Skip to content

psychology

6 Reasons Sweden’s Bechdel Cinema Rating Idea Is A (Well Meaning) Mistake

So, you probably read this week Sweden will be installing a rating system on whether a movie passes The Bechdel Test. Just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last thirty years, The Bechdel Test refers to the comic strip by Alison Bechdel, Dykes To Watch Out For, where she joked back in the 80s she only watches a film if it “features two women talking to each other about something other than a man.” Thus, The Bechdel Test was born. And here it is: I’ve had quite a few exchanges over Twitter the past week about… Read More »6 Reasons Sweden’s Bechdel Cinema Rating Idea Is A (Well Meaning) Mistake

Share this:

5 Credible, Likeable Superstar Role Models & Why They Matter

In today’s multimedia mobile world, we’re consuming screen stories on an unprecedented scale. Whether it’s watching back-to-back episodes of your favourite TV series on your laptop for 6 hours straight on a Sunday afternoon (let’s face it, we’ve all been there) or viewing the latest Hollywood blockbuster on your 3-inch mobile phone screen whilst commuting to work, content is all around us and always accessible. Whether we like to admit it or not, the characters who inhabit those stories – who we fall in love with, laugh with, cry with and, in some cases, grow older with – have an… Read More »5 Credible, Likeable Superstar Role Models & Why They Matter

Share this:

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?

Share this:

Script To Screen: BASIC INSTINCT

Understanding the changes that invariably happen “script to screen” (and why) is a paramount part of learning to be a writer. NO screenplay ever makes it off the page and into production without changes, whether they are significant for logistical reasons or subtle due to the process of collaboration. In short, it is IMPOSSIBLE for a screenwriter’s “absolute” original vision to be realised as a produced film, EVEN IF that screenwriter is also its director. This is why reading scripts, then seeing the movie is absolutely essential if you want to work in the industry and why London Screenwriters Festival… Read More »Script To Screen: BASIC INSTINCT

Share this:

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

Share this:

9 Ways To Write Great Characters

Great Characters Wanted Great characterisation is layered and complicated – y’know, like REAL people. This is why  characterisation is the hard bit of writing. Yet over the years I’ve been working with  writers, I’ve found many will too often plump for the first character that comes into their mind and then add all those distractions on top for decoration. People are more than the way they look, act or seem. We all *know* this. So why don’t spec screenplays and novels reflect it? I don’t believe in creating character profiles, or questionnaires. I don’t care what your character had for breakfast, went… Read More »9 Ways To Write Great Characters

Share this:

How To Make It As A Writer (HINT: This Shit Ain’t Accidental)

DYK? Success is NOT Accidental So, if there’s one thing that drives me batshit crazy, it’s when people think success is somehow accidental. Those people will say: “It’s DIFFERENT for you.” But yeah, okay: fine. Let’s run with that. Yes, it WAS different for me …  I was a very young single Mum, with no money. I lived literally in the middle of nowhere, with no childcare. Social media had not been invented yet! There were very few books, courses or whatever … And the ones that *were* around I couldn’t afford or weren’t relevant to me anyway (waaaah). … In other words?… Read More »How To Make It As A Writer (HINT: This Shit Ain’t Accidental)

Share this:

Submissions Insanity: Demystifying The Spec Pile

One weapon in writers’ armoury is KNOWING how best to approach agents, publishers and filmmakers – but also, how others before them have screwed up! This is why I attempt to demystify the spec pile wherever possible. On this basis, I’m a Script Magazine columnist. My monthly advice page is called – you guessed it – Submissions Insanity! Check out some of the articles posted already: The Basics Of Online Submissions Familiar Ideas To Avoid  How To Win Or Place Highly In Screenwriting Contests And keep an eye on my Scriptmag Author Page, here for more articles, updated every month. Also, check out my tweets… Read More »Submissions Insanity: Demystifying The Spec Pile

Share this:

4 Reasons Your Concept Counts Above All Else

Your Concept Counts NEWSFLASH: your concept counts above all else! Here’s why … I see a lot of spec screenplays and novels with concepts that “misfire”. There can be hundreds of reasons for these misfires, but generally speaking ends up one of these … Ready? Let’s go! i) There’s more than one story going on This is a particular problem for spec screenplays, especially features, but it can adversely affect TV pilots and novels too. You see, even if you DO have various different story strands going on, they should generally relate back to that single central concept *in some… Read More »4 Reasons Your Concept Counts Above All Else

Share this:

6 Ways To Annoy The Crap Out Of People Online

ANTI-Social Media I talk to A LOT of people because I spend a lot of time on social media. You may have noticed. (Just a bit!). What you may not have realised however is how much I READ about social media. It’s a subject that really interests me, especially the notion of “best practices”. Why? Because I see so many people completely screwing up social media and annoying the crap out of others online. What’s particularly surprising then is there is a plethora of good advice going around on best practices for social media. It’s one of the reasons I… Read More »6 Ways To Annoy The Crap Out Of People Online

Share this:

Writing, Selling & MAKING Thriller Screenplays

Delighted to say our next movie, ASSASSIN goes into production TODAY so to celebrate, I talked to its writer, director and producer (not to mention my ol’ mucker) JK Amalou about our fave genre. Enjoy … What are your three favourite produced Thrillers and why? The granddaddy of the modern thriller: PSYCHO (1960). Many people classify it as a horror but it’s first and foremost a thriller. Look at the first half: Marion Crane steals the money, goes on the run, avoids the police or detection. Then this unreal plot twist happens: she is killed. The hunter (Norman Bates) now becomes… Read More »Writing, Selling & MAKING Thriller Screenplays

Share this:

5 Ways To Stop Being A Tortured Artiste

Tortured Artistes, Inc The tortured artist. The alcoholic painter. The melancholic writer. The bipolar entertainer. The self-destructive singer. The dancer with the eating disorder. The raging actor. All stereotypes, but there are examples in the media all the time. Do you have to be ‘unhinged’ to be creative? Is the world is telling us that if you choose the path of the artist, you’re different? That you have to be mad, drunk, self-loathing, reckless or high? “You are not a beautiful and individual Snowflake” Fight Club Sorry to disappoint you, but these problems aren’t part of being creative any more than they are… Read More »5 Ways To Stop Being A Tortured Artiste

Share this: