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How to Write Action According to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

July 14, 2023

In a cinematic world where superheroes fly effortlessly through multiple universes and the tentpole summer films have been a staple for decades, how does a movie stand out for its action sequences? For screenwriters, the thought of creating an action...

Andor Showrunner Tony Gilroy on the Importance of Finding a Hook in Action Scenes

April 6, 2023

Andor is a dark, sci-fi-thriller that follows the adventures of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel Alliance intelligence officer, as he searches for his missing sister while trying to evade the evil Empire. The show is set five years before the even...

5 Lessons Shazam 2 Teaches Screenwriters About Defining Characters and Destroying Cities

March 22, 2023

Kids love superheroes. For decades, kids have read comic books, dressed up like their favorite superheroes and forced their parents to buy toys, lunchboxes and shirts that show off their pride for epic crimefighters. Shazam! is the type of comic book...

5 Tips for Cinematic Formatting

March 20, 2023

In my article 5 Tips To Making Your Screenplay Look Professional, I wrote about how in an extremely competitive marketplace it's important for screenwriters to make their scripts look as professional as possible. In addition to having your screenplay...

How John Wick 4 Writer Broke in With His Extreme Spec Script

March 16, 2023

John Wick is one of the most visually spectacular and emotionally unrelenting action franchises around. Chapter 4 is about to hit theaters - part Western, part Kung Fu film, part Samurai story and part redemption tale, this genre mash up is thrilling...

Take 5: ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Uses Tried-and-True Tropes For a Modern Action Rom-Com

February 10, 2023

Darcy and Tom are soon-to-be bride and groom and have chosen to have their luxurious destination wedding on a Philippines island. Unfortunately, the wedding guests are taken hostage by a group of pirates who want $45 million.

Take 5: What ‘Babylon’ can teach writers about story, conflict and theme

January 13, 2023

Babylon gives audiences a glimpse into the wild west of Los Angeles when silent films produced the first movie stars and the thirst for fame, fortune and the pursuit of a dream brought people from around the world to southern California. With an ecle...

What Exactly Counts As a Christmas Movie?

December 13, 2022

In recent years it’s become popular to cite Die Hard as “a Christmas movie.” There are several articles insisting that it is and outlining the various reasons: the primary being the film takes place during Christmas Eve and centers around an office C...

Take 5: ‘Devotion’ and the art of adapting a true story

November 27, 2022

Devotion takes place in 1950 at the beginning of the Korean conflict, also known as the ‘Forgotten War.’ In some ways this is true. Rare is the movie that highlights this tumultuous time in our history with the most recognizable example being M*A*S*H...