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How do you write a logline?
If you need to know what a logline is, you’re right at the start of screenplay writing. If you look in television schedules and see what’s written about a movie, a drama or even sport, the few words describing the viewing will be its logline; telling you all you need to know before you decide [...]
Continue reading...Academy Awards® 2010 nominations
3. February 2010
The nominees (from movies in 2009) are… Best Picture Avatar The Blind Side District 9 An Education The Hurt Locker Inglourous Basterds Precious A Serious Man Up Up In The Air Best Actor In A Leading Role Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart George Clooney – Up In The Air Colin Firth – Single Man Morgan Freeman – Invictus Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker Best Actress In A Leading Role Sandra Bullock – The [...]
Continue reading...Do movie trailers work?
20. August 2009
The quality of a movie trailer is often difficult to evaluate. Sometimes you get to see all the best explosions or the best jokes before you see the movie. Then, when you do pay for your ticket, you find you’ve seen everything worthwhile; you feel cheated and wonder why you bothered. Some trailers are completely [...]
Continue reading...Screenplay experts speak
27. May 2009
From time to time it’s good to go back to basics and learn screenplay writing from the experts. You don’t have to agree with all that they say, but by checking out different views you can decide what might work for you. Here’s a selection of the different types of people involved with screenwriting: writers, consultants [...]
Continue reading...What is it about a movie?
13. March 2009
Just what makes you want to rush from the cinema and tell everyone you know (and many you don’t know) about your experience, good or bad? Could it be the high emotions you’ve experienced looking out for your hero and fighting against the antagonist? It’s different for all of us. For some it might just be the [...]
Continue reading...What do script readers really think?
10. February 2009
Whatever you do, be a friend to a script reader. They might be the one who gets your script to the desk of the one who can say yes. It’s thought that the names of script readers are kept secret by the movie studios. Is this because they’re so poorly paid or require unbiased opinions? [...]
Continue reading...Harry Potter is Star Wars
6. December 2008
Breaking down a screenplay It’s always good for a screenplay writer to break down other movies into bite sized chunks to see how they’re made; construction, scene breakdown and major points highlighted. Two of the best people for this are Blake Snyder (Book: Save The Cat Goes to the Movies, breaking down to beat sheets Crash, [...]
Continue reading...FiveSprockets™ Unveils New Features
12. November 2008
We visted FiveSprockets recently; an online screenplay writing package coupled through story development, pre, post and actual production until final distribution. They’ve updated their software today so if you haven’t taken a look yet, now is a good time. Certainly the front page looks more inviting and interesting, so I’ll go and give it a [...]
Continue reading...A Name Is Just A Name – Finding The Right Fictional Character Name
8. October 2008
I read this article and thought it might be of use to screenplay writers, so I reproduce it here, in full, with permission. By David B Silva Naming a fictional character can often be a challenge. For many writers, and I include myself in this group, your character really doesn’t come alive for you until he or [...]
Continue reading...Screenplays or novel writing?
3. October 2008
In a recent article we looked at what the top earning screenplay writers achieve for top script sales, including some which don’t get made into movies. Now we can see whether you’d be better off moving your writing skills in to the world of novels. Forbes magazine has just unveiled its top list of novel writers [...]
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11. February 2010
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