All Your Screenwriting Questions, Answered
From "What screenwriting books should I read?" to "How do I get an agent?" Read More...
Tag: Screenwriting
The Plot Twist Checklist
A toolbox for the construction of plot twists, not an instruction manual (nobody reads those anyway). Read More...
6 Filmmaking Tips from Stan Lee
More like superhero storytelling tips, but… Excelsior! Read More...
Why the Last 30 Seconds of ‘Prisoners’ is Perfect Storytelling
An original OPS/FSR video essay.Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 film Prisoners, written by Aaron Guzikowski, is a taut, labyrinthine thriller that doesn’t really resolv Read More...
‘Breaking Bad’ — Best Pilot Ever?
It’s a rhetorical question, as this excellent video proves.Seems like every time a television series ends, the same question pops up: what are the greatest TV f Read More...
‘20th Century Women’ and the Movement of Memory
A montage of meaningful repetition.Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women, on its surface, is the anecdotal story of Dorothea (Annette Bening) and her son Jamie (Lucas Read More...
Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France: ‘Inglorious Basterds’ First Scene Explained
How QT established his film’s central tension in the opening minutes.The opening sequence of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is a 17-page slow boil tha Read More...
Smartphones and Storytelling: Embrace, Avoid, or Both?
‘Better Things’ and the narrative advantages of technology.Back when I was writing terrible horror and disaster films for the SyFy channel, one of the first thi Read More...
What Filmmakers Can Learn From a Steamed Pork Bun
Advice for hungry screenwriters.This week on the show we answer your screenwriting questions about how to make the Second Act easier to slog through and what t Read More...
6 Filmmaking Tips From the 2017 Oscar Nominees for Best Director
Only one will get the award, but all five give winning advice.Most of this year’s contenders for the Best Achievement in Directing Oscar are new to the category Read More...