Guy1: What’s the threat to the protagonist? Guy2: We don’t need a specific threat. It’s never addressed. Guy1: Is there a threat to the protagonist? Guy2: There’s a threat to all of them [the characters]. Guy1: What is it? Guy2: It’s not important. We don’t need to define that. The audience doesn’t care. Unlike the … More Conversations From Hollywood: Stakes Are High for Protagonist
Plot Point 1 and Plot Point 2 are opt-out decisions. The other 5 Decisions demonstrate a character arc. There may be more Opt-out Decisions throughout your screenplay but want to try for at least those 7.
The 7 Decisions MAY be the Plot Point 1, Plot Point 2 or Midpoint decisions but don’t have to be. Usually Plot Point 1 is a reflection of the protagonist’s decision to undertake the challenge of Act 2.
Question: Does the protagonist’s need & want exist before the movie even begins? Answer: Yes.
Ask yourself this: what do my characters want? Not just your main character, which is a huge ginormous duh. You know, the other guys running around in your world. Recently I watched a very funny BBC sitcom called ‘Whites’ which features a dysfunctional kitchen crew in a high-end eatery. In this show, every character has … More Give Them Some Wants
1000 other screenwriting contest are out there. We’re primarily an educational organization and thus, our contest is created in such of way to provide education to empower you, the writer, to become better. We also offer opportunities for our winning writers to develop relationships with people already working in the business where they can learn, … More TSA Contest, Good for the Environment! And totally vegan! Num!
If you are into foreign films, you may want to consider the following– Therese Raquin (1953)–This black and white French film-noir centers on a dispirited housewife who brazenly begins an affair with a brawny trick driver. Take My Eyes (2005)–In this Spanish drama, a battered wife flees her violent husband and struggles to start a … More Your foriegn film suggestion of the week (possibly year)
A good logline is a tough construct; On the surface it appears quite lucid, written in an elequent prose that’s easy on the eyes. Ostensibly a child could have written it, right? To the contrary. The logline is a beastly rap that needs taming. In one line (maybe two), it is the soul of the … More The Taming of the Logline
When the professionals show up. In case you didn’t know, Tinseltown is a long ways away. Getting professional guidance on the use of said tinsel is rare in these here parts; but when the miracle happens it is a breath of fresh air. This week in our screenwriting meeting was just such an occasion. Two of … More It’s an amazing thing…
On character likability, Robert says “Make your character interesting then likable, in that order.”
