Go Into The Story

The Theology of Cinema: Redemption

“Metaphorically bondage can translate into being tied to some event or circumstance in the past, a character bound to it emotionally, even…

Page One: ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ (1979)

Screenplay by Robert Benton, novel by Avery Corman

Great Scene: “Repo Man”

The cult classic Repo Man (1984), written and directed by Alex Cos, has many memorable scenes. I want to feature the final scene in the…

Interview (Video): John Ford

He’s been called “The Great American Director,” and yet John Ford also was a screenwriter with 24 titles he contributed to (per IMDb)…

Page One: ‘Juno’ (2007)

Written by Diablo Cody

The Incurable Disease of Writing

“In psychological terms, it seems that drive is more important than talent in producing creative work.”

Page One: ‘Joker’ (2019)

Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, based on characters created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson

Find Your Writer’s Voice

I hear this a lot in conversations with writers, but mostly with managers, agents, and producers. They’re looking for writers who cover a…

The Importance of Subplots

An in-depth exploration of the value of these mini-stories.

The Business of Screenwriting: “Everyone is here because of us”

It is late spring 1988. I am in San Diego where K-9 is being shot. It’s my first day on a movie set. Ever. The scene the crew is shooting…

Page One: ‘Jojo Rabbit’ (2019)

Screenplay by Taika Waititi, book by Christine Leunens

Scene Description Spotlight: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

The ending sequence includes a most interesting sentence…

Q&A: Joshua Caldwell

The writer-director talks about newest movie Infamous.

Page One: ‘John Wick’ (2014)

Written by Derek Kolstad

Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Create an argument

Let’s say you’re stuck writing a flat scene. No matter how you’ve approached it, the scene just lays there.

Screenwriting 101: Chris McCoy

“Normally, your first scripts are there to establish what your voice is, what you actually want to write and what you want to bring to the…

Page One: ‘Jaws’ (1975)

Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, novel by Peter Benchley

Think Concepts

The foundation of a good script is a strong story concept.

On Writing

“Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. It’s all about taking in as much of what’s out there as you can, and not letting the…

Page One: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)

Screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra, additional scenes by Jo Swerling, story by Philip Van Doren Stern

Sundays with Ray Bradbury

A new series featuring reflections on writing from the famed writer.

Spec Script Deal: “The Princess”

Hulu acquires action spec script “The Princess” written by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton. Via Deadline:

Page One: ‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)

Screenplay by Tim McCanlies, screen story by Brad Bird, based on the book “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes

Thanks for your thoughts, Frank.

Writing in the AM before you get locked into left brain activity - sounds like a good idea.

Is the key to creativity “unlearning”?

What if everything we have learned in our lives has actually diminished our creativity?