Screen Writing

The movie industry is constantly scouting for fresh material, and anyone can get their screenplay to the right company if they understand the basic protocal and strategy that movie producers...

Screenplays are the new kid in the block when it comes to writing. The style just recently appeared around the late 1920s when sound was introduce to film. Before that the screenplays resembled a...

This article is designed to help you decide if your urge to relocate to LA is based on reality or just another Hollywood dream.

Finding success in the entertainment industry by creating an animated series can be a long, challenging road. The journey begins with finding a concept you can sell, then developing the concept...

One of the best ways to break into the television industry as a scriptwriter is with a strong spec pilot script. A great idea for an original television series and a strong spec pilot script can...

Are you interested in making a living as a movie screenwriter? If so, this article is for you. Back in 2000, I watched a video interview with Oscar-award winning screenwriter Ron Bass (Rain Man,...

A shooting script is the final version of a purchased script that the production company uses to actually shoot the movie. It is past the rewrite stage and unlikely to suffer any more revisions or...

Writing a script of any kind, whether mystery or other, is an incredibly tasking & rewarding process. Most people never finish mystery scripts but those that do know the fulfillment brought...

If you're a kid with a lot of imagination, a love of movies and an ability to tell good stories, you don't have to be an adult or move to Hollywood to start writing screenplays of your own. Thanks...

When you read great dialogue, it should pop off the page at you. And when a scene is performed, great dialogue should make the scene pop, too. Movie script dialogue should not only add suspense,...

Have you ever watched a television show and said, "I can write better than that!" Well, writing TV scripts may seem like an easy gig, but there is a lot to it. Every aspiring TV writer...

Retcon stands for "Retroactive Continuity." It's a writing device used to change or undo previously established mythology. It's most commonly found in long running franchises where...

Writing the next big Hollywood blockbuster is only half the battle. Getting your movie script produced is where the work really kicks in. Getting a screenplay turned into a movie requires more...

While a feature film spec script is based on an original idea, spec scripts for networks are based on existing shows. The network spec script showcases a writer's skill, and can be used as a...

Adapting a book into a screenplay can be a tricky, time-consuming process, depending on the size, scope and type of book. Whether you're working with a fiction or nonfiction book, finding the...

When trying to get something on the air, or even in production, the name of the game is persistence. You will be said "no" to 50 times before you get a "yes". It's a dog eat...

Before a screenplay ever gets optioned or green-lighted, its merits are critically analyzed through a series of reviews by varying levels of script consultants. The purpose of the written...

So you have a long weekend off of work and want to write your screenplay, huh? Writing a screenplay in three days is not impossible but will be challenging. You will need to be completely focused...

You've written a killer screenplay that you just know would be a perfect fit for Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films production company. The question is, how do you get it to her? And where do you find...

Screenplays are scripts for movies--the written documents that tell the entire story of the film. Screenplays are challenging to write because they adhere to industry-specific formatting. Once you...

Some of the most memorable and ground-breaking moments in television have been the result of a mini-series. Roots continues to impress and inspire. Angels in America shed light on the heartbreak...

If you love movies and have a lot of imagination, you may be thinking it would be fun to write a movie script yourself. Thanks to a host of creative resources on the Internet, software programs...

They say the bulk of writing is rewriting, and while heavy rewrites will surely make your script better, they will probably leave you with sticky continuity problems, too. All the cutting and...

Science fiction movies are constantly earning money at the box office and some of the top grossing movies of all time have had science fiction themes, like the two Star War trilogies. CGI has made...

Comedy scripts turn into some of the top grossing movies of any year. People love to go to the movies to laugh and relax with a comedic film. If you want to entertain the masses with your comedic...

Comedy scripts are the force behind some of the top-grossing movies of the year. People love to go to the theater to laugh and relax. If you want to entertain the masses with your comedic skills,...

Every movie has one, many movies need them and oftentimes, they are either misused or abused. The movie montage, which is a convention as old as the motion picture itself, dates back to the time...

Everybody knows what a screenplay is, but if you want to be taken seriously as a screenwriter, you need to learn what a treatment is, what it's for, and how to write one. Although a screenplay...

Chances are, if you have a writer friend, he or she will ask you at some point to give feedback on a script. Some writers are looking for little more than a pat on the head for a job well done. ...

Making an independent film is no easy task. For one year of your life, you'll be living, breathing, eating and dreaming about your movie. Having little to no budget will add more stress to your...

Whether you write novels, screenplays, short stories or something else, the question arises; what do I write? It’s a question that’s always there, and one that must be asked, no doubt about it.

You’ve finished your novel or your screenplay and you’ve been cruising with a ‘working title’. Well, now’s the time to create that GREAT title that’s gonna grab attention let your reader...

This article will focus on writing an original screenplay for production as an independent, low-budget feature film. While many of the standards of good screenwriting still apply, writing...

Writing a script is one of the most challenging types of writing that there is. Doing it well means making it look effortless, while it is anything but. The challenge is truly in the preparation...

There's no doubt about it: Hollywood is hungry for fresh ideas to put on the silver screen and, in accordance with that quest, is aggressively on the lookout for books, plays, short stories,...

A short movie script is easier to write and make than a feature movie script. It can showcase your talent and create opportunities for more work. Here are some basic steps to get you started.

How do you break into the TV biz without any experience, and how do you get experience if you can't break into TV? It's a conundrum that has long vexed aspiring freelance writers. Fortunately,...

An executive summary is written for a bust executive who does not have time to review a longer document. In terms of a screenplay, an executive summary whittles the information about a film...

The inciting incident in a screenplay, also known as the catalyst, explodes into the main character's world and propels her in a new direction. Whatever situation the protagonist is in when the...

Writing action movies isn't just about the explosions, hot women, fast cars and bad guys that always have a good one liner at their disposal. It's also about the characters, especially the good...

When you watch an English-dubbed anime program, do you wonder how the new English dialogue is written? Are you interested in joining the writing team for an anime dubbing project? Read on to find...

You've got the greatest idea for a movie; a film that has fantastic characters, an exciting plot and out of this world special effects! The problem is you have no idea how to write equally great...

A logline is a simple, very concise, one sentence explanation of a movie's main story. It sounds simple, but a well-designed logline is actually quite hard to write, and critical to getting the...

The actual approaching aspect of this isn't too difficult, but it's figuring out who and how to approach that causes some problems. Not everyone is open to receiving your script, so it's...

Is your screenplay heavy on romance, and short on comedy? Are your funny characters not so funny? Selling a screenplay today is incredibly difficult and, adding to this arduous task, is the fact...

If you want to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter, the odds are in your favor if you practice first by writing a number of "shorts," getting them filmed, entering them in film festivals, and...

Writing a movie sequel can be both easier than an original story, because the characters have already been established, and harder, due to the constraints placed on the characters by the original...

A staged sketch review is a difficult beast to pull off successfully. It has to appear cohesive despite being composed of many minipieces written by a handful of writers. It also has to entertain...

Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter are the heavy hitters of screenplay formatting software. Each has major league screenwriters and production companies that swear by it. And they rather...

You've written your spec script--great! Are you finished? Not by a long shot. That's because writing a spec script is only the first part of actually writing a spec script. The editing process is...