Tag: Screenwriting

  • So, You Finished Your Script, Now What?

    Advice on Pushing Your Screenplay As I am currently going through this myself, I thought I’d share my experiences. Here was my process. First you have to make sure your script is ready. 1) Upload it onto Triggerstreet.com, a website where other readers will read and critique your work. Get at least 10 reviews per…

  • Writing “Big” – Season 1 of Damages

    Damages Commentary On the advice of some fellow writers, I decided to check out FX’s Damages whose first season is conveniently available for free (and legally I believe, since it was linked from Hulu) on Crackle.com. I was actually predisposed to dislike the show, despite the raves of some writers I know, the concept just…

  • A Lesson In Raising The Stakes: Breaking Bad Season 2 Opener

    Breaking Bad Commentary At the risk of flooding my site with Breaking Bad content, I want to comment on the first episode of the second season. Writers are sometimes told to make the story the worst day of their character’s life. We are told to raise the stakes, up the conflict, etc. But a lot…

  • Screenwriting Tools

    I’ve recently come across some pretty awesome links, which I thought I’d share. http://tvwriting.googlepages.com/pilotschool Screenwriter John August (Big Fish) put this link up at his site, I clicked around a little, if it’s really what it is advertising that’s an absolute goldmine. It has a gajillion TV pilot scripts, some very recent like Kings and others…

  • List of Screenwriting Mistakes/Cliches

    In my continuing efforts to add more screenwriting content to this site, here is a list of mistakes/cliches I have seen in reading over 150 scripts on Triggerstreet.com. By no means is my word the gospel, I’m definitely still learning I’m not a professional, just someone who has read a TON of scripts and sometimes…

  • Deconstructing Genre: Screenwriting

    *In response to the popularity of my Fireproof article, here is another screenwriting article. Deconstructing Genre Is something tough to do. It seems like it should be easy right? But it’s not that easy, movies that just point out genre cliches (i.e. something like The Comebacks) tend to be pretty bad. Because just pointing out…

  • Where Can I Get More Information About Screenwriting?

    Someone commented on my Fireproof post asking this (or I’m assuming they meant screenwriting when they said “this” and not more information about Fireproof and Marley and Me–but I digress). So where can you get more information about screenwriting? Are you serious about it? Triggerstreet. Get on it. Read scripts by other wannabes (and in…

  • A Lesson For Screenwriters From Fireproof and Marley and Me (No, Seriously)

    Honest Emotion As screenwriters we are almost encouraged to be a little too cute. Complex intersecting storylines a la Crash are popular, as are twist endings, red herrings, and self-referential wit. But what about real honest, unabashed emotion? Not subdued, not put in quietly, but loud and not embarassed about it? The films from such…

  • Writing Character-Jack Nicholson Scene As Frank Costello

    Building Character Doesn’t Have to Take All Day In the first 4 minutes of “The Departed”, you find out all you need to know about Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson, “The Bucket List”) to know him, and what kind of person he is. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nUFxsZqpA] His first line, intoned in voiceover is, “I don’t want to be…