Here are some articles by screenwriters and consultants that are in our database that cover the craft of screenwriting. However, we strongly urge you to join SU and keep in touch as we continually update the archive with new content.
Setting the Tone with Style - I seem to write a lot about screenplays that break from the norm, or at least defy the standard Fields and McKee status quo. I don't remember how many screenplays have Syd Fields and Robert McKee sold. I'm not saying what they say doesn't hold valuable lessons within. I just wonder why so many of the most respected and acclaimed movies have screenplays that don't fit their molds. Most recently Big Fish, screenplay by John August based on the novel by Daniel Wallace, is a case in point.
Dialogue: Lesson One - A good line transcends time. A good line becomes memorable, it carries weight, and it becomes iconic. Look at the many lines that continue to carry weight, though the films are many years old: “Here’s looking at you kid,” “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” I could go on, there are so many of them. Regardless, good dialogue will transform your script, it will give it life, and it will make it stand out, particularly to the reader.
Narrative & Premise A Case Study: THE MONUMENTS MEN - Back in 1964 a pretty good WW2 film called THE TRAIN directed by John Frankenheimer with a screen adaptation by Franklin Coen and Frank Davis (based on the non-fiction book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland) came out with a somewhat similar premise as THE MONUMENTS MEN, but different in focus which was key.
Top Tips about Antagonists - Why do we love to hate antagonists? In a successfully crafted antagonist the reasons are clear -- we understand their motives, we somehow relate to their actions, and we are drawn in because they are so plausible that we cannot believe what they are doing to achieve their goals.
In medias res - It’s a Latin phrase that translates in English as - Into the middle of events. And it’s a phrase all screenwriters should keep in mind when they write. It means: Get into a scene as late as possible and get out as soon as possible. Screenwriters who live and write by this rule will speed up the pace of their script, and reach a new level in their storytelling ability. Why? Because pacing is critical in achieving maximum impact in a story you are trying to tell… and sell.
The Screenwriters Success Formula - Wouldnt it be nice to come up with a formula that you could use to write, sell and get your screenplays produced? Well, guess what? There is a formula. A- list screenwriters use it all the time. Thats one reason they are A-list writers.
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at, and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at (yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we often work on the part we understand best — the part that scares us least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters, you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a plot.
Everyone pursuing a screenwriting career will eventually realize this journey is not for the thin of skin or for those who cannot handle the emotional ups and downs this business brings. If you haven’t yet experienced the soul crushing disappointment of finally having written a script that goes into development, but it doesn’t make it to production and sits on a shelf, I don’t envy you. It’s happened to me a handful of times out of my nearly two dozen paid screenwriting assignments. Learn this early — there are no guarantees in the screenwriting game. You take your lumps, heal, and move on to the next screenplay and the next one.
I love Readers! Yes they are the gatekeepers to the Promised Land and like it or not they do have power. But just how much? Well, I’m here to show you. I got my hands on a classified document folks, the holy grail… An actual copy of a real STUDIO MEMO covering GUIDELINES for their READERS.
Scenes must have a reason to exist in your screenplay. Each scene must advance the plot forward through dialogue and/or visual storytelling. Characters’ journeys drive the script’s narrative, and each scene must steer their journey forward. Although some scenes might not even contain any characters, these scenes must still provide information about your plot, as well as your characters’ lives and actions. There is no set rule as to how many lines, paragraphs, or pages constitute a scene.
The following has nothing to do with wet t-shirts. This entry is actually about screenwriting contests - a subject with little marquee value. One of the most popular category of questions that I find in my e-mail box is about screenwriting contests. As I say over and over, I believe that most are a waste of energy and entry fee. Some - like the Nicholl and Disney Fellowships - are very reputable and have launched a few Hollywood careers. Regardless of how reputable any contest might be, the screening process for most seems tenuous. Low fees for contest readers and a bulk of scripts guarantees a sloppy vetting system.
"Lowtide" writer, director and producer Kevin McMullin has sold his short story "Bomb" and is tabbed to write the script for "low seven figures" and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott is attached to Direct. According to reports, 20th Century beat out studios Apple, Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an expert. In screenwriting, it’s no different. Some of the best screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created countless books trying to encapsulate all they’ve learned in their work. If you’re a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help you out.
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history… But if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.
What is a successful second act? One that keeps the reader engaged, moves the story forward, and successfully delivers it into the falling action; that being the third act climax and the denouement. A bad screenplay has a second act that simply doesn't keep the narrative trajectory in place and thus the spine of the story sags; meaning rising tension and conflict is not taking place.