What is a scene…? In screenwriting, there are many different ways to define a scene. Some will say that it is an event, something that happens or a “unit of story” that takes place in a specific location. As soon as the scene changes location, it becomes a new scene. I would disagree with … More How to Write a Scene
The Hero’s Journey There has been tons and tons of great material written about Joseph Campbell and his Hero’s Journey. Here’s my take on his incredible work. It’s my attempt to simplify it down to its core ideas in “snackable” bites that are easy to comprehend. Joseph Campbell According to Me The hero’s story is … More Joseph Campbell: The Hero’s Journey (Part 2)
The Hero’s Journey There has been tons and tons of great material written about Joseph Campbell and his Hero’s Journey. Here’s my take on his incredible work. It’s my attempt to simplify it down to its core ideas in “snackable” bites that are easy to comprehend. Joseph Campbell According to Me The hero’s story is … More Joseph Campbell: The Hero’s Journey (Part 1)
One Foot in Front of the Other A good logline is the first step in putting the pieces of your screenplay together. You need to know where each step is going to land in order to fill in the shimmies and shakes in between the hard landings that make your script special. But first you … More Loglines: An Exercise
In screenwriting “loglines” is a term commonly used as a selling device to interest a reader, producer, actor and agent in your script. There is tons of great information available in books and online about how to write winning loglines. Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat” has an excellent chapter on what makes for a good … More Loglines: A Review
There are lots of ways for dialogue to be less effective than it should be. Let’s examine a few: Show, Don’t Tell Characters in a scene are trying to resolve a problem. If you’ve done your job well, the audience is right there trying to solve the problem with the characters. Rather than spoon-feed your … More Dialogue: The Do, the Don’t and the Out Loud
A person cannot speak unless he or she has had a thought. A person does not have a thought unless he or she has a need. That is never more true than in all dramatic writing. Characters in a script speak because they want something. Another way to think of it: the average person speaks … More Dialogue: Subtext
Words and Pictures… Film is a visual medium. Some people say that a great movie shouldn’t need dialogue to convey the story; the visual imagery should be enough. But that isn’t true. For starters, the visuals come with sound that enhance, expand and explain what is being seen on the screen. Dialogue does the same … More Dialogue: Words and Pictures
Exposition is an essential party of good dialogue. It is a necessary component of the how the story – not the plot – of a movie is communicated. It helps the audience understand where character came from prior to the movie starting and how that past will affect how that character move through the story … More Dialogue: Exposition
Dialogue is the backbone of every movie. It needs to be believable. It has to define a character without explicitly doing so. It must advance the plot and be entertaining a well. Good dialogue is no easy task. Anyone can write what we call dialogue – the words that are spoken by a character. The … More Dialogue: Overview
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