Talent and Execution Over Budget

The studio system is very political. I have dabbled in it a few times and it is just a world I am not comfortable with at this point in my career. My motivation for filmmaking is simple: I want to be able to create things I like, with people I like and enjoy myself while doing it. That is the definition of MY success.   Read More

You Can Write a Killer One-Location Script

Writing a limited-location script can be tough. Sure, we could come up with another premise about a man who invades a home and terrorizes a woman, but can we make our script shine? Even if you come up with an angle, obstacles exist when you sit down to write a one-location script.   Read More

Learning Conflict from Kids' Movies

Believe it or not, many of the kid films out there today are not only stellar examples of impressive scripts, but downright stronger films than much of what’s being peddled to adult audiences.   Read More

Are You (and Your Genius-Level Writing) Ready?

Is it possible to be discouraged because you hear overnight success stories? Almost all the time, those successes did not exactly occur overnight.   Read More

Five Quick Tips to Make Your Script Listing Incredibly Attractive to Producers

Out of all of the departments I worked in at InkTip, I spent the most years working in our producers department. This meant I discussed with them which scripts listings on InkTip they found effective – in other words, which attracted them the most and potentially led to being optioned – and noted what some of those writers did to create that effect. While some writers used different strategies, what most consistently did to make their script listings shine brightest became clear.   Read More

More Energy Writing, Less Energy Deciding

How do you create more energy to write? Look where your energy is going throughout the day. Does it feel like you’re in a maze when you have to decide which cereal to buy? Which color shirt to wear? You may as well tell your screenplay that it’s going to take a back seat. If you spend too much time deciding what to wear, you are not just losing precious time but energy. And sapping that energy means less energy devoted to your writing.   Read More

How to Apply a Theme to Your Script Using the Thematic Triangle of Conflict

As a writer, if you haven’t first worked out what your story is really about on a fundamental level — what its DNA is before you start writing — you’re not in the best position to know what characters to come up with, what actions they take, what’s likely to happen in a scene, etc. in the first place. And this is where the Thematic Triangle of Conflict comes in. Let’s jump right in by taking a look at what it is and how best to employ it in your screenplay.   Read More

New Script Ideas from Unexpected Sources

Spending time to sit and think, or to take a walk, seems increasingly difficult in a society that prizes busyness and multi-tasking. In particular, for A-type go-getters, intentionally carving more time to think without doing several things at once can seem like “wasted time.” But there’s a reason other than simply generating more ideas why daydream-type thinking is crucial: it’s the type of ideas that are generated – namely associative thinking.   Read More

Fostering an Environment for Brilliant Ideas

Why do most of your brilliant ideas happen while you're in the shower? Or when you're about to fall asleep? Or in your dreams...or while you're cooking...or while you're in class (or at the office) daydreaming? There is an answer found in an exciting, emerging area of science.   Read More

Don't Direct

As a script consultant, I read a lot of scripts by people I have never met. When a script arrives, I usually have no idea what the writer's background might be. He or she might be a practicing or former plumber or professor, barrista or banker.   Read More