All posts by Michael Welles Schock
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Hollywood’s Four Classic Narrative Types, Part II: Hero Versus the World
The four narrative types established in my previous article, Celebratory, Cautionary, Tragic, and Cynical have one thing in common: they all present... -
Hollywood’s Four Classic Narrative Types, Part I: When the Bad Guys Win
Cinematic stories give lessons on human thought and behavior. This is their most basic social purpose. The story places a certain type... -
First Draft: Conceptualize Courtship in Your Screenplay By Understanding the Romantic Subplot
In partnership with Creative Screenwriting and ScreenCraft, “First Draft” is a series on everything to do with screenwriting. It is a common narrative archetype found... -
First Draft: Understand The Humility Arc To Allow Your Story’s Heroes To Succeed
In partnership with Creative Screenwriting and ScreenCraft, “First Draft” is a series on everything to do with screenwriting. What quality makes a hero? What single... -
First Draft: What are Plot Patterns, and Why Should You Identify Them in Movies?
In partnership with Creative Screenwriting and ScreenCraft, “First Draft” is a series on everything to do with screenwriting. What if I told you Star Wars...
Winter 2019
Guide 2019
Summer 2018
Spring 2018
25th Anniversary
Year in MovieMaker
Inside the Issue: Acting
Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Mads Mikkelsen
From Star Wars to Marvel, from prestige TV (Hannibal) to high-profile Oscar contenders (At Eternity’s Gate), Mads Mikkelsen can be seen stretching his dramatic skills across the board these...Inside the Issue: Directing
The 2019 MovieMaker Sundance Survey: Eleven Sundance-Selected Films, and Their Mountain-Bound Makers
The 35th Sundance Film Festival received a record-breaking 14,000-plus submissions, with 4,000-plus feature-length films among them. Of the 112 features selected, 45 of their makers were first-timers. The fest’s...1Inside the Issue: How To
Breaking and Entering, Part One: How To Shoot Down Self-Doubt and Pay the Rent While Making It In the Film Industry
Becoming a moviemaker seemed like an impossibly ambitious goal when I was growing up. I was living in Brazil, watching bootleg copies of David Cronenberg films and, with...