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When we think of the Oscars, we don't immediately think of horror movies. But it happens. This year, we've got The Substance with five nominations and Nosferatu with four. Alien: Romulus can claim one nomination. Academy-lauded horror films of the past include The Sixth Sense, Get Out, Misery, The Exorcist, and Best Picture-winn...
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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...
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9 Components Of The Perfect Logline (Part 2)

  • James "Doc" Mason
  • .January 16, 2025
This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series "Logline."4) Triggering EventIn the logline, a triggering event describes the change in circumstances that creates the conflict to be resolved in the climax. Some call it the inciting incident or inciting event, others call it a catalyst. Whether a specific event, or the final straw in a s...
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9 Components Of The Perfect Logline (Part 1)

  • James "Doc" Mason
  • .January 13, 2025
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series "Logline."Many aspiring writers battle with loglines. Quite a few working writers struggle, too. Afterall, it’s a different skill from writing a script. The good news is crafting a logline becomes much easier when the writer knows what to include and, more importantly, what to leave on the...
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Creative Screenwriting Magazine runs a range of screenwriting competitions for television pilots and feature length scripts throughout the year. Each one has a specifically-trained pool of readers to judge each category. This article breaks down the various components that are judged and some sample comments you can use to ensur...
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Let’s get back to some very basic elements of story, since the past few chapters have been a little head-spinning, deep, and oddly esoteric. Whether you’re writing a pilot, a feature, an epic fantasy novel or a small YA series with some juicy romance, or even if you’re sitting around a campfire enjoying the last few days of warm...
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Goals: Driving the Narrative

  • James "Doc" Mason
  • .November 18, 2024
As with every story element described in this series, the goal relates directly back to the idea of conflict. To reiterate, in its most basic form, conflict is when someone wants something and another person doesn’t want them to have it.More specifically, narrative conflict is typically when one character proactively pursues a g...
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(Be like Hermione…study, read, practice, be smart.)I am going to vent a little bit in today’s post, but it’s because you all need to hear it. I’ll hold myself back as much as I can. Please remember that I am coming to you with love and positive intention here, I swear.Your logline sucks.OK, so maybe I didn’t hold myself back. I ...
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The Trigger – More Than An Inciting Incident

  • James "Doc" Mason
  • .October 18, 2024
While even the non-writer will recognize that the climax is the character’s final battle, the end of the story, fewer know what to call the start of the story. Remember, there is no story without conflict. Therefore the story starts with a clear conflict. Writers will know the Inciting Incident or Inciting Event is often describ...
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In previous posts I talked about theme and how you can use your protagonist’s arc to clarify what your story is about. You can also use this arc as the spine for pitching your story.Knowing how to pitch your script can be a challenge particularly deciding what’s essential information and what you can leave out. Everyone is diffe...
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How to Write Great Loglines

  • Brianne Hogan
  • .September 18, 2023
REPOST - Lane Shefter Bishop isn’t kidding when she laughs, “I have such an eclectic background.” Not only is she a multi-award winning producer and director (including an Emmy and six Telly Awards), but she’s also the CEO of Vast Entertainment, a production and development company that focuses exclusively on fostering book-to-s...
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The 7 Elements of a Viable Story

  • Erik Bork
  • .July 10, 2023
(REPOST) In my experience as a professional screenwriter on projects like Band of Brothers -- and in the years I've been teaching and consulting -- one thing has become abundantly clear: projects live or die mostly based on their central idea. Yes, they need to also be really well-executed, but it's the decisions writers make be...
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Many writers struggle with coming up with that perfect logline for their project - let alone writing one, and then it's time to take that and turn it into a pitch. Well, it can all become pretty intimidating rather quickly! Luckily for you, our fab guest post today is written by TV writer (Hollyoaks) Drew Hubbard - where he shar...
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How to Write a Logline Producers Won’t Pass On [with Logline Examples]:Before a screenplay is crafted by underpaid writers, it starts as a logline. At any stage of a production, a logline is a tool used to sell your idea. Since movie loglines are so short, it’s easy to write out twenty in under twenty minutes. Writing one that s...
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Logline Breakdown ProcessHello from Max Timm, the ISA’s Director of Education, VP of Development with Creative Screenwriter Prods, and coach/consultant for The Story Farm! What you are about to consume is information, education, tips, and exercises that should help you improve the quality and effectiveness of your logline. We’re...
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Access Screenplay Contest Grand Prize Winner Elizabeth Samaroo discusses her winning script and the unusual concept that helped it rise to the top.Congratulations to Access Screenplay Contest Grand Prize Winner Elizabeth Samaroo.  Script wanted to find out how she did it and what she thought it was about her script that propelle...
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You are getting a little view into how the online course that Max Timm created for the ISA works and is presented. In order to take advantage of the full online course, you must go to www.TheCraftCourse.com and select one of the class options. If you have questions, you can email Max Timm directly at Max@networkisa.orgNote: The ...
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