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on set, scene work, screenwriting, screenwriting tips -

As a screenwriter there isn’t anything more exciting than going on set of a film you wrote. It’s like a projection screen realizing your consciousness. You walk past the trailers, craft services, and then notice the giant penguin you wrote exists. Some poor prop department member had to go build a giant penguin, just because, drunk in the wee hours of the morning, you typed “giant penguin.” The excitement lasts until you sit and watch the first scene filmed. But this is also where the most valuable lesson from being on set comes into play. The truth is that being...

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clear writing, inspiration, scene work, screenwriting, storytelling -

There’s an old truism that having written is greater than writing, and it’s true. Having a completed script is a great feeling. Having to write that script is a terrible feeling. While writers vary on how much they enjoy the physical process of writing, many writers agree that the actual writing part is the least fun element of the process. Part of the reason writing can be so laborious is because, the longer someone writes screenplays, the more items come across their mental checklist with each scene. In any given scene, you may ask yourself… Am I advancing the story?...

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Act II, clear writing, screenwriting tips, storytelling -

Writing a great second act might be the toughest part of screenwriting. A great first act is just establishing the concept of the film. A great ending tends to function as a mirror of the first act, paying off the concept. But what about the second act? The challenge of the second act is to organically complicate the concept and increasingly challenge the hero, for the longest stretch of the script. Often, this boils down to having a potent engine for the story (and the story’s conflict). Let’s consider some examples of recent hit movies, and how they handled this...

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film industry, hustle, inspiration, marketing, screenwriting -

Does the quality of a script matter? Absolutely, it does. But once you reach a certain level of craft, there’s an even playing field, where other factors are the determining ones. Hustle is one of those factors. Let’s take two writers, and place their careers side by side. One of them is a WARPED GENIUS. The other one is a SOLID WRITER. The Warped Genius writes brilliant, compelling material. He’s not the next Aaron Sorkin, but he’s good. The Solid Writer writes meat-and-potatoes, base hit material. He’ll get the job done, but he’s not flashy. Now take an average year...

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Oscars, scene work, screenplay, Whiplash -

Effective scene work often is the difference between a solid and a spectacular screenplay. It’s one thing to have a great concept, but in the gladiatorial death match that is professional screenwriting, a great concept alone isn’t enough. That concept must also be impeccably executed. What do we talk about, when we talk about effective scene work? Often, we’ve found here at ScriptArsenal, it comes down to refusing to let up. Let’s take a scene example from WHIPLASH, a film that won four Oscars (and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture). Miles Teller’s student character is trying...

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