Screenwriter-to-Screenwriter.com » Tone

The Seed of Your Story

Monica — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:13:18 +0000

I personally think in many cases the difference between a script I love and a script I’ll pass on is the emotional density of the project. When reading, do I feel deeply for the characters – does their journey make me feel? Do I laugh and cry with them or for them? Do I want [...]

Okay, Fine… But What’s Your Story About, Really?

Monica — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:13:17 +0000

Anyone who knows me well can probably tell you that sometimes I can be wholly oblivious to the most obvious points but pick up on subtleties the average person wouldn’t even think to look for. This is an interesting character juxtaposition and probably what makes me a writer before anything else. Documenting and chronicling the [...]

Screenwriters Are Storytellers First

Monica — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:30:52 +0000

A professional screenwriter said to me recently, “If someone reads my script and says, ‘Man, I really loved the writing,’ I want to punch them in the face. What I want them to say is, ‘I really loved your story.’ There’s a big difference.” He explained that the difference is that we’re primarily storytellers – [...]

The Season of Weird, Chatty Dramedies

Monica — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:13:43 +0000

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 [...]

Don’t Forget Film is a Visual Medium

Monica — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:51:30 +0000

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

Monica — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:19:25 +0000

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 [...]

Descriptors: Be Precise

Monica — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:13:59 +0000

Don’t forget when you’re writing to use precise descriptors that evoke something very clear in the mind of the reader. Even in screenwriting, the quality of prose to some degree either engages or repels the reader and thus the experience of your screenplay.

Try to avoid descriptors that are ambiguous, contradictory or confusing, because the [...]

Writing and Rights

Monica — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:13:13 +0000

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”?

Monica — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:13:53 +0000

“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

Monica — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:45:26 +0000

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 [...]