How and when to use CUT TO:
You have likely heard that CUT TO: is long out of favor. So why do we still keep using it?
How to write a passive protagonist.
Can't have one, right? Like most go-to notes, it’s mostly true, but with enough nuance that the definitive statement of it rings false.
How to give good notes when you’re not skilled at giving notes.
An unfinished screenplay invites notes, but your “notes” aren’t necessarily what a screenplay needs.
How to manage a large cast of characters.
A lot of characters in your screenplay? Take it upon yourself to make this easier for the reader,
The emotion dictates the action line.
What emotion do you want to evoke?
Back to Basics: Story Structure
Choosing what the audience knows and when they know it in order to maximize narrative momentum and emotional resonance.
The Rules of Screenwriting.
Turns out, most dumb rules have something useful behind them.
We took a spec out last week, Part 2.
Which producer gets which territory?
We took a spec out last week, Part 1.
Going out with a spec script. Here are some of the steps involved, what happens, and why certain decisions are made.
How to format a text message in your screenplay.
Text messages in modern stories are pretty much unavoidable now. Write enough screenplays and it’s eventually going to come up.
The magic of sequence throughlines.
While ALIEN was not written in 8 sequences, it is a superb example of the 8-sequence approach.
How do you want the audience to feel at the end?
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."