Advice

Steven Priggé, a one-time assistant on the hit sitcom Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, has written a new book entitled Created By: Inside the Minds of TV's Top Show Creators. Between the covers, Priggé delves into the minds of people like Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (Will & Grace), Brenda Hampton (7th Heaven), Josh Schwartz (The O.C. ), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) and others, to ask the questions all aspiring TV writers want answered, such as: How do I get an agent? What spec...

Let's assume you have a great story. You've got a great hook, premise, structure, theme and characters. Despite these necessary qualities, it's still anyone's guess if you've got a great screenplay. Why? Because having a great story is only half the job. To get to the finish line, you also need a story that's rendered cinematically. When the studio readers read your script they need to be able to imagine it up on the screen. If they can't, you may have a great radio play or a budding novel, but it's not a screenplay unless you write it as one.Classic...

This article can be appreciated by all writers and filmmakers but will be of special interest to writer / storymakers who are trying to decide where to best invest their creative energies and talents - the novel or the screenplay. I'll begin with some general observations concerning the novelist and the filmwright (a new term I'm coining to describe a film's true primary creative artist) and then I'll describe the similarities and critical differences between a novel and a screenplay.The novelist creates and describes everything that appears in the novel -- the characters, the emotions of the characters, their actions,...

Our reader Loretta from Roseville, CA asks I only have a short time to pitch my idea. How do I make my screenplay idea stand out from the rest? Script Consultant Pilar Alessandra answers "Hook them" with your big idea right away. At a pitch-fest or writing conference, you just don't have the time to dwell on set-up. Catch the attention of the producer you're pitching to by putting your log line up front in a way that gets their attention. Try: "What if ____?" Or, "Imagine that _____." Now that you've got them thinking, you can elaborate on who...

Our reader Lauren from Memphis, TN asks I have a quirky movie that does not fit into any standard genre. How do I sell it? Reader Bryan from Wausau, WI asks What's hot in Hollywood now? What's selling? Screenwriting Expert Michael Hauge responds Both these questions address the issue of how - and whether - to decide what to write based on the marketplace. And each reveals a basic problem with the way many writers choose their stories. The first question may grow out of a desire to select among several ideas the writer is passionate about, or to avoid...