Screenwriter's Corner

re-posted from The Story Department “Evolution/Revolution“ In all my screenwriting courses and workshops around the world, I’ve read thousands and thousands of screenplays. Exactly how many, I really don’t know. I lost count many years ago. But no matter what country or city I happen to be in, I am usually asked the same question [...]

I love Jim Cameron. I think he’s the most exciting and creative writer/director filmmaker around. When I head Avatar was opening in December, I couldn’t wait to see it and I was filled with fantasies and expectations about what it was going to be and what it was going to be about. I had known [...]

It’s been more than four years since I’d given a public lecture/course/or seminar in Los Angeles. Even though I’m a native – my grandfather arrived in LA in 1907 braving the wilds of the frontier, renegade Indians, and a memorable train ride across country – I grew up here, went to school here, and developed [...]

In all my screenwriting courses and workshops around the world, I’ve read thousands and thousands of screenplays. Exactly how many, I really don’t know. I lost count many years ago. But no matter what country or city I happen to be in, I am usually asked the same question over and over again: what do I find be the biggest and most common problem of screenwriters? Well, there are many of course: lack of the main character’s dramatic need; structural weakness in the second act, lack of a strong ending, etc, etc.? But the main problem I find is usually the same: most screenwriters tell their story in dialogue, in words, constantly explaining the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the characters.

At this moment in time, I think we’re in the middle of a screenwriting revolution, a time where screenwriters are pushing the form and craft in new directions. I firmly believe that the traditional way of “seeing things” has changed, and we’re looking for new ways to match our experiences and incorporate the new technology into our stories.