Writing Dramatic Irony in Screenwriting: The Key Steps
What is Dramatic Irony? Simply put, dramatic irony is a form of irony. It is both a literary and theatrical device used when the audience knows more than the characters. …
How-To Guides
“What we can learn from…” type articles.
How to Write a Gangster Movie: The Expectations of the Genre
What is a Gangster Movie? The gangster movie is one that focuses on narratives of organized crime and gangs. A crime sub-genre (and often part of the film noir sub-genre, …
What is a MacGuffin? The KEY Points and KEY Examples
What is a MacGuffin? A MacGuffin is a type of plot device that is essential to driving the plot but not necessarily important within the story as a whole. Story …
Sophisticated Plants and Payoffs: Vital Cogs in any Screenwriter’s Engine
An essential principle not only to screenwriting but also the wider fundamentals of storytelling, plants and payoffs are one of the most effective ways of involving the audience and embedding …
What is Five Act Structure and How Do Screenwriters Use It?
Introduction to the Five-Act Structure In this article, we’ll look into one of the most popular dramatic structures that screenwriters often utilise in order to create an exciting script: The …
The Essential Elements of Writing a Fish Out of Water Story
What is a Fish Out of Water Story? A ‘fish out of water’ story is the idiom referring to a character who is removed from their daily lives and forced …
The Monster Genre: How to Write an Original Movie Monster
The monster genre is one of cinema’s classic creations. And the monster itself is a creation that can haunt the imagination of audiences long after the credits. But what does …
How Do You Write Likeable Characters? ESSENTIAL Steps and Examples
Likeable characters are often at the heart of great TV and film. But what makes a likeable character? In this article, we’ll look at the keys to writing a likeable …
What is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle? And How to Use It (with Examples)
The art of telling a story is ultimately narrowed down to its basic structure. And Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is an example of one of many story structures. These different …
How to Write a Convincing Murder Mystery Script
There is a timeless formula to writing a murder mystery that shows no sign of waning in popularity. This isn’t to say that writing a murder mystery script, let alone …
The 13 Key Elements of a Slasher Movie with 10 Slasher Movie Examples
The slasher movie sub-genre could be considered one of the most controversial sub-genres in cinema. With its stark violence, it’s often the subject of discussions around the effect of slasher …
The 10 ESSENTIAL Steps to Writing a Police Procedural Script
What is a Police Procedural? A police procedural is a sub-genre of the police drama. It’s also often referred to as an inverted detective story or a ‘howcatchem‘. Police procedural …
What Makes A Great Action And Adventure Movie Script?
The action and adventure movie genre is one that often sits at the top of the box office. It’s a genre that can have a wide reach across many different …
How Do You Write a Cinematic Two Hander? The ESSENTIAL Steps
A movie that not only follows one protagonist but two always feels like one with an added layer of depth and substance. In the screenwriting world, this kind of movie, …
How to Write the Perfect TV Show Bible: The ULTIMATE Guide (with Examples)
What is a TV Show Bible? A TV Show Bible is a reference document created by screenwriters to help them pitch their TV series. Typically 5 – 20 pages but …
How to Write an AWESOME Movie Pitch or TV Pitch: The 10 KEY Steps
A movie pitch is one of the most important pieces of writing a screenwriter has to master in order to sell a screenplay and build a successful career. It can …
The Best Movie Twist Endings: How to Genuinely Surprise Your Audience
Why is a Twist Ending Effective? The best movie twist endings often completely change the dynamic of the film; from its characters, to its themes, to the narrative as a …
10 ESSENTIAL Elements of Writing a Great Contemporary Spy Film
What is a Spy Movie? It should not surprise people to find Greek storytelling structures and character types in spy movies. The genre of spy and espionage has a long …
How Do You Write a Query Letter? 10 Tips to Getting Your Script Read
It can be hard to figure out where to send your work or who to contact about possibly reading your writing. Your work could be something that’s already written. It …
What is a Soliloquy? And Is There Space for Soliloquies in Screenwriting?
Most will remember Hamlet’s famous speech, the one example of a soliloquy that has been painfully etched into many students’ memories – “to be or not to be”. And conveniently …
How To Write Dialogue Between Multiple Characters: The ESSENTIALS
Dialogue is difficult. And writing dialogue between multiple characters adds pressure as there is a lot to juggle. It can be a struggle for any writer whether you’re a novice …
Deus Ex Machina: How to USE and/or AVOID in Screenwriting
What is a Deus ex machina? It sounds like something technological and complex. But it’s actually quite simple. Well, have you ever just been watching a film totally invested, your …
How Do You Write A Character Bio? The Road to GREAT Characterisation
Character bios can be an essential part of writing your character. There is no story without a character, just as there is no character without a character bio. Every writer …
What is a Page One Rewrite? The ESSENTIALS of Rewriting a Script
A ‘page one rewrite’. It can be one of the most dreaded words a screenwriter can hear and something that most writers will hope to avoid. However, it’s inevitable that …
How to Create a Writing Schedule: The KEYS to Building a Writing Routine
Writing is hard, there’s no denying it. Sitting down staring at a computer, typewriter or piece of paper and putting words together to create a story is difficult. It can …
Issa Rae MasterClass Review: Is it Worth It?
Our review scores for the Issa Rae MasterClass: Lessons – 9/10 Workbook – 8/10 The Community – 5/10 Value – 8/10 Overall Verdict – Very useful! Issa Rae MasterClass Pros: …
What is a High Concept Comedy? Crafting a Unique Comedic Premise
The comedy genre has boundless opportunities. It has an evergreen appeal to audiences, especially in dark times. We all need the tonic of humor and a light-hearted premise at some …
What is a Bottle Episode? The KEY to Writing a Self-Contained Script
Most TV series, whether comedy or drama, have a bottle episode at some point. And they can often take pride of place in the series’ history. They can serve as …
How Do You Deal With Rejection? 10 ESSENTIAL Tips for Screenwriters
Rejection is inevitable. To live is to face rejection. Whether it’s rejection from a potential employer, from friends or an unreciprocated love. Everyone has to deal with rejection of some sort. …
What Can a Table Read / Read Through Do For Your Screenplay?
A table read is one of the most important steps in the production process for any feature film or TV series. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your screenplay, …
How Do You Research a Screenplay? 10 Elements of Superb Screenplay Research
There is a lot of advice on the screenwriting process but screenplay research and the act of finding, gathering and implementing information into your writing is a little more shrouded in mystery. …
Writing Subtext: What are the Different Forms of Subtext?
Writing Subtext: What is Subtext? In its simplest terms, subtext is what lies beneath. Writing subtext in a screenplay is all about conveying the underlying opinions, meaning, themes and metaphors …
How to BEGIN Writing a Fantasy Script: 7 Great Ways into the Fantasy Genre
At some point, we have all delved into the fantasy genre, whether that is through books, TV shows or movies. It’s a genre with a wealth of scope, opportunities and …
The Best Time Loop Movies: How Do You Make Repetition Unique?
Writing Time Loops Time loop movies have been popular since their classic, most famous origin, Groundhog Day. This style has risen in popularity particularly within the last decade due to …
Movie Memoirs: How Do You Adapt a Memoir for the Screen?
With true stories increasingly leant on in both movies and TV in recent years, movie memoirs have practically become a genre all on their own. These movies will typically be …
The 10 BEST AI Movies: Different Representations of AI in Movies
What Are AI Movies? Narratives focusing on artificial intelligence have been used repeatedly in books, films and TV throughout the 20th Century. Most conventionally, AI movies present artificial intelligence as …
Setting as a Character: Get the MOST Out of Your Screenplay’s Setting
Using ‘setting as a character’ is a phrase you’ll often hear in screenwriting circles. But what does it mean? An easy way into this concept is to think of how …
Writing Dystopia: The Keys to Crafting an ORIGINAL Dystopian Movie
Writing Dystopia Writing dystopia has become something screenwriters are increasingly drawn to in recent years. The dystopian movie is in itself a classic genre. However, this genre seems to have …
The 10 Best Final Battles: How to Write a GREAT Final Battle
What is a Final Battle? Final battles occur throughout many films and TV shows. They’re the moment in the story where your protagonist or antagonist can either win or lose …
The Cold Open: Starting Your Screenplay With a Bang
Whether you write for film or TV, a cold open can provide a vital and dynamic way into your screenplay. They say that in the business, nobody will read past …
10 Brilliant Symbolism Examples: Symbolism in Screenwriting
The Art of Symbolism Symbolism is a device used across literature, art and film. But arguably, film is one of the art forms where symbolism can have the most powerful …
What is Cinematic Language and How Do You Use It?
Cinematic Language: Understanding its Meaning Cinematic language. You will have most likely heard this phrase being used in film circles, about a screenplay or in reference to a film or …
The First Ten Pages of Your Screenplay: How to HOOK a Script Reader
The Importance of the First Ten Pages The first ten pages of any screenplay are always the most important. These pages make up the first ten minutes or so. That’s …
Fact and Fiction: How to Handle THE TRUTH as a Screenwriter
Oftentimes, a film based in reality will include a handful of fabricated details and interactions. Many people dedicate themselves to pointing out instances where true stories deviate from the truth. …
Writing The Unlikeable Protagonist: How to Craft a Great Antihero
The Role of the Unlikeable Protagonist ‘Unlikeable protagonist’ sounds like an oxymoron. However, they’re a common occurrence in all forms of storytelling. The antihero protagonist is an increasingly prominent presence …
Writing a Satisfying Story Ending: The COMPLETE Guide
Story Ending: The Most Important Part of Your Screenplay Any successful screenplay endeavours to tell the story of a character’s journey. A crucial part of that journey is the story …
Writing Stage Directions in a Screenplay: The ULTIMATE Lowdown
Crafting good quality stage directions can often be one of the trickiest parts of writing a screenplay. The directions need to be clear and concise but also need to engage …
What Goes into the Writing of a Documentary Script?
What is a Documentary Script? Documentary filmmaking is a non-fiction form of storytelling that depicts reality. The purpose behind the film could be to educate, inform or simply to document. …
Dream Sequences: How to Craft Them While Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Dream Sequences: Avoiding the Lazy Screenwriter’s Crutch It was all a dream! First the audience gasps. Then they sigh and roll their eyes. Through overuse and poor execution, dream sequences …
Writing Tension in Screenplays: Learn from 10 NAIL-BITING Scenes
Writing Tension: The Difference Between Shock and Suspense Take an ordinary scene where for five minutes three people are sitting around a table talking about their day. Suddenly, BOOM! A …