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 […]
‘There is no conspiracy to keep good writers out of the industry’. This was a quote from TV exec John Yorke that really resonated with me at the weekend during the Writing TV masterclass we ran with Pilar Alessandra. It’s actually a quote from Poldark screenwriter and LSF speaker this year Debbie Horsfield that John […]
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 […]
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 […]
We all have great ideas we think will make great films or TV shows. And maybe they will. But the greatest impediment a project needs to overcome is not only great stories well told, but projects that inspire action from people involved at each stage of the process. Key to success is knowing that at […]
Robert McKee remains one of the most influential voices in storytelling training, and having had lunch with him and his wife numerous times, it’s easy to see why. He knows his shit. Seriously, I usually turn up for lunch, sit down and just listen to a master as he shares his most recent discoveries. After […]
Hitting ‘save’ for the final time on the latest draft of Rocketboy and I am pretty sure we have nailed it. So much has changed in this new draft, but the one big note I want to share is just about using fewer words. I posted on Facebook recently, in the midst of the redraft, […]
I spend a lot of time writing stuff. Nowhere near as much time writing creatively (drama) as I should, but still, it’s writing. I am always looking for tools to help me write both faster and more powerfully. Recently I have been trying out writing for just one person. Not a group, fans or a […]
