With the amount of available outlets for filmed entertainment exploding exponentially each year, the demand for screenwriters at nearly all levels below the “Studio Tentpole Writer Line” grows ever higher. But so does the number of producers and companies jumping … Read More
Inktip vs. The Black List – Should I use one, both, or neither?
Prior to about a decade ago, whether or not to upload your screenplay to an online service like Inktip, or a forum, paid or otherwise, was a decision that no screenwriter had to make. There simply was no point to … Read More
Screenwriting for Documentaries – Shoot first, THEN write?
Documentaries have one key, primary ingredient that makes them documentaries: they reveal reality. But then again, so does a security camera, propped up over a cash register in any given liquor store. So what is it that differentiates a documentary … Read More
Movie Magic Screenwriter Vs. Final Draft
At Roger Corman’s Concorde-New Horizons Studios in 1997, I opened a script file using Final Draft for the first time. It was on a “Macintosh” because I didn’t call them “Macs” back then. In short, with all due praise to … Read More
Why Writing For Movies is Officially Dead
As I look on the works of Hollywood, (ye mighty and despair), I can’t help but weep, and I can’t help but laugh. Because from where I sit at my ergonomic standing desk, screenwriting appears to be simultaneously dying, yet … Read More
Will your screenplay’s file format exist in 20 years?
The two most popular screenwriting software packages – Movie Magic Screenwriter and Final Draft – are popular for many reasons: Formatting your script as you go by simply hitting the TAB key… allowing screenwriters to customize the look and feel … Read More
Improve your script by thinking like a UPM or 1st AD
Screenwriting while keeping a budget in mind isn’t easy, but it can make your writing leaner and meaner, and make your film far easier and cheaper to shoot.
How to write a sympathetic protagonist
Regarding all your exposition, see if you can let your exposition “walk and chew gum at the same time,” so to speak. That is, if a scene is only designed to provide exposition on X, see if you can make the scene do double duty, or triple duty, and provide exposition on Y and Z as well.
Script Formatting – Do Script Readers Even Care?
A recent client of Screenplay Readers expressed concern over a script formatting issue. In her case, she had a phone conversation scene, a few “V.O.”‘s were missing under some of the characters’ names. So she was a bit worried because she’d already … Read More
Why a script coverage “budget” section probably isn’t too useful
Have you ever received a coverage back from a company or private script reader and the coverage has a “budget” section? You’re not alone. Not by a long shot. Many script coverages do indeed include sections for both “Budget” and … Read More