Location, location, location. It’s important in real estate, in a script’s budget and also in sparking creativity for a writer’s mind. But for me, location isn’t the only thing – it’s the combination of location, people, and inspiration that puts words on the page. Location Finding the best location to write is just as important [...]
Choosing your next project, be it a spec screenplay, a TV pilot or a television spec, should not only be a creative decision; it should, in a perfect, business-savvy world, represent a strategic decision as well. This is a choice that my clients contemplate on a regular basis, struggling to balance passion with strategy, prolific [...]
Over the past couple of weeks there have been countless articles trumpeting the triumphant return of Shane Black to Hollywood’s A-List, this time as the director of Iron Man 3. Since each article was essentially breaking down the same story regarding the film, they tried valiantly to put their own spin on the backstory of [...]
To kick things off, I’d like to talk a little bit about the world of comic books and graphic novels, and why Hollywood producers like them so much. With its combination of words and visuals in one attractive package, a comic book can be a great sales tool when pitching your project to movie studios [...]
The upcoming column in Script Magazine called Script Symbology is about the study and application of symbols and symbolism to scripts. While there are so-called movie symbologists (Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code comes to mind) to our knowledge there exists no ongoing research, discussion or study of the application of symbols and symbolism [...]
I can recall only three times in my life when I’ve felt weak in the knees. One was on my wedding day. I’d made my walk to the front of the church. Then, as I turned and gazed back across all those over-dressed guests stacked in the pews of Boston’s Old South Church, I saw [...]
I’m feeling a need to stick up for the little people today. I always root for the little guy. Hell, I am a little guy. Hence, this is why I love indie filmmakers. We have day jobs, work tirelessly to get our art noticed, and stick our tin cups out to crowdsource via Kickstarter and [...]
Here’s the Exercise: There are three steps to developing material concept first. I always work with a timer set to 15 minutes and write by hand. In each of the exercises below, allow yourself to go outside and beyond your story. Step 1. Trace the source of your original inspiration for the idea. How did [...]
Isn’t that every writer’s greatest fear? Producer Anne Marie Gillen recently posed this question to our Mastermind Group: ”What keeps you awake at night?What are those nasty thoughts that keep playing around in your head? The shoulda-coulda-woulda?” It stimulated such an open and honest discussion about our communal fears and insecurities that we entrepreneurial artists all share but rarely [...]
