Archive | Screenplay

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5 Steps to Creating a Compelling Antagonist for Your Film… Meet the Nolan incarnation of The Joker

By Emma Hallewell Two important characters in every film are the protagonist and their antagonist, so I’m always looking for ways to create more interesting and compelling antagonists in my writing. One of my favourite antagonists is Heath Ledger’s The Joker (The Dark Knight, 2008), and I stumbled onto a great video by Lessons from […]

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Tangerine: Shot on iPhone 5s and with near zero budget, the ultimate microbudget masterclass for filmmakers today

Tangerine, a no budget drama about trans sex workers in LA has been taking the festival circuit by storm, and it’s easy to see why. Watch the trailer. What’s key here is that it was shot on iPhones. I am not advocating every indie film be shot on an iPhone, but if you are procrastinating […]

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Why Star Wars endures so powerfully… It’s nothing to do with fan boys and EVERYTHING to do with values, courage and humanity

The Star Wars universe and characters give access to young hearts and minds to powerful truths and beliefs about good and evil. But most importantly for these young hearts and minds, it unlocks and unleashes courage and potential to take a stand for their OWN truths and beliefs. JJ Abrams knows this and there are […]

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Why producers WILL NOT READ YOUR SCRIPT – shocking case study from one exec

A producer friend at a production company recently shared this email interchange with a writer. It painfully illustrates why most producers will only accept solicited submissions or via a reputable agent. Irrespective of the talent this writer may show in the future, this bridge is burned. I have redacted certain details with XXXXXX’s and of […]

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Meet Edgar Wright in this fascinating and candid one hour interview about filmmaking, writing and a career in film against all odds

This session was shot at the London Screenwriters’ Festival which is now become the biggest event of its kind, for writers and filmmakers alike. What are the main outcomes of attending? Meeting loads of new collaborators and like minded folk. Getting a MASSIVE creative shot in the arm by being around creative and dedicated people […]

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How cliché is your script? Can you see your work in these two trailers?

I enjoyed these two films about cliché in Indie film (US above) and Brit film (below). Of course cliché exists because it works, and often works well (if only mechanically). But when it becomes highly visible in our work, it’s also a real problem – the answer? Turn the cliché on its head. The heroine […]

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Why telling YOUR story is an essential act of creation – both for you and the world

A friend recently posted an interesting question, ‘does it really matter if people do not see your work?’ The main thrust being (and I paraphrase) ‘in the act of creating art, is an audience important? Does in fact longing for an audience impact on creative integrity negatively?’ I have never seen myself as an artist. […]

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Edgar Wright in conversation: One hour screenwriter and filmmaker masterclass

https://vimeo.com/31537915 As The World’s End is now playing in cinemas, I though I would share a cracking session we recorded with Edgar at the London Screenwriters Festival last year. It was delivered to a crammed room and the atmosphere was electric! Podcast version (downloadable below) Onwards and upwards! Chris Jones My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com My Facebook […]

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What can we learn from (Oscar nominated screenwriter) Sylvester Stallone? 40 minute masterclass…

It’s easy to write off Sylvester Stallone as an action movie star playing one dimensional characters. But that would be a mistake. In his long career he has won BAFTA and Oscar nominations for screenwriting, written and directed a diverse range of movies, and delivered staggering commercial successes. In this interview, he shows that he […]

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How To Write For Hollywood And Live In The UK: Podcast with Stuart Hazeldine

With Stuart Hazeldine After trawling my archives, I discovered this cracking recording I made with screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine about working in LA, but living in the UK. It was held at Ealing Studios in 2009, just before his first feature film EXAM went into production. He candidly shared his experiences giving detailed roadmaps you can […]

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‘Welcome To The Punch’ writer director Eran Creevy interview about how he broke into the film business

As ‘Welcome To The Punch’ continues to pick up rave reviews, I thought I would share a rare, intimate and candid interview I did with writer director Eran Creevy a few years back about his debut feature ‘Shifty’. At the time, Eran had just begun developing ‘Welcome To The Punch’. What shines through in the […]

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12 ways to rewrite your British written spec script so it sells in Hollywood

The new Guerilla Filmmakers ‘Breaking Into Hollywood Pocketbook’ is now selling well via our site here (http://www.guerillafilm.com/the-hollywood-pocketbook/) (in both hardcopy AND ePub / PDF, as well as Kindle here. I have had several requests for information about sending a spec script to LA, and so I asked Gen her opinion on what trips up a […]

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