Michael Tucker has created a new video about sound design and how the writers of A Quiet Place wrote sound into their original screenplay. Check out the video below, and be sure to follow Lessons from the Screenplay for more great videos.
Lessons from the Screenplay: Fresh Perspectives in GET OUT
Michael Tucker is the mastermind behind Lessons from the Screenplay, a YouTube channel where he breaks down story and character lessons from great screenplays. Michael has kindly allowed us to repost his awesome videos, so we're going to share one of our favorites today: Get Out -- A New Perspective in Horror. Check out the... Continue Reading →
The 7 Questions of Creativity
Jeff Leisawitz, author of Not F*ing Around: The No Bullshit Guide for Getting Your Creative Dreams Off the Ground, recently interviewed the founder of LA Screenwriter, Angela Bourassa, about creativity as it relates to screenwriters. Check out the interview below. Hopefully it will answer some of your questions and inspire some creativity of your own.
3 Ways to Break the Fourth Wall
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) For good reason, writers in the early stages of their development are encouraged not to use voice over in their scripts. One of the key reasons even seasoned writers are weary of doing so is that it breaks the fourth wall between the audience and the performers. However, it’s undeniable that some of... Continue Reading →
Video: How Not to Write a Female Character
A solid reminder for anyone who's working on a female character:
The Best TED Talks on Writing, Creativity, and Storytelling
The Bluecat Screenplay Competition blog recently alerted me to this excellent TED Talk given by Phil Lord, the co-writer and co-director of 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie. Phil gives a great speech on the process of writing and rewriting. And if you feel like binge watching TED Talks, our friends over at Screencraft have... Continue Reading →
Quentin Tarantino on Letting Your Characters Take Over
This is an interesting clip of Quentin Tarantino trying to dissect his signature style of dialogue on Charlie Rose. Tarantino is always an interesting example, because he regularly has scenes where the action is compelling the story forward, but the dialogue has little or nothing to do with what's actually happening (consider the "Royale with... Continue Reading →
Video: How to Do Visual Comedy
Tony Zhou put together this great video on how to add visual comedy to your film. Tony talks from the perspective of the director, but many of the things he talks about can be written directly onto the pages of the script (the bit about transitions in particular). Warning: this video will make you lose... Continue Reading →
Toy Story 3 Scribe on How to Begin Your Screenplay
This video featuring Michael Arndt -- screenwriter of Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine, Oblivion, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire -- gives a thorough breakdown of how to establish your main character and the story ahead in the first act of your screenplay. It's well worth watching (and taking notes!)
The Lubitsch Touch
Ernst Lubitsch was a director in the golden age of cinema. He started directing films in Germany, then came to America during the peak of the silent era and directed some of the great classics of that time. He transitioned gracefully into the era of the talkie, but "the Lubitsch touch" has little to do... Continue Reading →