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.
FADE IN: on Screenwriting, by Jeffrey Scott
HOW TO TALK TO WRITERS
If you're a producer who wants the best out of your writer you have got to know how to talk to him!
ADVANCEMENT IN ANIMATION WRITING
Animated television has changed dramatically since I began writing, I'm happy to say for the better...
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...
In Business, Cartoons, CG, Education and Training, Films, Games, Licensing, Production, Television, Writing | Blog Post | Blogs: FADE IN: on Screenwriting, by Jeffrey Scott | Geographic Region: All
ATTENTION ALL WRITERS! WIN $10,000 AND CHANGE THE WORLD
Uncle Sam may be looking for a few good men, but The Humanitas Prize is looking for a few good writers. And you could be one of them!
THE RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL SCREENPLAY
You don't have to be Martha Stewart to bake a great pie and you don't have to be Robert Towne to bake a great screenplay.
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...
WRITE LIKE MICHELANGELO
Painters start with a blank canvas, sculptors with a blank block of stone and writers with a blank page. Like a sculptor, a writer starts by chipping away the blank page.
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.
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? ...
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.
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?...
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...
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...
"I Stooged to Conquer", by Moe Howard
Three Stooges leader Moe Howard’s autobiography re-released under the title “I Stooged to Conquer” with a new foreword by Moe’s daughter, Joan Howard Maurer, and newly restored photographs.
SCREENWRITER’S MUST-READ BOOK LIST
You don’t need to go to film school and pay thousands of dollars for screenwriting classes. All you need to do is some reading. Let me tell you which books I found to be the most helpful...
HOW TO BREAK INTO THE SCREENWRITING BUSINESS
If you are an aspiring screenwriter I have some suggestions that may help you break into the business...
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...
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...
VIEWING A STORY THROUGH THE PARADIGM OF BE-DO-HAVE
Much has been written about the subject of BE-DO-HAVE in the self-help arena. But applying it to screenwriting can be very helpful as well.
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
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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THEME IN SCREENWRITING
Theme is the most important element of any screenplay. It aligns and focuses the plot, subplots, characters and dialogue. It is the Rosetta stone which allows you to translate that great concept you have into a great screenplay. But that’s not all it does...
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR FEATURE OUTLINE IS DONE?
I recently went to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and looked at dozens of pencil drawings by Gustav Klimt. Surprisingly, I made an interesting mental connection with screenplay outlines: A pencil drawing visualizing what is going to be painted is to an oil what a screenplay is to a film.
"DRAGON AGE: DAWN OF THE SEEKER" NOW AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY/DVD (REVIEW)
DRAGON AGE: DAWN OF THE SEEKER, with a screenplay by award-winner, Jeffrey Scott, is now available on Blu-Ray-DVD combo. Read the review.
