In some respects, writing your third act is the easiest part of your script. You’ve done all the exposition, the audience has fallen in love with your characters, and the only thing left is explaining how the story resolves. Well, maybe it’s not that easy. You do have to answer all, or at least most, of the questions you’ve raised, let the audience know what happens to each of the characters, tie up every loose end and make it all really, really exciting.
Christmas movies are becoming more and more popular. This year, the Hallmark Channel ran a Christmas movie for the first 25 days of December. Meanwhile, in the theaters there’s The Man Who Invented Christmas, Daddy’s Home 2, and A Bad Moms Christmas. So, what do you need to know to jump into this growing market? What are the basic elements of a Christmas movie?
Father Figures has a terrific comedic premise: Two fraternal twin brothers discover the man they thought was their dad is not, so they go on a quest to find their real biological father. The catch? Thanks to the sexual liberation of the 1970s, there are multiple possible baby-daddies strewn across the country. Can you say awkward and hilarious road trip?
Second acts can be notoriously difficult. It is the longest portion of your script and the easiest to lose your way. Here are five strategies for getting through your second act and onto the end.
Not every movie is told the same way. I thought I'd talk about five basic film structures, and give a few examples for each different structure. When you are thinking about how best to tell your story, you might consider trying one or two, or even all five of these methods.
Here’s a checklist of everything you need to be thinking about when you write, rewrite and rewrite again the first act of your movie. Some of these ideas have been covered in previous articles so links will be added so you can read about them in more depth. Let’s get started.
The indie biopic I, Tonya tells the story of the infamous figure skater Tonya Harding and her quest for Olympic gold. Writer Steven Rogers (Kate & Leopold, Hope Floats), known for writing in the dying genre of romantic comedies, decided it was time to reinvent himself as a writer. Here’s how he did it.
The most important thing I tell any writer who is embarking on writing their screenplay is to just plow through and get that first draft done. Here's the rub though. Finishing that first draft is only the beginning of the journey for you as a writer.
When actor/director James Franco read the book about the making of The Room, he knew he needed to bring it to life. That’s where writing partners Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber come in. Best known for romantic films like The Fault in Our Stars and 500 Days of Summer, they felt this bromance was incredibly relatable.
All cinefiles love a good Western. High Noon, Shane, The Good the Bad and the Ugly and Unforgiven are a few of the best. But a Western doesn’t have to take place in the past, or even in the Old West. Some Westerns take place in space, like Outlander, Star Trek and Avatar. Others take place in modern day like Hell or High Water or Black Hat. Some are set in the future, like Mad Max or Logan.
“It’s not about the answers you come up with,” says Gilroy, “It’s the questions you ask.” Gilroy also gives some of the best advice to up and coming screenwriters we’ve ever heard.