Get sad. Just try it. Be sad right now. What did you do? Did it feel natural? It doesn’t feel natural for an actor, either. Some actors call it “setting an emotional appointment.” The writer says that you’re supposed to feel this emotion at this point in the scene. That’s making an appointment to feel …
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This Must Be The Place: Notes on Sluglines
Scene headings — also called sluglines — tell the reader that a new scene is starting. Scene headings generally include: INTerior or EXTerior, describing whether the camera and main dramatic action is indoors or outdoors for this scene. A location name, specifying where the action takes place. A Time of Day, most often DAY or …
The writing before The Writing: Outlines
There are two kinds of documents screenwriters often tackle before they begin work on a script. They’re related, but intended for different audiences. Think of an Outline as a set of directions for your writing. It doesn’t need to be pretty, it just needs to be something you understand to guide you when you get …
Keeping Writing Clear and Concise
Screenwriters often spend time hunting for widows and orphans that inflate page count. But that’s rarely where you’ll find the real savings. The more words on the page, the more work it takes to dig through to the essential. When you write concisely, you get out of your story’s way. Here’s a few tips to …
Playing the Name Game
Naming characters is as easy to overthink as naming an actual child. But at least with an actual child, you only need to pick one name. Writers have to name dozens of characters: that child’s friends, mentors, antagonists, and any random person they have to meet. So you need to start somewhere. Often the best …
You Just Played Yourself: Writing Cameos, In-World Appearances, and Celebrity Self-Parody
Sometimes a person you recognize pops up for a brief moment in a movie to make a single joke, or to show us the type of person who would be at the place or event we’re watching. Other times an actor will take on the challenge of a long-form performance, playing a skewed version of …