As I sit here in a coffee shop, ostensibly finishing my next script, I find myself pondering the dynamic of writing in public. I recall being in a cafe a few years ago. It was connected to the local brew-and-view, and it was a place where movie-types hang out. A kid was hacking away right [...]

I have to admit that I’m still giddy after last Tuesday when everything changed and it felt good to be American and not have to continuously say to anyone we meet from overseas, “We’re really not all like that. Really.” So being a sappy Midwesterner who reads a lot of other sappy Midwesterners, I was [...]

I’m new to the Northwest, but there seems to be a vibrant local film scene. The Northwest Film and Video festival is currently ongoing at the NW Film Center. I attended a couple events this weekend in Portland, and there’s that definite upstart energy you’d hope to find in that sort of venue. I’ll definitely [...]

A friend once told me that every conversation that takes place in a screenplay should be an argument. It’s advice he heard from a writing teacher, and I think it’s basically sound. I’d replace the concept of an argument with the more general notion of tension. It doesn’t have to be direct confrontation, but there [...]

INT. CLASSROOM Mr. SMITH walks into the room and lays his briefcase on the desk. He sighs. SMITH Okay class. Today we’re going to talk about the Reagan Revolution. The students yawn. He writes the words on the board. SMITH Have any of you ever heard of this? The students look around. They’re bored. SMITH [...]

When you first start writing scripts, one of the great liberating experiences is the ability to start a scene with something like this: EXT. PARIS STREET – AFTERNOON Smith steps to the curb and hails a cab... And then, you can follow up with the next scene, with a quantum leap: EXT. SEASIDE CAFE, HAVANA [...]