Go Into The Story

Script Analysis: “Toy Story 4” — Part 4: Themes

Read and analyze the script for the hit Pixar movie.

The Business of Screenwriting: If you write a great script…

…Hollywood will find you.

Daily Dialogue — April 16, 2020

“Hey.”

The story structure for TS4 is actually quite complex as I noted previously interweaving key…

Laura, your take does a great job in highlighting this precise point. I would add these two points:

Laura, that is an excellent analysis and aligns precisely with my take on the major plotline points.

Your take really puts a spotlight on how deft the plotting is in interweaving three storylines: Woody / Forky / Bo Peep.

What is the third origin story about The Joker’s scars in The Dark Knight?

“Wanna know how I got these scars?”

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 15

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “Toy Story 4” — Part 3: Characters

Read and analyze the script for the hit Pixar movie.

Great Scene: “2001: A Space Odyssey”

The use of a tool… violence against others… and the dawn of humankind.

Daily Dialogue — April 15, 2020

Tuco is in a bubble bath. The One Armed Man enters the room.

Reader Question: How to indicate a ‘jump cut’ in a screenplay?

A jump cut is a transition to suggest a time ellipsis, a jump in time, hence the term.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 14

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “Toy Story 4” — Part 2: Plot

Read and analyze the script for the hit Pixar movie.

Screenwriting 101: Kristen Gray-Rockmaker

“Just keep writing and don’t get fixated in any one project for too long. Write your project. Get your feedback, rewrite it, and then send…

Daily Dialogue — April 14, 2020

“Don’t fuck with me now, man, I am Ahab.”

Laura, I agree: the “inner voice,” indeed, voice itself is a recurring theme in the story.

Re the scene-by-scene breakdown and the script itself, this may be one of the most active Pixar stories. Yes, there are some reflective…

Austin, I’m at heart a perfectionist, so I can related to your quandary.

Indeed, I encourage my students and writer clients not to think so much when they take a first pass at a scene, but rather get in touch…

Screenwriting 101: Kristen Gray-Rockmaker

“Just keep writing and don’t get fixated in any one project for too long. Write your project. Get your feedback, rewrite it, and then send…

Great Scene: “Double Indemnity”

“There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.”

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 13

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…

Script Analysis: “Toy Story 4” — Part 1: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Read and analyze the script for the hit Pixar movie.

On Writing

Always tell us where we are. And don’t just tell us where something is, make it pay off. Use description of landscape to help you…

Daily Dialogue — April 13, 2020

“Nice marmot, man.”

Scene-Writing Workshop

I’m reprising my one-week Scene-Writing Workshop which starts next Monday, April 15th.

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 12

This is the 11th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my…