, I mean stories that at their essence [...]

Biopic: A Character’s Journey

I’ve been reading a number of biopics based on very famous historical personages. They are flat and dry, like cardboard. The feeling I have reading them is that they take a marionette of a historical figure and dance them through the major events of their life. I start off with little or no understanding of [...]

Writing and Rights

I know there can be some confusion about adapting work for the screen and owning the rights.

If you are absolutely in love with a novel, cartoon, graphic novel (or ANY work that is not your own) and feel that it is your life’s destiny to adapt this work for the screen, then GET THE RIGHTS [...]

What is “High Concept”?

“High concept” is an expression within the entertainment industry that basically boils down to meaning ‘highly commercial.’

But what does it really mean? “High concept” indicates a few things:

1. A universal concept, whereupon every person hearing the idea will have a specific common point of reference. Successful universal concepts can be based on tropes, urban [...]

Political Thrillers & Sci-Fi: Track the World

It is a common mistake for political thrillers and sci-fi screenplays to dump too many characters in the openings. This gets very confusing quickly.

As a reader, I always feel the strongest choice is to introduce the protagonist alone, so that he/she stands out and is clearly identified in the mind of the reader.

Once [...]

How To Title Your Script

Coming up with an amazing title is important. Why?

As a script reader, if I smile when I read your title, that’s a huge bonus – because it means I will be excited to read your script. Conversely, if the title evokes nothing, that’s bad. I don’t know what that script is about and I’ll [...]

The Script Reader’s Top 10 Screenplay “Dos”

The following is a very basic list of items that get my attention as a script reader. If your script addresses each of these points, you’re probably doing a good job. I will be excited to read your script.

So, here we go, a list of my top 10 screenplay “dos” when reading:

DO keep your page [...]

The Script Reader’s Top 5 Screenplay “Do Nots”

The following is a very basic list of items that do not impress me as a script reader and, more often than not, will get your script a resounding pass. If your script contains any of these points, consider rewriting before sending out.

So, here we go, a list of my top 5 screenplay peeves when [...]

Example of How To Introduce Your Protagonist (Erin Brockovich)

One of my favorite scripts is “Erin Brockovich,” because I love the writing. It is abundantly clear, sparsely written, and dense with meaning. This script captures worlds of information with just a few simple, extremely well chosen words. To my mind, that is excellence in screenwriting.

Please read this excerpt of the opening of [...]

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The Season of Weird, Chatty Dramedies

Dunne: The story is the journey for truth. The plot is the road it takes to get there.

Don’t Forget Film is a Visual Medium

Biopic: A Character’s Journey

Writing and Rights

What is “High Concept”?

Political Thrillers & Sci-Fi: Track the World

How To Title Your Script

The Script Reader’s Top 10 Screenplay “Dos”

The Script Reader’s Top 5 Screenplay “Do Nots”

Example of How To Introduce Your Protagonist (Erin Brockovich)

Introduce Your Character to the Reader

Why Shutter Island Didn’t Work: Audience Expectation

Pixar: Writing Complete Stories

Positioning Yourself as a Writer:
Choosing Genre

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