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One last word on the set-up as it relates to Act One. I like to think of movies as divided into three separate worlds. Most people call these three acts, I call em thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The first IO pages and the rest of Act One is the movie's thesis; it's where we see the world as it …

Somewhere in the first five minutes of a well-structured screenplay , someone (usually not the main character) will pose a question or make a statement (usually to the main character) that is the theme of the movie. "Be careful what you wish for," this person will say or "Pride goeth before a fall"…

The rule of thumb in all these cases is to stick to the basics no matter what. Tell me a story about a guy who...

I can identify with.
I can learn from.
I have compelling reason to follow.
I believe deserves to win and...
Has stakes that are primal and ring true for me.

Follow t…

Listen to Spielberg or Scorsese talk about movies. They know and can quote from hundreds. And I don't mean quote as in "recite lines from," I mean quote as in "explain how each movie works." Movies are intricately made emotion machines. They are Swiss watches of precise gears and spinning wheels th…

As I sit in a darkened theater, I’m sustained by an unbridled hope and optimism. I don’t know whether I’m looking for answers to my own questions about life, or whether I’m sitting in the dark silently giving thanks that I’m not up there on that giant screen confronting the struggles and challenges…