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by Christopher Titus
Pain is funny. Anything can be funny. You can go as far as
you want into the darkness. In a comedy you can scare an
audience as long as you let them off with a laugh after the
terror. In two years of writing Titus, the one pure truth
for Christopher Titus is that jokes don't make a good comedy.
It all comes down to story.
by Rita Cook
They're two brothers who like to have fun. Even with distinct
differences in personality their writing blends well, so
well that their recent screenplay Bumper
to Bumper sold to
Twentieth Century Fox.
by Sam A. Scribner
There are a finite number of dramatic situations and human
emotions, PLOTS Unlimited is a writer's brainstorming software
that may help you find what you need to create memorable
characters.
by Summer Houston
You've got to be creative in pursuing your dreams, especially
when one way of doing something doesn't bring about the desired
result. So, when one action fails to bring results let your
creativity take over.
by Frederic T. Dray
WGAw Board Member Charles E. Pogue discusses methods for
protecting a writer's vision and rights when selling a script,
dealing with and working with a director.
by Greg Carter
After I finished my first film, Fifth
Ward, I began to think
about what had changed me on my journey as a filmmaker. Was
it just my second film being finished or was it more?
by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein
With the WGA and SAG strikes looming on the horizon, animation
has again become a hot-button topic, due in-part to the fact
that animation production is not governed by the WGA.
by Ray Morton
Readers are by nature a tolerant lot (one must possess a
certain degree of kindness and an ability to endure painful
prose in order to get through several hundred scenarios of
wildly divergent quality each year). Find out what makes
even the most tranquil and forbearing of readers spit, curse,
and foam at the mouth.
by Genia Shipman
To many writers, pilot season summons visions of seven-figure
commitments, five-year runs, rich syndication deals, and
multi-million dollar profit participation. Most of the time,
however, the reality is different. Getting a series on the
air is a long shot and having a successful series is even
more unlikely so writing a spec that is original is crucial.
by William C. Martell
What is a theme? It's what your film is really about the
POINT rather than the plot––the moral of the
story. Theme is the most important part of a script. The
whole script comes from theme.
by Bob Verini
Randall Wallace has written a Best Picture winner and directed
some of the industry's most important actors. He is the author
of one of the most eagerly anticipated blockbusters of the
year, yet he remains true to his unique personal vision.
by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
It's ironic: when any other movie is being developed, the
primary focus is on including things the audience will like.
When developing a movie intended for audiences of all ages,
the primary focus is on excluding things that the audience
won't like.
by Lloyd Kramer & Elizabeth Strout
Writer/director Lloyd Kramer and novelist Elizabeth Strout
discuss the transformation of Amy
and Isabelle into a moving,
effective telefilm that stands on its own merits while
remaining true to the novel.
by Tom Gleisner
Australia's role in NASA's early space program generally
elicits the response: You mean they had a role? But it's
true. An Australian radio telescope was responsible for capturing
those first images of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar
surface. From this somewhat arcane footnote in scientific
history came the starting point for The
Dish.
by John Kim
Awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival,
Henry Bean's The Believer tells the story of a young anti-Semitic
Nazi sympathizer who is Jewish. The controversial film came
about in part because of Bean's dissatisfaction and frustration
with the inability to see his own projects realized on-screen.
by William C. Martell
Every detail in your screenplay should be critical to the
telling of your story. Chris Nolan's mystery film, Memento,
is a great example of the art of the clever set up and pay
off.
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