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FADE IN: on Screenwriting, by Jeffrey Scott

2015 Humanitas Prize Blogs

HOW TO ENRICH THE WORLD AND YOURSELF AT THE SAME TIME!

The Humanitas Prize Call for Entries is now open. If you’ve written a qualifying script you could win $10,000 tax free or more. Inquire within...

Screenwriting Blogs

THE THREE VITAL ELEMENTS OF A SCREENPLAY

The three most important elements of a screenplay are theme, character and plot. If you get these three elements working smoothly with one another then you will get a good story.

Animated Series Development Blogs

HOW TO TURN A HOT NEW TOY INTO A HOT NEW ANIMATED SERIES

When toy companies have hot-selling toys they often decide to turn them into animated series or feature films. Here are some tips on how to do it successfully...

Online Writing Tools Blogs

15 VITAL WRITING TOOLS FOR THE SCREENWRITER

Other than screenwriting software, all of the writing tools you need are available for free online. Here are the tools I use almost every day while I write or do the business of writing...

Software Review Blogs

FINAL DRAFT 9 REVIEW

Final Draft 9 was released earlier this year. I have now used it for the past 5 months and gotten pretty familiar with some of the new features. So I figured it’s time I gave it a review.

Screenwriting Blogs

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SERIES PITCH (PART 2: THE PERFECT CONCEPT)

In Part 1 I explained how I pitched one series with $13,000 worth of artwork and another with two sentences on the fly, and I sold the two sentences. But why did my two-sentences sell? What was it about the concept? What made it so good? ...

Screenwriting Blogs

CUT OFF AT THE PASS

If you’re a writer you are familiar with the word. You just wrote an Academy Award-quality screenplay or an Emmy-quality series development, put together a solid pitch, gave it to the producer or exec with passion, and he or she responded with the most painful one-word epithet in the English language—Pass.

Concept Blogs

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SERIES PITCH (PART 2: THE PERFECT CONCEPT)

In Part 1 I explained how I pitched one series with $13,000 worth of artwork and another with two sentences on the fly, and I sold the two sentences. But why did my two-sentences sell? What was it about the concept? What made it so good?...

Screenwriting Blogs

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SERIES PITCH (PART 1)

I’m asked questions all the time about pitching animated TV series. Do I need a bible? — Do I need a pilot script? — Do I need artwork? —Do I need a few minutes of animation?  Rather than tell you what I think you need, let me illustrate the reality of pitching with two personal anecdotes...

Screenwriting Blogs

GREEN GRASS GROWS FROM COW PIES AND SO DO GOOD SCRIPTS

Have you ever been writing and felt like your story is crap? If you haven’t you must not be an experienced writer. If you have, don’t worry, crap has some useful nutrients in it. Let me explain...

Screenwriting Blogs

10 MAXIMS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SCREENPLAY

If you’re a writer who wants to improve the quality of your story, or a producer who wants your film to have the best possible chance at the box office, I've got 10 writing maxims for you that will maximize your chances of success...

Screenwriting Blogs

A Writer’s #1 Most Important Creative Tool is...

So what is a writer’s #1 creative tool? Experience? Education? Vocabulary? Scriptwriting software? Jack Daniels? It’s none of these. The #1 creative tool of every writer is...

Screenwriting Blogs

HOW TO WRITE FOR ANIMATION NOW AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE

Emmy-winning writer Jeffrey Scott’s acclaimed book, How To Write For Animation, has just been released for the Kindle and other eBook formats

Hollywood History Blogs

WHAT DO MOE HOWARD, 3-D COMICS AND ANIMATION HAVE IN COMMON?

Everybody knows that Moe Howard, as well as his cohorts Curly, Shemp and Larry, were creative geniuses. But not so many know that Moe’s son-in-law, Norman Maurer, was a genius in his own right. 

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