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What’s The Difference Between Thriller And Horror?

Thriller Vs. Horror Thriller and Horror … They’re practically the same genre, right? NOPE. Not by a long shot. Whilst they may share certain characteristics, Thriller and Horror are two definitive genres and this post will attempt to explain why in more detail. It’s A ‘Thriller / Horror’ Though I touch on this issue in my book, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, I think it’s worthwhile to go into more detail on this element. I see LOTS of spec screenplays that call themselves “Thriller / Horrors” and this is nearly always a mistake. Not only does it wind up the… Read More »What’s The Difference Between Thriller And Horror?

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7 Reasons You Should Write A Sports Movie

Want to Write a Sports Movie? I hate sports. I mean, REALLY hate them. What’s the point: run up a track? Unless you’re being chased by a monster, do me a favour. Kick or throw a ball? No chance. I was the kid who had “period pain” four weeks of every month rather than do PE at school. True story. (Of course, the joke’s on me now ‘cos Mr C is OBSESSED with sports … not a week goes by without some tournament, however obscure, on the telly. THANKS COSMIC JOKER). So it may surprise you then to note I… Read More »7 Reasons You Should Write A Sports Movie

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5 Reasons To Hate BREAKING BAD — SPOILERS

Unless you have been hiding inside a gigantic money barrel or taking part in a one way trip to Belize, then I’m sure you have all heard of the ABC show BREAKING BAD, created by the definitive king of the Southern gents, Vince Gilligan. Vince Gilligan is a modern day Dr Frankenstein. As I’m sure you know, Frankenstein’s Monster was a freak of nature that struggled with a major identity crisis. In the same way, Vince Gilligan’s Monster was a mild mannered, under achieving chemistry teacher called Walter White. Diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, White creates the identity of… Read More »5 Reasons To Hate BREAKING BAD — SPOILERS

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Inconceivable! 14 Reasons To Love THE PRINCESS BRIDE

The other day, someone asked me what my favourite film is and I immediately replied, “The Princess Bride!” I work in a cinema so this isn’t an unusual question to be asked but it did get me thinking about why The Princess Bride is my favourite film, and what I, as a writer, can learn from it. 1.  “As You Wish.” At heart, the plot is a simple love story between Buttercup and Westley. Their love is established within two scenes before Westley leaves, and the rest of the film shows the couple trying to overcome various obstacles so they… Read More »Inconceivable! 14 Reasons To Love THE PRINCESS BRIDE

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25 Screenwriting Tips From … David Bowie?

A brilliantly original and creative guest post today from Matt … Enjoy! David Bowie has graced our screens many times over the years in varying amounts of lyrca, but who ever knew that he wrote a screenwriting manual? In-depth analysis of the lyrics to Life on Mars? shows they are not surreal non-sequitirs at all but tips we could all learn from.So play this, sit back and read the commentary notes below.  1. It’s a god-awful small affair Everywomen and everymen in a humdrum situation are a great relatable starting point  2. To the girl with the mousy hair Keep character descriptions… Read More »25 Screenwriting Tips From … David Bowie?

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5 Reasons I Got Involved In ASSASSIN

  1. It has not one, but TWO savvy female characters … As regular Bang2writers know, my passion is for female characters who have agency of their own and pull their weight in the narrative. Unlike many gangster films where females are purely there for decoration, Chloe and Alex both contribute to the story and are absolutely essential to the plot beats. As writer/director JK Amalou says, “The female characters play a bigger part in our story than is usual in films of this type.” 2. … But there are no patronising gender politics. I obviously read a lot of… Read More »5 Reasons I Got Involved In ASSASSIN

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5 Reasons Screenwriters Should Watch PACIFIC RIM

 — No *real* spoilers, though do note I discuss stuff like theme, character arcs, dialogue from a screenwriting craft POV, as ever — 5. It’s Genre-Busting. I can just see how **this** meeting went. EXEC: We’ve got giant robot movies going back thirty years … and giant monster movies going back fifty or more! Bring me a goddamn giant robot vs. giant monster picture!! And in my mind I can see DECADES of screenwriters attempting to offer up the goods – but you just know everyone screwed it up by being too whacky, too OTT or conversely too arty/serious. And… Read More »5 Reasons Screenwriters Should Watch PACIFIC RIM

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3 Reasons Why LEGALLY BLONDE Is Like, The Best Characterisation Totally, Ever

That’s right: LEGALLY BLONDE! Yes, the one with Reese Witherspoon in – and that itty bitty dog. And the legal stuff. Duh. So what makes LEGALLY BLONDE so great on a storytelling level? Well, try these three reasons for size: 1) Elle subverts our expectations from the beginning  At grass roots level, Elle is a “classic” girly-girl. She loves pink; she loves her teeny dog; she looks a million dollars.  And her ambitions are pretty *usual* for a young woman of her background. She wants to get married; have the white picket fence; the 2.4 kids; the flashy house and… Read More »3 Reasons Why LEGALLY BLONDE Is Like, The Best Characterisation Totally, Ever

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Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 3 – Description & Characters

I run the Bang2write script consultancy, so read lots of spec novels every year as writers get them ready to either self publish, or show agents and publishers. The two elements that cause the most issues then in these novels are description and character. This is no surprise, since these are probably the most important elements of a novel, as readers perhaps notice them “most”. So here is a rundown of the issues I frequently see with description and character and how I tackled them myself in writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY: DESCRIPTION 1) Grammar, punctuation, spelling. No one minds… Read More »Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 3 – Description & Characters

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Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 3: Beschreibung und Charaktere

Durch die Arbeit in meiner Drehbuchberatung Bang2write, lese ich jedes Jahr zahlreiche Romanideen (in Form von spekulativen Romanen ähnlich einem „spec script“), während ihre Autoren darauf hinarbeiten, sie entweder selbst zu verlegen oder sie Agenten und Verlagen zu präsentieren. Die zwei Elemente, die am häufigsten Probleme bereiten sind die Beschreibung sowie die Charaktere. Dies kommt mitnichten als Überraschung, da sie wahrscheinlich die wichtigsten Elemente eines Romans sind und Leser sie am ehesten bemerken. Aus diesem Grund kannst du im Folgenden einige übliche Probleme finden, wie sie mir häufig in Beschreibung und Charakteren begegnen, sowie eine Erklärung, wie ich an diese… Read More »Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 3: Beschreibung und Charaktere

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Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 2 – The Pitch

When writing a novel, a good pitch is worth its weight in gold. Not only is it a good document to grab the interest of agents and publishers, it can help if you are self publishing too as it helps you stay “on track”. I had tried writing novels before, but always ran out of steam. Previously I had written only loose outlines, so when approaching LIZZIE’S STORY I decided to write a detailed pitch. I actually spent as long on the pitch as writing the manuscript (nearly four months!), but I didn’t regret it. Here’s how I did mine:… Read More »Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 2 – The Pitch

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Want To Get Noticed? Then Don’t Write These Type Of Screenplays

Updated Previously titled, ‘Want To Get Noticed? Don’t Write Low Budget Depressing Drama or High Budget Science Fiction/Fantasy Spec Scripts‘, this post will outline why trying to get out of the submissions pile with a low budget drama or a high budget sci fi TV pilot like a gazilion other writers (probably) ain’t gonna work for you. Strap yourself in and suck it up, peeps … Cliches + Stereotypes = BORING When I started script reading, everyone was writing very “worthy”, very personal psychological dramas where generally everybody died or was at least miserable as Hell and in the grip of addiction,… Read More »Want To Get Noticed? Then Don’t Write These Type Of Screenplays

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