Go Into The Story

Page One: “Onward” (2020)

Screenplay by Dan Scanlon & Jason Headley & Keith Bunin, original story by Dan Scanlon & Keith Bunin & Jason Headley

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 14

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

“It’s a Wonderful Life”: Minute by Minute Breakdown

A podcast analysis with MovieRob and me about the dramatic George-Mary phone call.

Page One: “Only God Forgives” (2013)

Written by Nicolas Winding Refn

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 13

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

Page One: “Poor Things” (2023)

Screenplay by Tony McNamara, based upon the novel by Alasdair Gray

Script To Screen: “Halloween”

Here is a whopper of a Final Struggle from the 1978 Halloween, written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill.

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 12

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

Learn How to Generate, Develop, and Assess Story Concepts

My upcoming one-week online Core: Concept class begins Monday, January 29.

Page One: “Ferrari” (2023)

Written by Michael Mann, based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine by Brock Yates

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 11

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

Screenwriting 101: Tony McNamara

“With TV, you’ve got 10 hours and can make more mistakes and get away with them. But with a screenplay, you’ve got to find the heart and…

Page One: “One Chance” (2013)

Written by Justin Zackham

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 10

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

On Writing

“It’s hard to make something that’s interesting. It’s really, really hard…. Basically, anything that anyone makes…. It’s like a law of…

Page One: “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004)

Written by George Nolfi, characters by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Week 2

Write some scenes. Win a free screenwriting prize.

Interview: Samy Burch

A conversation with the screenwriter of May December.

Page One: “Oblivion” (2013)

Screenplay by Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt (as Michael deBruyn), graphic novel original story by Joseph Kosinski

2023 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 2 New Scripts, 54 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

Screenwriting 101: Cord Jefferson

“I worked on Succession. I don’t know any white billionaires. But I think the reason that Succession works, and the reason why people love…

Page One: “The Iron Claw” (2023)

Written by Sean Durkin

2024 Scene-Writing Challenge: Day 9

Write some scenes. Win a great prize.

Writers on Characters

Quotes from professional writers about the importance of characters in the story-crafting process.

Page One: “Nimona” (2023)

Screenplay by Robert L. Baird & Lloyd Taylor, story by Robert L. Baird & Lloyd Taylor & Pamela Ribon & Marc Haimes & Nick Bruno & Troy…