Going For The Dream, Part 2

In this business, there are four components: Your ideas, your writing, your marketing and your dream. If you excel at all four, you'll make it! So why aren't more people successful? I've seen so many people who had talent, great ideas, and even the time to make it, but who managed their dream so poorly

When structured properly a reveal can bring add new levels of depth and emotion to your screenplay. It also brings with it the element of surprise. And if it is artfully done, readers will have more appreciation for your writing. So it is worth learning and mastering reveals. THE STRUCTURE Overall, the structure is simple.

Why would an intelligent screenwriter mislead their audience? One simple and very important reason — to increase the drama the audience experiences. Some of the most dramatic moments in movies occur when the audience is misled, then the truth is revealed. In a mystery script, for example, what looks like the most supportive person in

Writers are always asking for feedback.  The assumption is that it is always helpful.  In many cases, it is.  But there are those cases you should watch out for. Want to hear a horror story? Frances, a writer in one of my classes, told me about an experience in her first screenwriting class. "It was

One of the reasons I love working with screenwriters is because you are pursuing your dream. You are taking steps every day to make an amazing goal happen. That means you have far more life than most people. It also means you must keep your vision alive and make decisions based upon that vision. There

Every once in a while, you'll see a scene that has you totally captivated — even though it is a 100% talking heads scene. That's right, not one bit of action, but the level of drama is so high that you are engrossed. How can that be? What is it that is so special about

When it comes to screenwriting, one of the more difficult experiences to create is intrigue. Below is part of the of one of the lessons from the Pushing The Envelope Screenwriting Class that will provide some insight into intrigue.   With SUSPENSE, the reader is worried, wondering, waiting for the solution. SURPRISE, on the other

Is it really possible to be edgy and subtle at the same time? Read this scene and see. Many of you have seen the movie KISS, KISS, BANG, BANG, written and directed by Shane Black. It is an edgy Indie flick that is filled with fresh writing. In some places, I think it goes a

When an audience thinks they know where you are going, it is an opportune moment to surprise them with something unexpected. One of the formats for fresh writing is “The Unexpected Response.” This is one of my favorite techniques when used correctly. The setup sends our minds in one direction and then we get surprised

I talk with other producers on a regular basis and yesterday, I had one ask me if I ever read the loglines listed on the Net. He was talking about a service that lists loglines and sends them out to producers. Here was his comment: “I found a couple of good ones, but I had