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In partnership with Creative Screenwriting and ScreenCraft, “First Draft” is a series on everything to do with screenwriting. Plot (plät)–the main events of […]
Follow the children’s book The Stranger to discover the different methods of flagging, marking and executing your screenplay.
The first and last visuals of your film are almost always the most memorable. Here’s how to handle them in your screenplay.
The Hollywood system of development is broken, caught in a loop of repetitive rhetoric designed to push aside every screenplay that comes through the inbox.
Just because a screenwriter writes only words—as opposed to editing film—doesn’t mean that they’re not offering a cinematic experience.
Knowing your screenplay’s budget range is vital to your eventual campaign to get it read by those that can purchase it and get it made.
The famous screenwriters that write Hollywood’s most popular movies weren’t gifted immediate success when they embarked on their screenwriting careers.
Our “First Draft” series uses Lawrence Kasdan’s The Big Chill as a case study in how to write an intro to ensemble cast, character-driven dramatic films.
Kirby Ferguson defined the state of Hollywood best when he named his popular Vimeo series “Everything Is a Remix.” In film, that statement is 100% accurate.
The most underrated talent in screenwriting is knowing when the script is done. Most screenwriters don’t know when to quit rewriting.
Avoid annoying—and thus scaring away—potential Hollywood contacts that could make or break your dream of becoming a professional screenwriter.
There is a layer to effective professional writing that screenwriters often forget to consider in their scripts: the MPAA ratings.
Crafting horror screenplays goes beyond telling a story. The genre must tap into the audience’s collective fears in order to offer them a rush.
Cut the fat. That means cutting your script as much as you can to make it the leanest of “meats” for studios, producers and talent to feast on.
“Spec scripts” or “spec screenplays,” of course, refer to scripts written under the speculation that they will be sold.
Whether submitting to competitions, production companies, agents, managers, studios or talent, screenwriters need to go through a checklist to prepare their scripts for submission.
Action sequences can be a screenwriter’s best friend or worst enemy. If you can write them well, you’ll be more of a coveted commodity in the eyes of the powers that be. Such a gift will make your spec scripts shine brighter than the rest, being entertaining and engaging reads, and will increase your chances of being considered for key writing assignments.
Some of the greatest films of all time have been adapted from short stories. As we look back to some of the best adaptations audiences have ever seen on the big screen, there are certain elements that stand out, separating short story adaptations from novel adaptations.