All
Clear all
Cancel
Apply

Showing 46 Results

Clear all
img
img

The Relentless Road to “Back to the Future”

There’s one trait every successful screenwriter must have, and it’s not just talent. It’s not even just hard work. It’s persistence. Grit. The ability to keep pushing forward when every door slams shut in your face. I was thinking last night about how to talk to emerging screenwriters about the necessity of more than just hard w...
img
img

Five Practical Things Every Writer Needs

I’ve worked in the entertainment industry, and specifically on the screenwriting and development side, for over 20 years. I sometimes marvel at that number, because the time has truly flown by. To think about who I was and where I was when I first jumped into this business…it’s a nearly night and day comparison. I still see elem...
img
img

ISA 2024 in Review

  • January 22, 2025
As we look forward into 2025, we want to highlight some outstanding changes and achievements that occurred in the last year, both for the ISA and for our writers. By looking back at how far we've come, we can see the potential for ourselves and for the industry as a whole in the future. We are so grateful for this talented commu...
img
img

Dear Hollywood, You Drove Me Crazy. Also, I Love You.

  • Coli B. Sylla
  • .January 17, 2025
As a screenwriter who toiled away for years honing and perfecting my craft, I often found myself wondering if the next script would be it, or if the next general meeting would put me in the presence of the gatekeeper assigned to me by the Gods of entertainment. Nothing I had hoped to happen for me in LA happened in LA. Instead, ...
img
img

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...
img
img

The New Year and Your New Writing Resolutions

Do we need writing resolutions? Do we need resolutions at all, really? The basic answer is “yes”, but at the same time I prefer to look at the start of a new year as a review as opposed to a completely new, fresh start.We’re not new at this. In other words, even if you’re reading this Substack for the first time, you’ve likely b...
img
img

Wicked: An Adaptation Of An Adaptation Of An Adaptation

  • Staff Writer
  • .December 6, 2024
Victor Fleming and King Vidor made movie history when they made the timeless, inventive and fantastical The Wizard Of Oz in 1939. The spinoff film Wicked, based on the book series The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire and a musical book by Winnie Holzman, was adapted into a hugely successful broadway musical in 2000, and is still ...
img
img

"Red One" Writer Chris Morgan Rescues Kidnapped Santa in Yuletide Actioner

  • Staff Writer
  • .December 2, 2024
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. You know what that means? Christmas isn’t too far behind. So make sure you’re on Santa’s “nice list” to join the Christmas cheer.But Santa has been kidnapped and must return to the North Pole in order to deliver gifts to millions of children and save Christmas. This is the story of Christm...
img
img

Writing Effective Found Family Films: Part 2

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series "Found Family."It’s A DisasterNothing forces people to form a family faster than a disaster – a plane crash, shipwreck, or a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tidal wave, or tornado. Yellowjackets tells the story of a girls soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness during a f...
img
img

What Is A Story Hook?

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...
img
img

11 Writing Quotes You Should Take Notice Of (Part 2)

This entry is part 2 of 2 in a series on Writing Quotes.6) A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order. ~ Jean-Luc GodardNon-linear storytelling is a difficult technique to pull off and it varies greatly. From Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which starts at an event and the rolls f...
img
img

11 Writing Quotes You Should Take Notice Of (Part 1)

This entry is part 1 of 2 in a series on Writing Quotes.By the time any writer becomes successful, they’ve typically gathered a war chest worth of things not to do. If one is doing it right, you’re writing, reading, listening, and learning a ton of how to and not to write.Let’s see what lessons successful writers have learned.1)...
img
img

10 Recent Horror Movies That Weren’t Afraid To Push Their Boundaries

  • Staff Writer
  • .October 28, 2024
Horror films have been a staple of our screens since the inception of film, especially during Halloween month. It seems of late that these films have become more bold and daring in mashing up and contorting the traditional genre of scares to create a new entertainment experience.1) Alien: Romulus (2024)The Alien franchise is bui...
img
img

Would It Kill You To Smile 2? Writer/Director Returns With A Gorier Sequel

  • Staff Writer
  • .October 25, 2024
The premise of a trauma-driven supernatural entity infecting people and causing them to violently bludgeon themselves to death began in Parker Finn’s 2020 short film Laura Hasn’t Slept. It centers on the nightmares of Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey) featuring a smiling face, eventually forcing her into state of somniphobia (fear o...
img
img

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...
img
img

Screenwriters Alfred Gough & Miles Millar Talk “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

  • Staff Writer
  • .October 16, 2024
Beetlejuice was a playful foray into horror comedy in 1998 depicting the gentrification of family neighborhood Winter River with left-field visionary director Tim Burton at the helm. A follow up film was discussed for over three decades since Michael Keaton first exclaimed “It’s Showtime” as his iconic Betelgeuse character.After...
img
img

Movies Based on Moments

  • Brock Swinson
  • .September 23, 2024
“Movies Based on Moments” Mike Mills on ‘C’mon C’mon,’ ‘Beginners,’ and ‘Thumbsucker’:“I didn’t start off thinking I was going to be a director and writing really wasn’t my thing,” said Mike Mills. “I went to Art School, got into design, and kept looking for more ways to get into the public world.”He continued, “This sounds like...
img
img

Screenwriting Within A Budget

Screenwriting Within The Parameters Of A Film Budget - Films are very expensive to make, and very expensive to market. Even TV series on streaming networks such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO are dealing with multi-million-dollar film budgets per episode. If you're trying to work in Hollywood, you may be under the impression that Hol...
img
img

What Is a Table Read? How to Set Up a Table Read, Including Who to Invite

  • March 21, 2024
A table read is one of the most important steps in the production process for any feature film or TV series. It offers an opportunity for your cast, crew, and other members of your creative team to gather together to hear the script read aloud. Whether you’re a first-time writer or a film industry veteran, table reads can give y...
img
img

Find Your Way Into The Story

  • November 14, 2023
Actor-writer-director-producer-activist Rob Reiner has no problem being a multi-hyphenate. Reiner first came to fame as a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor on the landmark television series All In the Family. He decided he had many more filmmaking mountains to climb and dabbled in all of them.“If you have some abilities in many ...

Loading more....

DON’T MISS THESE CONTESTS
img
ENTER TODAY
REGULAR Deadline:
April 23, 2025
  • Cash, Consultant, Connections
Add to Calendar
04/23/2025 12:00 America/Los_Angeles 04/23/2025 12:00 LGBT+ Toronto Screenplay Festival
img
ENTER TODAY
SPECIAL Deadline:
April 24, 2025
  • Representation, Resource, Conn
Add to Calendar
04/24/2025 12:00 America/Los_Angeles 04/24/2025 12:00 LA Comedy Film Festival Screenplay Competition
img
ENTER TODAY
REGULAR Deadline:
April 25, 2025
  • Resource, Connections, Connect
Add to Calendar
04/25/2025 12:00 America/Los_Angeles 04/25/2025 12:00 Imaginarium Convention Screenplay Awards
img
ENTER TODAY
REGULAR Deadline:
April 25, 2025
  • Cash, Representation, Connecti
Add to Calendar
04/25/2025 12:00 America/Los_Angeles 04/25/2025 12:00 Emerging Screenwriters Horror Screenplay Competition
More
SUBMIT TO WRITING GIGS
PAID $$
Development Slate - New Scripts/Rewritten Scripts
PAID $$
Production Company Seeks Female-Driven Psychological Thrillers
PAID $$
An Isa Pro Is Looking for Emotional and Insightful Features
PAID $$
Features Targeting Gen Alpha Audiences Wanted
PAID $$
Production Company Seeks Prestige Features and Pilots
More

Top Screenwriting Info Straight to Your Inbox

Articles, Videos, Podcasts, Special Offers & Much More

Thanks for subscribing email.
img
Conversations
img
img
img
img
img
Typing....
close
Privacy Notice

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you accept and understand our Privacy Settings.