Today is Friday the thirteenth, because of course it is. The world is falling apart and there's a lot of fear and worry in the air. So let's, just for a moment, set all of that aside and focus on a fun story written by a fun dude. In this video from Behind the Curtain,... Continue Reading →
Video: How They Wrote ‘Fight Club’
Behind the Curtain has posted a new video essay on the writing of Fight Club, and it's pretty friggin amazing. In the video, author Chuck Palahniuk shares his real life inspiration for this story -- which is fascinating -- then screenwriter Jim Uhls and director David Fincher weigh in on how the story adapted to... Continue Reading →
6 Story Lessons from AVENGERS: ENDGAME
This article was originally posted on Medium. It is reprinted here by the author with permission. by Angela Bourassa (@angelabourassa1) I have to begin with a confession — I’m not a Marvel person. I don’t get super hyped about these movies. In all honesty, I haven’t even seen all of them (I skipped both Ant-Mans and Doctor... Continue Reading →
5 Lessons on How to Write a Message Movie from Jordan Peele’s US
Let’s take a look at five lessons that can be learned from Us regarding how to write an effective message screenplay. (Lots of spoilers ahead.)
6 Story Lessons from Spike Lee
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Film auteurs have come along less frequently since their heyday in the 1970s. However, a few storytellers have managed to remain relevant, all while writing and directing their own material, throughout the decades. Spike Lee first addressed racism and the struggles of black culture in his third feature film, Do the Right Thing.... Continue Reading →
Story Lessons from Mr. Rogers
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Academy Award winning filmmaker Morgan Neville’s new documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, examines the life and work of Fred Rogers, and the film seems unusually important and timely for our culture. The qualities that Rogers most valued, seemingly-forgotten principles such as kindness and respect, still occasionally receive some lip service. However,... Continue Reading →
A QUIET PLACE: 6 Story Lessons that Apply to Every Genre
This article originally appeared on Medium. It is reprinted here with permission. by Angela Bourassa (@angelabourassa1) Fair warning: there are spoilers ahead. I never go see horror movies. Never. I wait until they’re available to buy or stream, and then — only if I’m incredibly intrigued by the concept — will I watch a horror movie in the middle of the afternoon... Continue Reading →
4 Lessons from Characters Who Made it Out of Their 20s
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) A great deal of ink has been spilled about Hollywood’s infatuation with youth. As writers, we can easily fall into this trap as well. Look back at your own portfolio and count how many scripts you’ve written about protagonists under the age of 30. Juxtapose that with the number you’ve written for... Continue Reading →
4 Story Lessons from Universal’s Dark Universe of Monsters
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) The announcement of Universal’s Dark Universe earlier this year brought a wide range of reactions from the storytelling world. For those unaware, the plan is for a new series of movies around the classic monster characters owned by the studio to be released in much the same fashion as Marvel and DC... Continue Reading →
9 Story Lessons from Beauty and the Beast
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is taking the box office by storm, as it has every time a new iteration of the story has been released. We could chalk the success up to brilliant casting, memorable music, or simply the magical wand of Mickey Mouse. But those familiar with the power of... Continue Reading →