One of the silent assumptions that most screenwriters bring to first drafts is the notion that setting is simply a backdrop. Places are outlined, landscapes are drawn, the weather is mentioned, and then the narrative proceeds to what seems to be the actual work of character and action. However, setting is not inert in the best screenplays. It does not merely contain the story. It influences behavior, exerts pressure, provides opportunity, and restricts escape. It turns into a

The weight of endings is disproportionate. A viewer will be willing to forgive a slow first act or a sloppy middle, but a poor climax will cancel goodwill within a short time. The reason is that endings do not just end a story. They establish the content of the story, and they narrate to the audience the reason why they had to spend their time and emotions in the first place. A heart-throbbing resolution is not one of witty twists and happy endings. It concerns emotional cong

Everyone wants to be the next Ari Aster in this day and age–seamlessly combining genres from across the board. Whether it’s the COVID dark comedy horror satire in Eddington or the surreal landscape in Beau is Afraid, who does it better? Nevertheless, that’s not to say genre blending is a good thing, since there are plenty of points to recognize within the context. Just look at Cowboys & Aliens , a film that tried to merge Western grit with sci-fi spectacle and ended up pleasi

The sidekick has always been one of the most reliable figures in cinematic storytelling. To understand this evolution, one must look not just at the history of film but at the changing assumptions behind screenwriting: who stories are about, how secondary characters are developed, and why audiences crave more than a single point of identification. Still from 'Batman and Robin' (1997). Photo credit: Warner Bros The History When Hollywood storytelling was in its classical phase

Why go with a straightforward narrative structure when you can explain the beauty in nonlinear storytelling? Think of nonlinear stories as a departure from the standard story format, which weaves multiple flashbacks, storylines, and present-day scenes together. In my opinion, it works well for stories based on real life. Let’s be honest, life events don’t always follow a neat or logical flow. We all know that life is full of leaps in logic or seeming inconsistencies, things t

At the most basic level, what distinguishes a dual protagonist film from an ensemble piece or a “hero and sidekick” story is how much the film focuses on those characters. In an ensemble film, such as Robert Altman’s Nashville or Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia , no single figure dominates; the narrative weight is distributed widely. In a hero-sidekick story, one character clearly drives the plot while the other remains a supporting presence. Still from Nashville (1975). Pho

Keeping your audience engaged is imperative to the success of every script, but sometimes it’s more nuanced than packing it with...

The central plot shouldn’t always be your focal point, especially with the importance of a subplot. While your characters, general plot,...

You more than likely have come across the notion of a subplot amidst your screenwriting adventure. Effective subplots echo the central...

You’ve heard it before, including from me, on how characters make or break a script. That is especially the case when you're discussing...

Characters make or break a script, making ensemble casts an added challenge to ensure every story arc and character doesn’t outdo one...

So much has changed in the world of television with the rise and ever-evolving change in writing. “Miniseries,” or “Limited Series,” have...