Letting Go
27/Jun/09 23:14 Filed in: The Method
Everyone has heard of horror stories of Hollywood butchering a script and turning something wonderful into a pile of garbage. However, it often works the other way around too. Read More...
Iconic Images
25/Jun/09 07:55 Filed in: The Method
There’s a big difference between great movies and bad ones. In a great movie, you can point to one or more scenes that define what that movie is about. In bad movies, you’re just watching scenes and images that leave no impression and fade from memory as quickly as you leave the theater. Read More...
Pixar Story Telling Secrets
22/Jun/09 10:14 Filed in: The Method
Why does Pixar consistently put out quality movies while other studios churn out movies in a hit or miss affair? The answer lies in Pixar’s story telling secrets. Read More...
Plot Twists
13/Jun/09 21:20 Filed in: The Method
No story should be predictable because then the audience loses interest. To make your plot unpredictable, you need plot twists. Read More...
The Past and Future of Screenwriting
11/Jun/09 21:15 Filed in: The Method
You can learn from the past on how to write screenplays by studying what has worked before, and what has always worked has been a solid story with likable heroes. Read More...
Identifying the Real Villain
10/Jun/09 22:51 Filed in: The Method
The real villain isn’t just a single person or evil organization, but something that goes much deeper. The real villain is the hero himself. Read More...
The Real Goal of a Story
09/Jun/09 15:46 Filed in: The Method
Most screenwriters focus myopically on the hero’s goal. That’s fine, but what makes a story great isn’t whether the hero achieves his goal or not, but how his goal affects others. Read More...
Identifying Your Villain
07/Jun/09 21:33 Filed in: The Method
Every story has a hero and a villain. The hero is the person we want to win. The villain is the person or force that’s stopping the hero from succeeding. Here’s how to create the right type of villain to go against your hero. Read More...
The Big Picture
06/Jun/09 20:27 Filed in: The Method
Every great movie focuses on a single theme. Every bad movie creates so many loose ends that nothing seems organized, coherent, or relevant. So the secret to writing a great screenplay is to focus on a single theme. Read More...
Truth vs. Fiction Truth vs. Fiction
01/Jun/09 20:04 Filed in: The Method
How do you tell a true story? It’s easy, you don’t tell the literal truth. Instead, you dramatize the facts. Read More...
