The Black Hole

Think before you leap. [video]

From a coffee cup to an iPhone to the bible, tools are essential to the human experience. In the short film, THE BLACK HOLE, a witless office worker finds the ultimate tool, only to be trapped by it’s limitations. (more…)

Pixar’s “Up” a Weak Story?

Writing story is left brain logical, too.

Good movies have a clear structure of premise, resonant themes, three acts and character motivations that drive the plot. What makes the story original is the right brain’s creative use of this structure. (more…)

Smart Movie Review

Movie Plots should be this simple.

Great films should have a story so easy to understand, that even a three year old can get it. Watch this three year old give an insightful review of the first Star Wars movie.

Pictures Say More than Words

Who to write without words. [video]

Writing novels and films is very different. In fact, one of the biggest differences between novels and films is how the emotions and thoughts of characters are conveyed. In novels, this is done primarily though a narrator or character telling the reader their inner thoughts. In writing parlance, this is also known as the inner dialogue. Assuming that the characters have a colorful inner life, this can make for a great novel. But in films this present a unique challenge because there is no way to hear it.
Show it, don’t say it.

The challenge for the screenwriter is how to get this powerful inner dialogue to the screen. If characters speak their thoughts, it often seems forced or didactic. Another method is narration. But this can only be used for one character, and get’s old fast. And narration doesn’t use films greatest power – the image.

A foundational rule in good writing is, show it, don’t say it. It’s best to learn the characters through the choices that they make. Choices demonstrate motivations. Actions do speak louder than words.

A THOUSAND WORDS, directed by Ted Chung.

The short film below tells an engaging story with no dialog. It has a clear narrative, inciting incident, romantic goal, road trip and some surprising twists. Great use of the camera, too. See it all done in just four minutes.