Music - The Ultimate Source of Inspiration For Screenwriters
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve walked down the street, headphones on, music blasting, and when a new song began to play, I...
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rachelallen060
- Jul 13, 2021
- 2 min
The Exposition Test
There are several degrees of offenders in the expositional dialogue game. The biggest offenders are the ones narrating information that...
Usher Morgan
- Jul 6, 2021
- 1 min
Short Tip: Actors, a Writer’s Best Friend
If you have no actor friends, do whatever you can to find some, then add them to your group of collaborators and start sharing your work...
Usher Morgan
- May 15, 2019
- 15 min
Screenwriters - It's Time to Kill The Cat
Kill The Cat is a screenwriting tool that helps "set the stakes" for your characters.
Usher Morgan
- May 1, 2019
- 1 min
Tip: Keep a Filmmaking Journal
When you make a movie, you’re doing 10,000 things at once: from planning to executing, hiring, auditioning, communicating, and handling...
Usher Morgan
- May 1, 2019
- 3 min
Tip - How to Keep Morale High On a Movie Set
When things get rough, when problems arise, and people get tired, when you’re going through thirteen-hour days, shooting overnights,...
Usher Morgan
- Apr 14, 2019
- 1 min
First Movies of Famous Directors
Here are some not-so-famous movies, made for very little money, by film directors who are considered today to be the very top of their...
Usher Morgan
- Apr 14, 2019
- 2 min
Embrace the DIY Spirit
When I used to hear the term “low-budget, DIY filmmaker,” I’d cringe because in my mind I was thinking, “Why would I want to learn about...
Usher Morgan
- Apr 14, 2019
- 2 min
Quick Tip - Write a Personal Story
One of the things that you are guaranteed to be an expert on is your own personal experience. The movie world is full of great movies...
Usher Morgan
- Mar 28, 2019
- 1 min
Billy Wilder's 10 Screenwriting Tips
Billy Wilder, the filmmaker behind classic films such as Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment, and Double Indemnity lists his top 10...
Usher Morgan
- Mar 28, 2019
- 1 min
Writing Exercise #1: The Sitcom Short
So - here's a fun screenwriting challenge / exercise for you: Pick your favorite TV show and write a dramatic scene between its...
Krystal Lopes
- Mar 16, 2019
- 4 min
Why Every Screenwriter Should Own a Typewriter
Long before the age of iPhones, iPads, and Personal Computers, there was “the typewriter” – where every important document, novel,...
Usher Morgan
- Feb 27, 2019
- 2 min
Writing Every Day
One of the things I hear a lot is that, for many people, the most difficult task is “getting started.” I have a very strong opinion when...
Usher Morgan
- Feb 14, 2019
- 10 min
How to Come Up With Great Story Ideas
Need to come up with a great story idea? Here are some of my favorite approaches to story generation: 1. Know Why You're Making It How do...
Usher Morgan
- Feb 5, 2019
- 1 min
Quick Tip: Plots Are Cool; Characters Are Cooler
If you make a list of your all-time favorite movies, I’m quite convinced that it'll align with a list of your all-time favorite...
Usher Morgan
- Feb 5, 2019
- 4 min
Strive For a Higher Standard
“Quality” is an interesting word because I don’t think that it can be easily defined. It is, however, easily observable. You can spot bad...
Usher Morgan
- Feb 5, 2019
- 3 min
Screenwriting Tip: Forget The "Idea"
How many times have you heard the saying, "I have a great idea for a movie"? And how many times have you followed that rabbit down the...
Usher Morgan
- Jan 16, 2019
- 7 min
$0 Budget Filmmaking - A Checklist
Almost every filmmaker working in Hollywood today was forced to master the craft of no-budget guerilla filmmaking when they were first...
Usher Morgan
- Jan 5, 2019
- 2 min
Favorite Screenwriting Books
There is no shadow of a doubt in my mind that the script is (by far) the most important asset you can have in the film industry today. If...
Usher Morgan
- Jan 5, 2019
- 1 min
Passion Wins the Game
Filmmaking is not the easiest endeavor in the world, nor is it fast, cheap, or passive. The process of writing, directing, producing,...
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