Screenwriter's Corner

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 [...]

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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.