A series exploring the 1920 book by Anita Loos and John Emerson reveals a wealth of tips which contemporary screenwriters can use. In my ongoing research into screenwriting, I discovered the book “How to Write Photoplays,” written in 1920 by Anita Loos and her husband John Emerson. Loos was a…

A series exploring the 1920 book by Anita Loos and John Emerson reveals a wealth of tips which contemporary screenwriters can use. In my ongoing research into screenwriting, I discovered the book “How to Write Photoplays,” written in 1920 by Anita Loos and her husband John Emerson. Loos was a…

In my ongoing research into screenwriting, I discovered the book “How to Write Photoplays,” written in 1920 by Anita Loos and her husband John Emerson. Loos was a superstar, the first well-known writer of what were then called ‘photoplays’. This series went through the book chapter by chapter spotlighting elements…

Actually three scenes because they are all intimately linked. Léon: The Professional (1994) is one of the best action movies precisely because it has in spades what so many films in this genre lack: Genuine emotion. Spectacle is fine, but if it has human heart pulsing through character interrelationships, it’s…

Another in the excellent screenwriting series Raising the Stakes. Jonathan W. Stokes is a screenwriter with a unique credit to his name: Five of his original screenplays have been named to the annual Black List. …

One month. FADE IN to FADE OUT. Creativity meets Productivity. Zero Draft Thirty: Day 23. Write an entire draft of a script in September — FADE IN. FADE OUT. Or any sort of creative goal you have in front of you. Feature length movie screenplay. Original TV pilot. Rewrite a…

Some keys for crafting a worthy Nemesis. A reader question via email from Ray Ballinger: Thank you for this site, you are so generous. I was wondering if you have anything on building a powerful villain. That’s a huge question, not only because of the importance of a good Nemesis…

How much latitude does a screenwriter have to editorialize in scene description? A question from Lalithra Fernando: So, as a director, I know not to tell actors to be a little angry here, or more happy there. …