Recommended Screenwriters

Don Macnab-Stark (ProSeries 6) has been hired by Norwegian writer/producer Martin Molenda to rewrite a horror screenplay to be filmed next year. Don has already rewritten the treatment and story outline, and is now working on the actual script.  He will receive co-writing credit.    This is Don’s second paid writing assignment and he’s had

Joshua Durkin (ProSeries 23) has completed a writing assignment on a feature screenplay.  The urban thriller will be produced by Terrence Levi of Streetlife Worldwide Entertainment. Always nice when scripts get approved.  Well done, Joshua. 

Imagine these two scenarios: A. A production company reader picks up your script.  It is the 25th script they’ve read this week.  They have been bored to tears by some of the other ones and now, it is your turn. But the opening scene is so fresh and unique that they feel hope that your

Probably the most tempting thing to do in a script is create a scene where two characters banter back and forth.  It just seems so easy. You set up some kind of conflict and let them talk. But does that entertain readers and audiences? Most of the time, "talking heads" scenes don't deliver anything close

  Have you ever noticed that even though a great story has big moments, it is also filled with many small emotional moments? Yesterday, as I watched “FOR LOVE OF THE GAME,“ there was a small emotional moment in the story that surprised me. In the eighth inning, an outfielder catches a ball that would

Claire V. Riley (ProSeries 9) just made Variety.  Five name actors have been attached to her script “The Perfect Family” and the project is moving forward.   See Variety article.  The cast will include Emily Deschanel (star of Fox’s hit TV drama “Bones”), Kathleen Turner, Jason Ritter, Michael McGrady, and Richard Chamberlain.  A rewrite was done

  You’re writing a scene and you want it to be funny. What do you do? First, you can look for what might naturally be funny about it.  Maybe you throw in a twist or two.  Create a comedic surprise.  Write some humorous lines of dialogue.  All good ideas. Let me present another possibility —

If you want to sell your screenplay, production companies may be your best bet.  And one way to get to them is screenplay query letters.  But there’s a problem…  Over the last year, we’ve received about 200 query letters and have found some to be inspiring, some to be shocking and some caused us to

Twice a year, we bring select ProSeries Alumni writers to town to meet 20+ producers.  Over the last seven years, our group has met over 150 producers and benefited from their experience. Our guests have included the producers of: The Bourne Trilogy Lethal Weapon Training day Die Hard Scrooged About Schmidt X-Men and 800 other

  For most people, subtext is the most ellusive of all the writing skills. Even great writers often can’t explain how they create subtext. Why? Because they are operating primarily from intuition — that has come from many years of presenting scripts to actors, directors, and producers. So they don’t have a conscious structure they