Irony Explained: The Ultimate Guide (FREE Ebook)A comprehensive and straightforward guide for any storyteller looking to wield the power of irony.We'll cover the various types of irony and their unique storytelling values so you can expand your writer's toolkit. What is IronyUnderstanding the various types of irony, you'll be able to write more complex and layered storiesThere are many literary devices available to writers and each has their particular strengths. Irony is an extremely powerful tool but in order to wield it, you have to understand it.This ultimate guide explains 12 different forms of irony to allow you to find the…
Perhaps Drive’s most lasting impact is its look. The exquisite framing, blocking, and lighting throughout the film immerse the audience in a nocturnal cityscape that’s as dangerous as it is hypnotic.But the ethereal tone of Drive doesn’t just come from director Nicolas Winding Refn. The Drive script is a masterclass in restraint, allowing for a meditative feel to permeate the film. How does the Drive screenplay work? What does such a visual-oriented movie’s script look like?Continue reading Drive Script PDF Download: Genre, Characters & Ending Analysis
What makes Jurassic Park a timeless story? While there are many reasons, one of the most important is the fantastic screenplay. Despite its age, the Jurassic Park script is a monument to classic story-telling. In this breakdown, we will provide a Jurassic Park summary, as well as why this script stands tall above all of the sequels that follow.Continue reading Jurassic Park Script PDF Download: Characters, Quotes, and Plot
Inglourious Basterds was a massive turning point in director Quentin Tarantino’s career. It launched his revisionist history trilogy, which flipped the script on World War II, American slavery, and the murder of actress Sharon Tate at the hands of Charles Manson’s cult members. Tarantino is known for unforgettable dialogue in which ordinary conversations become extraordinary and tensions subtly rise to a climax with words alone. The Inglourious Basterds script has some of the most intense and powerful stretches of dialogue in cinema and we can transform future screenplays for the better by analyzing its example. Let’s continue the conversation. Continue reading Inglourious…
If you love TV, then you’ve probably heard of a bottle episode before. Some of the best shows ever from Breaking Bad to Community have used this formula to mixed results. They tend to be some of the most divisive episodes with some fans hating the unique structure while others love what’s made possible through them. But what is a bottle episode? Keep reading to see if your next spec script should have this structure. Continue reading What is a Bottle Episode — Best Examples & How to Write One
When the 500 Days of Summer screenplay came onto the scene, it took a bit of time before it was actually produced. In fact, it was even featured in the 2006 Blacklist, a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year. Finally, the film was produced and released to incredible success both critically and commercially. So what makes the 500 Days of Screenplay so good that it became one of the best romantic comedy sleeper hits of all time? We'll find out, along with a shot-by-shot video breakdown of the now-iconic "expectations vs. reality" scene.Continue reading 500 Days of…
Before The Sopranos, television looked a bit different than it is today. Premiering in 1999 on HBO, the show was a major hit and phenomenon for a variety of reasons. While it looked like a regular mafia show on the surface, The Sopranos dug deep, looking at its characters as regular human beings, which we could all relate to. It did it through memorable dialogue, exciting action, and profound themes, which can all be seen in some form in The Sopranos pilot script.Continue reading The Sopranos Pilot Script PDF Download and Analysis
Television is currently in its golden age. With platforms like HBO and Netflix revolutionizing the medium, TV shows have met the scale and engagement of film. Who is creating these incredible TV shows we all know and love? Where do they come up with this stuff? In the writers room of course. In this article, we’ll breakdown the what’s and who’s of the writers room and give you a glimpse into the creation of television’s best shows. Continue reading What is a Writers Room — Writers Room Jobs Explained
Martin Scorsese is widely considered one of the finest filmmakers of his or any generation. Of his long list of masterpieces, his enduring classic Taxi Driver remains one of the most beloved. One scene in particular has permeated the zeitgeist in a way few scenes manage to do: the iconic and oft-quoted “You talking to me?” scene. Watch our Taxi Driver analysis, where we took aim at the directorial decisions that led to the scene becoming so iconic. And in this post, we’ll be digging into the details of how the "You talking to me" scene was made from the…
Auteur filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is an ideal example of a storyteller that has grown and matured with time and practice. His fifth feature film There Will Be Blood is a capstone to the restrained, yet powerful storytelling ability he has come to possess with time. It also remains his most acclaimed film. What makes There Will Be Blood so great? As in every film, it all begins with the screenplay. Let’s analyze the different components of the There Will Be Blood script and how they all work together to tell an incredible, engaging story.Continue reading There Will Be Blood…
