Steven Hartman
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4 Elements of a Christmas Movie to Include in Your Script
When it comes to Christmas movies, there is a wide range of choices available depending on the mood you’re in. From the latest Lacey Chabert Hallmark premiere to David Harbour’s turn as a disgruntled John Wick-esque Santa Claus, the possibilities of ...
How ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Creates a Fresh Take on a Familiar Story
As Godzilla turns 70 years old, the classic monster of mayhem is getting a series of films and TV shows dedicated to its destructive force. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premiered on Apple TV in November, Godzilla Minus One, a Japanese language film, b...
5 Lessons on Writing a Biopic from Ridley Scott’s 'Napoleon'
Who is Napoleon Bonaparte? Considering how significant he was in 19th-century Europe, it’s surprising that 2023's Napoleon seems to be the biggest and most comprehensive biopic of the French emperor's life over 200 years later. The film, directed by ...
What David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’ Can Teach You About Screenwriting
If you've ever wanted to write a thriller, David Fincher's film The Killer is a great example to learn from. Audiences are given a glimpse into the world of an assassin-for-hire and the problems an expert faces when things don’t quite go according to...
Lessons from Coppola’s Character-Driven 'Priscilla'
From Muhammed Ali to Napoleon to Elvis Presley, most movies about historical or culturally significant people have that particular person at the center of the story. In Sofia Coppola’s latest film, Priscilla, the focus of the story is not on one of t...
How to Make Your Characters Sound Different on the Page
If you were to take a scene for your latest screenplay, remove the names and read it out loud, would you know which characters were saying which lines? Or do they all kind of sound the same?
How to Start Writing that Christmas Rom-Com Now
Christmas movies shoot throughout the entire year. Even in the 90-degree summers, there will be two characters struggling to find romance walking through down a small town’s Main Street as fake snow fills the frame. As the holiday season approaches, ...
6 Storytelling Lessons from Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'
J. Robert Oppenheimer was a complex person with a complicated life who was tasked with designing the near-impossible. All of this makes him a perfect character study in the new film by Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer focuses on a few periods in the co...
What Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Teaches You About Screenwriting
What’s it like to be a Barbie girl in a Barbie world? In Greta Gerwig’s highly-anticipated new movie, Barbie, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and director weaves a complex tale of a “Stereotypical” Barbie who experiences an existential crisis and must...