Traditionally, screenwriters make money if someone produces a project from the writer’s script. They are paid by the script (or draft, in some circles), and the dollar figure runs $5,000 to $50,000 as a general rule. My business model is different for the screenplays in this book. The way these …
Professional screenwriters expect their scripts to be rewritten. It’s a time-honored process. In feature films, the typical script goes through several rewrites, by several different writers. In TV writing, the process is collaborative – several people get into a room, order Chinese food, and hash out every line together. I’ve …
My favorite music videos generally tell a story, and are essentially silent movies. Since the featured song fills the audio track, the filmmaker’s job is to create a narrative through visual means only. Spike Jonze has directed a really interesting portfolio of music videos. Some of them are mainly neat …
Independent film director Hal Hartley has been making movies, including many shorts, since the 1980s beginning with “The Unbelievable Truth“. His first short, “Theory of Achievement“, was made with money left over from an art grant funding another of his films (“Surviving Desire“). Hal Hartley monetizes his short films by collecting them …
If you’ve already got the screenplays, let us know what you think of them. What would you want to see in future books? What scripts and features do you use? Which do you ignore? If you like the film projects or have filmed them, here are some fast and easy …
A short film can be a vehicle to illuminate the special talents or unappreciated, against-type abilities of an actor or actress. Without waiting for a director or producer to notice your potential, just craft a project with yourself in mind. This is why several projects I’ve written are vehicles to …