Articles
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
Ryan Reynolds in "Buried" (2010)
Writing a limited-location script can be tough. Even if you come up with a great angle, obstacles exist when you sit down to write a one-location script. Here are 4 tips to overcome those obstacles. Read More
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
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
Rami Malek stars in "Mr. Robot"
Scripted television is exploding. And if you are a screenwriter with experience primarily in the feature-length form, then you would do yourself well to start learning how to write a pilot. Read More
What is wrong with the following scene?
MEGAN and DANIEL are shown to their table by a WAITER. Read More
Screenwriting is more than just don'ts.
Over the years, I've read thousands of scripts as a producer and former VP Development for companies at Sony, Universal and Disney and had to separate the wheat from the chaff. Read More
As a producer and former VP of Development for production companies based at Sony, Universal and Disney, I've had the privilege of working with award-winning writers, directors and actors, and the most successful ones always... Read More
Wouldn't it be great if you could go back in time and hear how some of your favorite movies were pitched? Imagine being a fly on the wall in these meetings Read More
All right, so you know your hook and you've got a couple good loglines. You can pitch a script in the time it takes to ride the elevator down to the lobby. You've got scripts on InkTip, you send pitches in the mail, and you... Read More
