Of all your favorite books, shows and movies: who is your favorite Antagonist and why? I know for some of you that this is like asking you to play favorites amongst your babies, but just pick the one that is striking you at the moment. For me, my favorite Antagonist, at the moment, is Ted from Ted Lasso. I know some of you mig...
The international film landscape is essential in shaping a global approach to cinema. Oftentimes, it isn’t simply the types of stories or the way they are told by specific voices that excite audiences, but also the way in which they were made.Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig is astonishing in its raw truthfulness, ...
Mark Anthony Green discusses his approach to filmmaking, focusing on thematic anchors, like tribalism and character development, particularly Ariel’s character. As well as his overall mission to engage with audiences, his dream collaboration with music artists Nile Rodgers and The-Dream and praises his crew for giving it their a...
The original Star Wars, which George Lucas has repeatedly tweaked since its 1977 debut — including retroactively adding the subtitle "Episode IV: A New Hope" — will screen in its original form for the first time since its release as the opening film at the British Film Institute’s Film on Film Festival in June."We’re delighted t...
Each year, The International Screenwriters’ Association compiles a list of the 25 screenwriters to watch. This year, Film Inquiry is here to guide you through the incredible list of gifted individuals! Our next writer is Adam Karlson. Film Inquiry spoke with Adam about his writing process, the details of his script Choke, tips f...
Netflix‘s April film acquisitions include masterpieces from some of the most revered Hollywood directors of the past 50 years, including Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Michael Mann. Whether you are in the mood for Nolan’s best superhero film or Mann’s greatest crime thriller, Netflix has whatever its subscribers may be l...
Let’s do some more “Yes, and’ing” of movie stories, shall we? This time, I’ve looked at a screenplay that I originally covered on the job as a professional Reader, then watched it sell in a huge $3+ million deal for M. Night Shyamalan to write and direct the film that not only went on to become a huge hit, but at the time it bec...
When watching a movie or TV show, I’m always thinking about how and why a story works, and how and why the writer made those particular story choices. I’m also intrigued by how the concept began. How small was the kernel of the idea when they began to formulate the story and how did they go about expanding on the original premis...
Today is all about pitching. I worked with one of my coaching clients last week and he needed help with his pitch. It prompted me to really dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of how a pitch should be written and developed. You’ll notice that the process of developing a pitch is quite similar to the process of developing a sto...
Every now and then I will be treating this “Screenwriter’s Almanac” a bit more specifically. And today, I did a little research - a pretty wide net was cast with just a simple search of, “What cool thing happened today in history?” Yeah, pretty broad, so of course I focused it more around screenwriting and Hollywood, and I found...
ArchetypesParents (good and bad), teachers (good and bad), friends, teammates, and classmates (good and bad), and siblings all form the basis of an archetypal character set.In The Edge of Seventeen:Nadine’s mother: a bit unraveled and trying to cope with her own life as well as her two children. Nadine’s father is dead and that’...
High school movies span decades. There are thousands covering most of film and TV history. This is mainly for one reason: the themes in them are universal.The stories of high school are the stories of life. Of joy, sadness, yearning, accomplishment, and all things in-between.On The Edge of Seventeen is a prime example of the com...
Short films have been an effective way for many screenwriters to showcase their storytelling skills. They can be shown at film festivals, industry screenings and events, and online to help promote your screenwriting career.Here are some pointers that screenwriters might consider when writing a short film script:1) Make It ShortA...
Erotic thrillers are back.In an electric explosion of passion, sexuality, and gender dynamics, Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Red Light, Bodies Bodies Bodies) tracks two super-charged and vulnerable characters Romy (Nicole Kidman) and Samuel (Harris Dickinson) who break most corporate and relationship norms when CEO Romy and her ...
In this wide-ranging interview, Susan Kouguell discusses with filmmaker Catherine Gund their respective work and shared artistic sensibilities in terms of employing nontraditional filmmaking structures, the inclusion of poetry in film, tackling challenging subject matter, and how to make it the most honest. It was a pleasure to ...
David Koepp talks about penning this crackling thriller, writing on spec, and utilizing a MacGuffin that’s simple and powerful. Espionage films are notoriously delicious. Black Bag--the new spy thriller written by David Koepp, is no exception. In this taut tale of British intrigue, National Cyber Security Centre agent George Woo...
This live webinar will explore why these pages matter so much, and how you can entice a reader to stay with your script.The opening pages of a script matter far more than you think. They are the chance a busy Literary Manager/Agent/Producer/Actor gives you to impress them with your command of craft, story and above all, characte...
When writing the Sci-Fi script, audiences are looking for entertaining stories with interesting, developed characters that take them out of this world and into another. The Writer’s Store staff created this bundle of ten products to help Sci-Fi writers take their script to the next level and get it sold. With examples from block...
Here are some Airplane behind the scenes stories we think you'll enjoy.But FirstCredit: ParamountAirplane! almost didn't take off. Studios didn't initially see the potential of the the script for a disaster movie takeoff, which played the comedy completely straight in a way you had to see to understand. It was also crucial to ca...
In today’s ever-evolving film industry, digital platforms are revolutionizing the way independent creators finance, produce, and distribute their work. Resources like casinobonusca exemplify a broader trend in digital platforms prioritizing transparency, user-centric design, and accessible information architecture of platforms p...
In honor of the recent Breakfast Club reunion — more on that below — here are 15 great movies that never had a sequel or remake — whether because their stories are completely told, or because no one dares risk tarnishing their legacy.Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)Credit: William Holden in Bridge on the River Kwai, Columbia Pict...
These classic movies bombed at the box office despite being recognized today as stone-cold classics.But First, Here's How We Define Bomb20th Century Fox - Credit: C/OWe're defining a movie as a bomb if it failed to make double its budget back in box office returns. A movie generally needs to make at least double its budget to tu...
There seems no end to the vulturous nature of late-stage capitalism. Just when it seems every crevice of society has been mined for content, a fresh new subject crops up waiting to be explored. In this wintery cold noir from Karl R. Hearne, the subject is elder care facilities and the way they’re used to exploit the elderly and ...
Skin Deep opens as a disoriented man totters through a bedroom. There’s a catatonic figure lying in the bed nearby as light streams through the window. His befuddlement is ours as well. It sets a perturbing mood against the Gregorian undertones of the music. There’s something strikingly beautiful in another subsequent image: a y...
In the world of horror podcasts, some can be a nightmare. Or, in the case of Scream Dreams, AMP’s podcast, the horrors are actual nightmares, as the podcast dives into them in a compelling and unique fashion. With a myriad of guests from within the horror genre, co-hosts Catherine Corcoran and James A Janisse interview and get i...
In her ongoing quest for world domination, Taylor Swift made a quick detour at the gates of cinema last year with her uniquely marketed concert film. Being released in tandem with her ongoing Eras Tour, which the film documents, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was a box office juggernaut that defied expectations. And while the film ...
I blame “Ozzie and Harriet.” The 1950s are often treated like a halcyon era for American culture, when all the cars were colorful land yachts, all the steaks were the size of a human head and four out of five doctors said smoking was good for you. Yup, the TV claimed that everything was just ducky in the United States in the 195...
People from all over the world are expected to gather outside St. Peter’s Basilica for the funeral Mass of Pope Francis on April 26. In addition to the public gathering, the Vatican will broadcast the service worldwide via live stream on the Vatican’s website, as well as on Facebook and YouTube.When is the funeral of Pope Franci...
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