In film, there are memorable characters and there are iconic characters. The latter is a result of great writing, directing, and acting. Auteur directors flesh out these iconic characters to create a whole person. The screen has been graced with iconic characters like Jack in The Shining, Travis in Taxi Driver, or for this article, Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Who is Daniel Plainview? There are many components that contributed to the creation of the character of Daniel Plainview. Research, inspiration, and casting decisions are all critical. In this article, we’ll dive into a Daniel Plainview character analysis…
In today’s cinematic landscape, very few people are unaware of what a prequel is. Whether you’re watching a new movie that’s labelled as such, or the “sequel” you’re watching actually takes place before the first film, prequels are not that uncommon in the world of entertainment. But what is a prequel exactly, and what are the elements that make one up?Continue reading What is a Prequel? Definition and Examples for Screenwriters
There seem to be three primary ways people learn screenwriting these days: film school, screenwriting books or the Scriptnotes podcast with John August and Craig Mazin. In most cases, probably a combination of all three. Film school has an obvious downside, it costs about $100,000. Ask any screenwriter about screenwriting books and you’ve clearly hit a touchy subject, and don’t even mention the gurus. Yet, it’s hard to find anything negative about the weekly Scriptnotes podcast, which means it’s hard to find anything negative to say about John August. So, who is John August and why is he such a…
Many people thought the last time they would see Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of Andy’s toys would be in 2010’s Toy Story 3. However, those beloved toys got one final send-off (for now) with Toy Story 4, released in 2019. To come back after a successful trilogy was no easy feat, but as the Toy Story 4 script proves, Pixar had a strong story they needed to tell. With tons of new characters and great quotes (as well as a tear-jerking ending), some franchises are meant to be tetralogies.Continue reading Toy Story 4 Script PDF Download: Characters, Quotes…
Soap operas have been a staple of daytime television for decades, captivating audiences with their cliffhangers, melodramatic plots, and character-driven stories. With their roots in radio programming, these serialized shows have a rich history and have evolved significantly over the years while maintaining their unique characteristics.Continue reading What is a Soap Opera — History, Examples & Evolution
Apangram, often a source of intrigue, is a unique linguistic feat that not everyone may be familiar with. In essence, a pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once, showcasing the versatility of language and the creativity of the writer. Consider the phrase, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", a common example of a pangram that may well be known by many. Let’s uncover the uses, variations, and the challenges pangrams present to linguists and language enthusiasts alike.Continue reading What is a Pangram — Definition, Examples & Uses
Jordan Peele followed up his Oscar-winning horror film Get Out with another horror flick that dealt heavily in social commentary: Us. The movie follows a suburban family who goes on vacation only to discover a group of doppelgangers are out to get them. They soon learn there’s an entire world of doppelgangers hiding within an elaborate tunnel system beneath the surface, and it all leads to a shocking finale. If you haven’t been able to stop thinking about the movie since it came out in 2019, don’t worry. We have all your answers right here. Here’s the Us movie ending…
In the plethora of slasher-horror films from the '70s and '80s, none stand out more than the Halloween (1978) script. Why does this older horror film stand the test time, both critically and with fans? Regardless of the genre, every great movie starts with a great screenplay. In this article we will break down the Halloween script, studying its characters, pacing and “less is more” approach to storytelling. Let’s find out why this boogeyman can’t be killed.Continue reading Halloween Script PDF Download: Plot, Quotes, and Analysis
In most stories, conflict is the engine that drives the narrative, breathing life into the characters and drama into a plot. Depending on the story, different types of conflict can emerge bringing about different forms of drama and various types of stories. Continue reading Types of Conflict in Literature and How to Write Them
There are many ways to enhance the main plot of a film. You can flesh out your protagonist, establish a story structure that keeps the audience engaged, and fine tune the plot points that move the story forward. But did you know that introducing subplots can enhance your film’s main plot? Understanding how a subplot functions and serves the main plot can give your film the depth you desire. So, what is a subplot of a story? And what is the definition of subplot? We’ll answer all of that and more in this article.Continue reading What is a Subplot in…
