Dear writers and readers, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I hope that this coming year will be your greatest, and I wish you unlimited creativity and inspiration as you pour your passion on to the proverbial page. Thank you for supporting me and Story Maps and congratulations on your […]
You’d be hard-pressed to find an actor with such an impressive television resume as Jimmy Smits. L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, Dexter and, now, for the past two seasons, FX’s hit drama Sons of Anarchy, created by showrunner Kurt Sutter. (I’m also still mourning the loss of Smits’ unfortunately canceled drama Cane […]
Dear writers, The Story Maps Master Class has always featured the exclusive benefit of giving writers feedback on their loglines from industry professionals like development executives, sold screenwriters and major agency professionals. My goal from the start has been to get my writers read, repped and sold, and I’ve always promised them that if they […]
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Here’s your last chance to win one of TWO FREE SEATS in this weekend’s “Story Map Your Feature Film” boot camp with Screenwriters University. This is a $199 value! Be one of the first two people to email me [dan at actfourscreenplays.com] the answers to the following trivia questions:
Dear writers, I’m teaching a weekend “Boot Camp” online workshop on November 15-17th, 2013, with Screenwriters University. This weekend seminar will give you a great crash-course in my Story Mapping method and a critique of your own story map plus a bonus webinar on mapping Oscar screenplays. The price is $199 and it includes an […]
As the tales of Don Draper, Walter White and Dexter Morgan come to an end and screenwriters everywhere struggle to create the next great TV protagonist, I have only one question. Where are all of the “beat sheets” and structure “paradigms” for television drama?
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED — THANK YOU FOR ENTERING AND CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS! THE WEBINAR IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FOR LIVE LISTENING AT 1:00 PM PST ON WEDNESDAY, SEPT 11, 2013 OR STREAMING LATER: HERE
Raylan has his dark side… But the guy is a hero. I thought, ‘Man, it would be fun to do a show which has a true-blue hero.’ Justified is based on the Elmore Leonard short story “Fire in the Hole” (read it here) which provides the story for the pilot episode, in which U.S. Deputy […]
Back to the Future (1985) One of the greatest spec screenplays of all time and a timeless piece of entertainment that plays with pop culture in brilliant ways, Back to the Future, written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis and directed by Zemeckis, is the topic of our latest Story Maps Screenwriting Podcast. Wes Alwan […]
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The Story Maps Master Class is for serious screenwriters who are willing to dedicate themselves to writing a winning screenplay for the current spec script market in Hollywood. July 2013 UPDATE: The current Group Master Class is now full, but I encourage you to contact me to get on the wait list for the next […]
Diane Kruger talks about her new series The Bridge, which is based on the Danish/Swedish television series of the same name. (Be aware that there are SPOILERS BELOW in regards to Diane Kruger’s character and some general information about the series.) Both shows launch with the same brilliant high concept — a body is found […]
We’ve seen a fantastic wave of female protagonists on television in recent years, and many of them carry a badge. The viewing public can’t seem to get enough of cop shows, so you can’t go wrong in writing your next pilot in this genre. And why not build your crime procedural around a tough woman […]
In my ongoing commitment to bring you guys more information on writing for television, I’m happy to host this guest blog from industry veterans Sandra Leviton (FX, Paradigm, Under The Stairs Entertainment) & Miranda Sajdak (Practical Pictures, ABC Family, Adult Swim) and the new Script Chix Pilot Launch Contest… When writing any television pilot, […]
Man of Steel (2013) This is the most detailed structural analysis of the blockbuster Man of Steel you will find anywhere. With Story Maps Screenwriting Podcast Episode VIII: Man of Steel, we wrap up our analyses of Christopher Nolan’s biggest films (here, Nolan acts as producer with co-story credit) with Man of Steel, written by […]
Christopher Nolan’s film noir masterpiece Memento gets the Story Maps treatment when screenwriter Christine Conradt joins us for this two-hour dissection of one of the most complex thrillers of all time. Just when we think we have it figured out, another piece of evidence pops up to complicate the case of Leonard Shelby.
The summer movie season is known for convention — sequels, remakes, broad comedies, CGI spectacles; rinse and repeat. But the films that really stand out and distinguish themselves creatively are those that break with commercial movie conventions in major ways, beginning with the script. Here’s three examples from recent years…
Arrested Development Season Four debuted over the weekend on Netflix, and, although we won’t see any kind of traditional ratings from Netflix, I can safely observe that it’s been a huge trending topic online and in traditional media. I was never a big fan of the show, but I watched the first three new episodes […]
Our buddy Rob Rich over at Screenplay How To has an interview with screenwriter Joe Nienalt, who started up a program with his manager Daniel Vang of the venerable BenderSpink company to fight heart disease by giving free reads to any writer who makes a charity donation.
I recently got an email from an aspiring screenwriter in the Ukraine: Hello Dan! I’m reading your book and would like to learn more about how to make a “great script.” May I also ask you — how do you inspire authors not to be modest and blocked, but be brave and write write write? […]