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Rachel Graham on May 04, 2012 in Screenwriting Horror Tips

Script Structure Analysis: Cabin in the Woods

"Cabin in the Woods" is getting raves from critics and moviegoers alike, but the most interesting thing about it isn’t the surprise “twist,” but the twists of the plot itself. What follows is a structural breakdown of the entire movie (SPOILER ALERT) and tips on how to keep your own complicated script under control.

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Rachel Graham on April 20, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips Vocab Lessons

Vocab Lesson: MacGuffin

Vocab Lessons explains a common screenwriting or filmmaking technique so that screenwriters can better utilize them in their writing. This post will cover a macguffin, a sometimes insignificant object that drives the plot forward. Some spoilers ahead.

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Rachel Graham on March 23, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips Plagiarism

The Hunger Games and Plagiarism

Thoughts on the debate over whether Battle Royale was plagiarized to create The Hunger Games, and what screenwriters can learn from it.

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Rachel Graham on March 16, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips Vocab Lessons

Vocab Lesson: Character Foils

Vocab Lessons explains a common screenwriting or filmmaking technique so that screenwriters can better utilize them in their writing. This post will cover a character foil, which is a character whose traits either mirrors or is opposite to the main character

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Rachel Graham on March 09, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips

Top Tips for Writing a Bio Pic

With the Oscars and other award shows consistently handing out trophies to actors and actresses in big name bio pics (ahem, Meryl Streep), it

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Rachel Graham on March 02, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips Outlines

How (And Why) to Outline a Screenplay

As much as we all want to just sit down and write a screenplay, it

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Rachel Graham on February 10, 2012 in Screenwriting Tips Romance

Top Tips for Writing Romance

With the promise of roses, chocolate, and frustrated singletons, Valentine

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Rachel Graham on December 02, 2011 in Screenwriting Tips Shorts

Tricks to Writing a Short Screenplay

Writing and producing a short screenplay has benefits over a full-length. They're less expensive to make, take less time to shoot, and because of youtube and internet streaming, they can now reach a bigger audience than ever before. But just because they're short doesn't mean they're easier to write. Effectively telling a full story in a short film can be a huge challenge. Check out the following tips to make your next short screenplay a success.

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Rachel Graham on November 04, 2011 in Horror Genres Screenwriting Tips

Top Tips for Writing Horror

Though Halloween is over, horror is having a great afterlife. Scary movies are premiering year-round, and high-quality TV shows like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story are terrifying audiences and wowing execs with stellar production values and great acting (Jessica Lange, anyone?) In honor of terror, here are the top tips for writing a horror screenplay.

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