Inneresting
In 2009, John answered a question about how to choose between the different stories competing for your attention, and gave an example of one time he didn’t need to choose just one. I know you have addressed this type of question to a certain extent, but I was left
Inneresting
This week’s rebroadcast comes from 2007 with 3 tips on how to quickly define a character’s personality in your screenplay. Just how early can you tell a script isn’t going to work? To me, it’s as the first few characters are introduced. If character introductions are
Inneresting
This week’s rebroadcast collects posts from 2006 and 2012 to consider how selling a script isn’t a guarantee, and why writing a film that never gets made is still work worthy of compensation. You’ve said that “most scripts don’t become movies, and a hundred things could
Inneresting
This week’s rebroadcast includes a post from 2007 and a downloadable PDF version of the key points (suitable for hanging up where you write). Spend a few years as a screenwriter, and writing a scene becomes an almost unconscious process. It’s like driving a car. Most of us
Inneresting
This week’s rebroadcast brings together a few posts about structure, and reasons to consider that there’s not only one way to plan out a story. How do you know when the story has good bones? I’m a 28-year old writer with a very old problem. I do
Inneresting
If spoilers make you want to nope on out of here… That’s fine. You should see Nope before you read this. “Right here, you are going to witness an absolute spectacle.” The engine driving Jordan Peele's Nope is powered by people trying to exploit an unexplained organism
Inneresting
This week’s rebroadcast comes from 2010, with thoughts on how to make sure a story with a low-budget doesn’t also wind up with low energy. One of my frustrations with independent film — and in particular, micro-indies of the past few years — is a lack of narrative ambition. Flip
Inneresting
When helping to build Mad Max: Fury Road‘s character arcs for Max and Furiosa, screenwriter Nico Lathouris saw how three chases could bind the characters together: “The first chase brings the Road Warrior [Max] and the Praetorian [Furiosa] together, the second chase manacles them together in mutual obligation, and
Featured Friday
Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week. This week, we look at how stories of the incarcerated allow characters from all walks of life to interact, and how prisons as a location are able to accommodate many different
Inneresting
This post contains spoilers. Don’t let that scare you off. You’ve likely seen all these movies, but even if you haven’t, knowing how a movie ends shouldn’t detract from the pleasure of watching a movie. Think about it: how many people skip out on Star Wars
Featured Friday
Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week. This week, we say goodbye to 2024 with some favorite features that perfectly capture those last few days of the year. You survived ‘til '25 – congratulations! Our collection includes: * Fruitvale
Featured Friday
Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week. This week, we look at how fantasy epics use their wizards, world building and wonder to create their own kind of magic. Our collection includes: * Game of Thrones - “Pilot” by