I’ve seen a lot of short films over the years. Frequently I’ve been impressed by the visuals, the level of the acting, sometimes the innovative use of a mix of media. Can you guess what most often is the weakest link?
Why Aren’t There More Fresh Ideas In Hollywood?
A comment I hear sometimes when I listen to producers is “Why aren’t there more fresh ideas in Hollywood?” Let’s leave aside the fact that if you come up with anything too fresh it scares producers. I think the problem is that a lot of aspiring screenwriters don’t cast their nets wide enough when they […]
Do you have a story… Or just a movie premise?
In this article, veteran screenwriter Jurgen Wolff explains the difference between a movie premise and a story.
Aspiring screenwriter: Go Hollywood or 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…
What Screenwriters Can Learn From The Inbetweeners
In Britain all the film talk is about a low-budget film that’s been breaking UK box-office records. I think it offers some lessons on how to make a successful indie film…
Write Screenplays From The Heart
I see that there’s a one day workshop being offered with the pitch, “Who better to teach you to understand characters than EXPERT BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS?” It’s not my intention to diss the people offering the workshop (which I also why I’m not going to name them)—they are both screenwriters as well as Expert Behavior Analysts and sound like a couple of smart guys with credible credits.
