Write in camera angles, your script won’t get read past page 1 by any professional reader. This is kindergarten stuff. Even my freshman at Columbia know enough not to do it. You don’t tell the director how to direct. Period. So why the confusion around parentheticals? When you write a parenthetical, you’re telling the actor […]
Name ten silent film stars from the year 1912 or before. Don’t Google it. I’ll wait…. Done? Having trouble? Ok, let’s make it easier: Name any ten movies from 1912 or before. No Googling… No luck? Ok, let’s make this easy: Name any 10 film stars from the entire Silent era. Those of you who […]
Avoid unnecessary parentheticals Let the director direct and the actor act. Don’t presume to dictate the smallest gesture. No smiling, sighing, smirking or hand gestures that don’t directly impact plot. The actor, when filming the scene on page 63, is not going to remember you wanted him to point with his right hand before the […]
I’m an awful person. I have a blog so every now and again I can confess to you, Good Reader. Blog as shrink. Not to tantalize you too much. I won’t be going DARK dark side today, but I will admit to my habit of movie marathoning. You know what I’m talking about. Get to […]
Yep, it’s that time of year again, the Nicholl deadline, and you’re going crrrrrazzzzzyyyyy! Pulling out all the stops, making yourself a complete nuisance to friends and family to read your freakin’ script. Hitting the message boards at Trigger Street or Moviebytes… It’s the annual screenwriter’s ritual, like salmon swimming upstream. The uptick in script […]
