Archive
This is a list of all the articles currently on the site, in the order they were published. Happy browsing!
- Emotionally Autobiographical: Damien Chazelle on La La Land
February 10, 2017
Damien Chazelle on writing two movies in one, the underlying sadness of musicals, giving your script feeling, and challenging yourself to make it personal.
- Barry Jenkins on Moonlight
February 9, 2017
Barry Jenkins discusses making the audience walk a mile in the character’s shoes, the use of waypoints in adaptations, and the importance of poor first drafts.
- Finding Your Creative Value: Jamal Joseph on Chapter & Verse
February 7, 2017
Jamal Joseph on writing a film based on your own experience, the importance of comedy in drama, and not waiting for that big studio movie.
- Understanding Screenwriting #154
February 6, 2017
Tom Stempel on The Edge of Seventeen, Moonlight, Elle, Loving, Allied, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
- Building a tapestry: Kenneth Lonergan on Manchester by the Sea
February 3, 2017
Kenneth Lonergan discusses making the story your own, the use of flashbacks, and rooting your script in realism.
- Brianne Hogan’s Year in Quotes
February 2, 2017
Brianne looks back over her interviews from 2016, and shares some of her favorite quotes.
- Hidden Figures: “A Mathematical Juggling Act”
February 1, 2017
Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi on the importance of repetition, ensuring balance in an ensemble piece, and not getting attached to your first draft.
- “Nothing’s harder than writing.” Evan Oppenheimer on Lost in Florence
January 30, 2017
Evan Oppenheimer discusses achieving authenticity, getting to the heart of the story, and finding your point of entry.
- “Dive Deep and Flush Out Your Craft.” Patrick Massett and John Zinman on Gold
January 27, 2017
Patrick Massett and John Zinman on watching movies with the script in your lap, the rhythm of a scene, not sending out your first script, and why working in Hollywood is like prospecting for gold.
- Making Your Protagonist the Antagonist: Robert Siegel on The Founder
January 26, 2017
Robert Siegel discusses his fascination for outsiders, using research to get into your characters’ heads, and writing what you love.
- John McNamara & Sera Gamble: The Magicians
January 25, 2017
John McNamara & Sera Gamble discuss finding the best version of the moment, the importance of not knowing what happens next, and the value of treating everything as practice.
- Brock Swinson’s Year in Quotes
January 23, 2017
Brock looks back over his interviews from 2016, and shares some of his favourite quotes.
- “Power comes from writing.” M. Night Shyamalan on Split
January 20, 2017
M. Night Shyamalan on the importance of outlining, using dark humor, the four genres of Split, and writing for different budgets.
- “What guides me is the real person.” Mike Mills on 20th Century Women
January 19, 2017
Mike Mills discusses writing from personal experience, why plot is not that important to him, and how to know when a script is ready.
- Giving Up and Letting Go: Erin Cressida Wilson on Adapting The Girl on the Train
January 18, 2017
Erin Cressida Wilson discusses her process of adaptation, embracing writer’s block, and the importance of embarrassing yourself when writing.
- Roger Corman on Death Race 2050
January 17, 2017
Roger Corman discusses what makes a good screenplay, how Death Race 2000 influenced Mad Max and The Hunger Games, and why killing pedestrians was important.
- “One Script does not make you a writer.” Gloria Calderon Kellett on One Day at a Time
January 16, 2017
Gloria Calderon Kellett talks about how a show is developed, writing for television, and how exactly a writers’ room works.
- Shared Inspiration: Claire in Motion
January 13, 2017
Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell on learning from your actors, a unique way of writing as a duo, and what makes a partnership work.
- Chris McKittrick’s Year in Quotes
January 12, 2017
Chris looks back over his interviews from 2016, and shares some of his favourite quotes.
- Communicating through Fiction: Tom Ford on Nocturnal Animals
January 10, 2017
Tom Ford on why all his scenes have their own 3-act structure, writing as catharsis, the value of a strict schedule and the importance of photo research.
- “Don’t draw the line at good enough.” Diane Drake on Screenwriting
January 9, 2017
Diane Drake on giving yourself permission to be bad, the essentials of a first act, and what to do with your script when it is written.
- Paths, Ripples & Choices: How character and story logic can make or break your script
January 6, 2017
Using examples from The Night Of, Unfaithful and Breaking Bad, Brian explores character and story logic, and reveals the importance of believability.
- Logarithmic Time in Screenwriting
January 5, 2017
In the first of a brand new series of video articles brought to you in conjunction with StoryBrain, we explore the concept of Logarithmic Time!
- How to Handle Notes
January 4, 2017
Lucy V. Hay explores what to do when you receive conflicting feedback on your script.
- What Writers Can Learn From Musicians
January 3, 2017
John Davis on practice, working on your flaws, and the importance of throwing it all away.
- Fictionalization: How Not To Get Sued
December 30, 2016
David Albert Pierce, Esq. explores how to use factual events in your screenwriting, and offers advice on best practice for fictionalization.
- Understanding Screenwriting #153
December 28, 2016Tom Stempel on The Birth of a Nation, The Accountant, Inferno, Denial, Arrival, Beauty Shop, and All the President’s Men.
- Arenas and Finish Lines in Screenwriting
December 26, 2016
Michael Hauge explores the concepts of Arenas and Finish Lines, as shown in Avatar and The Hurt Locker.
- Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Cinematic Prototype
December 23, 2016
Michael Welles Schock reveals what A Christmas Carol can teach us about plot structure, and how it illustrates the relationship between narrative conflict and the character arc.
- Walking a Tightrope: John Hamburg on Why Him?
December 22, 2016
John Hamburg discusses character motivation and infusing back story into the comedy, and reveals a serendipitous behind-the-scenes anecdote.
- Writing a Dramatic Script: Five Key Techniques
December 20, 2016
Scott McConnell on plot and story, creating a layered central conflict, and the use of disguise, deception and ingenious complications.
- Collateral Beauty: A Holiday Fable
December 16, 2016
Allan Loeb on the secret to writing a good twist, walking while you write, and the biggest lesson he’s learned from being a writer in Hollywood.
- From All We Had to X-Men: Josh Boone, a Busy Man
December 15, 2016
Josh Boone on his many projects, writing in a bubble, and building your career around books you love.
- Shepherding Arrival to the Screen
December 14, 2016
Eric Heisserer on wooing your director, working with your source material, and how a screenwriter is like Charlie Brown.
- “An Authentic and Vibrant Love.” Southside with You
December 13, 2016
Richard Tanne on connecting to your characters and story, making use of your research, and being inspired by love.
- Lion: A Powerful, Primal Childhood Fable
December 12, 2016
Luke Davies on bringing scenes to life, symmetry and turning points, and why a script has to be both a technical document and also a work of art.
- Frank & Lola: A Long Labor of Love
December 9, 2016
Matthew Ross on writing a psychosexual noir love story, playing with audience expectations, and accommodating changes into your script.
- Fact vs. Truth in Screenwriting
December 8, 2016
Taking Quiz Show as a case study, James Napoli explores the art of turning true stories into powerful drama.
- Meet the Reader: Berkeley Hunt
December 7, 2016
What readers look for in a script, why reading scripts is good for writers, and what to avoid when writing your screenplay!
- The Different Faces of Jackie
December 6, 2016
Noah Oppenheim on writing a multilayered protagonist, the political mythmaking of the Kennedys, and the importance of narrowing the aperture.
- Understanding Screenwriting #152
December 2, 2016Tom Stempel on Hell or High Water, Sully, Bridget Jones’ Baby, The Magnificent Seven, The Dressmaker, and Shadow of a Doubt.
- “I could hear their voices.” Michael Hirst on Vikings
November 30, 2016
Michael Hirst on the process of writing historical fiction, the importance of poetry, and how Vikings has rejuvenated interest in Scandinavian culture.
- Nadiya Chettiar: An Emerging Screenwriter on the Rise
November 29, 2016
Nadiya Chettiar on the importance of networking, what you should consider before signing with your first agent, and what really happens at one of those infamous LA meetings.
- Blunt Talk: No Unkind Humor
November 28, 2016
Jonathan Ames on writing about friendships, his rules of screenwriting, and ideas for a film of his cult show Bored to Death.
- “I want to entrance and surprise.” Stephen Poliakoff on Close to the Enemy
November 24, 2016
Stephen Poliakoff discusses handling multiple characters, seeing what your protagonist sees, and avoiding the distancing effect of period dramas.
- Into the Badlands: Blood-splattered Heroes and the One Degree of Jackie Chan
November 23, 2016
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar on keeping the martials arts authentic, why a fight scene is like jazz, and writing for Jackie Chan.
- “Don’t bow to that trope.” Ben Younger on Bleed for This
November 22, 2016
The pros and cons of taking ten years off from screenwriting, the boxing film as a parable, and choosing what to tell.
- Walking the line between filthy and having heart: Bad Santa 2
November 21, 2016
Johnny Rosenthal and Shauna Cross on writing a sequel to a modern classic Christmas comedy, knowing when a character shouldn’t develop, and writing without a filter.
- James L. Brooks and Kelly Fremon Craig on The Edge of Seventeen
November 18, 2016
The importance of details, building audience trust with the narrator, and the writer’s edge.
- True Memoirs of an International Assassin: A Tonal Tightrope
November 17, 2016
Jeff Morris and Jeff Wadlow on writing characters into a corner, the challenge of balancing action and comedy, and giving yourself permission to quit for the day.
