So in film there is very little that can be described as objective, but the screenplay and screenplay format is one of them. What I think people don’t seem to understand is that the format and conventions of screenwriting are not without reason. A screenplay is at its core a functional document. There is a…Read more
screenwriting
Lesson from the film festival 4: a trope I think we should retire
We haven’t even made it through the submissions sent in for the early bird deadline and I have watched the same movie four times. Not because they were the same film submitted multiple times, but four films that each had nearly identical plots: a group of dysfunctional people must travel back to their hometown to…Read more
Weekly post – 1/2-8
I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to this week. I’ve been finding in the last couple of months that things are getting tighter and tighter. My lease is up in May and I am hoping to get out of this unhealthy environment… but I want to stay in Orlando, which means something…Read more
Deus ex Bullshit: Tragic characters don’t get happy endings
Okay, so I am back on the watch a bunch of movies and critically analyze them job and I am noticing what pearl-clutchers would call a Disturbing Trend. Over and over and over, I’m watching movies with a tragic narrative structure that flinch at the last second and try and give it a happy ending….Read more
An “LGBTQIA+ Empowerment Tale” Conversion Therapy Horror Film? What the fuck…
So, when I first heard about this Blumhouse movie coming out I do have to say that my first thought was “God damn it, why does this keep happening to me? It’s fucking Interstellar all over again.” I’m currently in the middle of a fucking conversion therapy horror spec script and of course one is…Read more
Six Things I Learned Writing “Snake Bite”
(I’m shamelessly stealing this format from the incredible and incomparable Chuck Wendig. Read his books!) Snake Bite is the story of a female police officer escorting a prisoner to the site of his most recent murder. But when the prisoner’s brother, the leader of a notorious gang, ambushes the cops to free the prisoner, the…Read more
Short Scripts for Sale
I just wanted to post a quick update on the short scripts I have for sale. I’ve talked to a few people about what I have up there, and I want all of you to know that I’m listening. I am currently working on smaller budget scripts, as well as shorter scripts. I’m going to…Read more
Editing From the Bottom Up
One of the most important pieces of writing advice I heard from a fellow student at Full Sail: Edit from the bottom up. This means scrolling down to the bottom of the document and reading it, essentially, backwards, looking for grammar mistakes along the way. We all think that our scripts and prose just flow…Read more
Prepare Thyself: Plotting to Dominate the Zero Draft Thirty Challenge
Zero Draft Thirty is a fun, rewarding experience… until it isn’t. The easiest way to ensure that your ZD30 is a success is to plot everything out in advance. When you’re writing a large chunk of text over a long period, the burnout comes swift and it comes hard. Don’t try and make it more…Read more