by Angela Bourassa (@angelabourassa1) Director and co-writer Jim Hosking doesn’t have any qualms about admitting that his new film, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, is weird. He told me, “It’s got quite a strong personality, and when you meet someone with a strong personality, you might really enjoy speaking to them, or you might... Continue Reading →
Lessons from the Screenplay: Obsessed Artists in Whiplash and Black Swan
Time for more Lessons from the Screenplay, the wonderfully informative YouTube series by Michael Tucker. This episode compares Whiplash and Black Swan side-by-side, showing how similar these two films actually are in their investigation of the obsessed artist. Get out your notebook, and be sure to subscribe to Lessons from the Screenplay on YouTube.
Lessons from the Screenplay: Defining an Act with The Avengers
In honor of Avengers: Infinity War, and because lately I've spent a lot of time thinking about different methods for breaking down acts / story sequences in my own writing, today seems like the perfect time to share another amazing video from Michael Tucker. In this video, The Avengers - Defining an Act, Michael dissects... Continue Reading →
4 Approaches to the Coming of Age Story
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Coming of age stories have long been a staple of storytelling. Since the early days of film and television, audiences have enjoyed watching characters that mature before our very eyes. These stories usually offer hard lessons that only experience and living life can teach us. They usually focus on the growth of... Continue Reading →
The Storytelling of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Debate has arisen in recent years over whether summer popcorn movies actually tell good stories or simply rely on eye-popping special effects, fast-paced editing that tricks the audience into actually believing they are going on a narrative journey, and big name movie stars. Certainly a case could be made for both sides... Continue Reading →
10 Single-Location Films and What They Teach Us About Story
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Locations are a key part of storytelling. Sometimes, the right location can act as a metaphorical character in the story itself. If you’ve spent any time trying to sell a script to producers, you know that the fewer locations a story has, the more lucrative the project can be, but only if... Continue Reading →
3 Cures for the Third Act Blues
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) I’ve lost count of the number of writers I’ve consulted with who got stuck after the second act of their script and never finished it. At first glance, this may seem surprising to those who couldn’t imagine stopping after getting through the drudges of the lengthy second act. But most of us... Continue Reading →
4 Ways to Tackle the Third Act of Your Screenplay
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) A great deal of ink has been spilled about endings – in life, in all things we begin, and certainly in writing. Most of us are interested in finishing well. But how does one accomplish such a thing in storytelling? An entire volume could be written about the connection between a good... Continue Reading →
Story Maps: TV Drama - An Interview with Daniel Calvisi
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) It’s hard to overstate the opportunities that have arisen for writers in the world of televised storytelling in recent years. Many who have spent years learning how to craft stories for the feature film market have begun to consider moving their stories into half-hour or one-hour serialized storytelling. But, as many are... Continue Reading →
Writing Stories for Every Season
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) It’s summertime. Perhaps not officially until June 20 at 6:34 AM, but for all intents and purposes, the warmest season is upon us. Most schools have let out. The temperature has started to rise, and movie studios have begun unleashing their most high-budget, high concept projects. There are many calendars in the... Continue Reading →