Screenwriting Courses Screenwriting Tips Film Reviews Sydney Australia

Why screenwriters should take the oral before the written

August 20, 2010

A lot of screenwriters won’t share their stories until they’re “finished”. Here are 2 reasons you should tell your stories before you write a word of your screenplay.

In defence of Inception

August 16, 2010

My good friend and prolific screenwriter, Liz Doran, had an entirely different reaction to Inception. Here are her dissenting and insightful thoughts.

Why Inception didn’t do it for me

August 11, 2010

Christopher Nolan’s Inception is extraordinarily imaginative, brilliantly executed and not even remotely emotionally engaging on any of its 3 levels. Here’s why it leaves me cold.

2 things should happen at the midpoint – and raising the stakes isn’t one of them

July 30, 2010

If all you do at the midpoint is raise the stakes your script has little chance of packing much emotional punch at the climax. Here are the 2 things you should be focussed on delivering around the middle of Act 2.

10 screenwriting insights I wish I’d had 25 years ago

July 22, 2010

Over the last 25 years, I’ve stumbled and lurched my way to some understanding of the screenwriter’s craft. Here I share the 10 screenwriting insights I wish I’d had when I started out.

Why Toy Story 3 makes grown men sob

July 7, 2010

Toy Story 3 reduces men to blubbering wrecks. Here’s why I think it’s so powerful – and it’s not about toy separation anxiety.

Rocket Science: charming but does it pass the fundamental story test?

June 29, 2010

Rocket Science movie Anna Kendrick Reece Thompson School Bus

The Herald raved about this indie charmer and it is fabulous in parts. But ultimately it didn’t satisfy my own personal definition of a good story.

How much do Australian films have to take to break even?

June 11, 2010

In LA, they say your film has to take 4 times its budget at the box office to make a profit – but local producer Vincent Sheehan says in Australia the equation is even more daunting.

Animal Kingdom: Yes, it’s good but …

June 9, 2010

Local critics are raving and David’s Michod’s crime family drama has some exceptional elements but here I try to balance the hyperbole with a little critique.