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How To Use Foreshadowing In Your Screenplay

foreshadowing in your screenplay

To avoid having any one element of foreshadowing be too obvious, often the writer will throw in some red herrings–some things that could be foreshadowing but in fact don’t pay off or pay off in a different way than we expect. The person who has the gun in the drawer may become an immediate suspect in our minds, but later maybe we see him use it to light his cigarette and we realize it’s not a real gun (of course he may have a real one somewhere else….). That kind of misdirection keeps the audience guessing.

Use This Secret Filmmaking Strategy So You Can Get Your Film Made

get your film made

Have you ever known a filmmaker who sent their demo reel into the Hollywood abyss? Maybe they sent it to an agency or a production company in hopes someone would discover their talent and hire them. Similarly, many screenwriters and aspiring actors have been known to employ this strategy too.

How To Write A Screenplay You Can Produce (Yourself)

Write A Screenplay

Listen. If you’re an ambitious writer, I’m going to tell you a secret. There is no better feeling in the world than the day you stop sending query letters and instead, you start producing your own work. For years and years, you have dreamed about seeing your work on the big screen. You know you’re good. So why ask for permission?

Aspiring screenwriter: Go Hollywood or go indie?

go indie

Because I’ve written a few books about screenwriting I sometimes get questions from people just starting out on their careers. One query that has started coming up more often recently is whether it’s better to chase the Hollywood dream or get involved with indie films, including ones made for the web…

Screenwriting How To Protect Your Material

Stop screenwriting rip offs

Since starting Filmmaking Stuff, many screenwriters have written me, asking if I could provide advice on how they can protect their screenplay from theft. I usually tell screenwriters that most producers will not go through the process of raising a gazillion dollars without compensating the screenwriter fairly.

Writing a screenplay-hold that template!

Or it may be that in the middle of my script things drag along too slowly–a common problem of first drafts. In that case, reminding myself that the traditional story model calls for escalating conflict can lead to better consideration of how I can add incidents that ramp up the tension and drama.

Screenwriters have to make their own luck!

For filmmakers and screenwriters alike, one of the great things about Jurgen is his ability to make things happen. As you will read in this week’s Filmmaking Stuff guest article – When Jurgen was starting out, he quickly learned to stop asking permission and as a result, he carved his screenwriting career.