Storytelling Blog

Screenwriting Tips

Flashbacks in a Script

Let's talk about how to present a flashback in your script with examples from industry screenplays.

Screenwriting Tips

When to Capitalize in Your Script

If you're new to screenwriting, you'll have come across parts of a script that are in upper case. Here we explain why and when to use it.

Analysis

Review | The Last of Us Part 2

The Last of Us Part 2 follows returning character, Ellie, now driven by revenge.

Screenwriting Tips

How to Write a Montage

We've all seen great examples of montages in cinema and television. In this article we'll show you how they are presented in the script.

Screenwriting Tips

What is a 'beat' in Scriptwriting?

We've all seen this from time to time in screenplays. The so-called 'beat' on the page.

Analysis

Defending Jacob: Family is Unconditional

t first glance Chris Evans’s latest venture Defending Jacob looks like nothing more than another ‘whodunit’ story.

Screenwriting Tips

The Morning Show: Writing a Powerful Antagonist

It’s clear why The Morning Show is one of Apple TV’s big hitters from its complex characters to its stellar performances.

Analysis

Telling it for Telly

Adaptation has been a mainstay of film and television since its inception.

Guest Post: I'm Alright | Ruth Hayes

It’s been just over a year now since I joined The Script Department as one of the regular voice actors on their podcast.

Analysis

The Power of Pixar

Screenwriter Al Butter deconstructs what makes Pixar's stories so powerful.

Screenwriting Tips

Avoid This Common Mistake When Reading Scripts

People make this mistake all the time when reading screenplays. Don't fall into the trap of unintentionally imitating their bad habits.

More than Football: The Universal Appeal of The English Game

by John Finnegan | I rarely discuss episodic series in these blog posts, but I couldn't resist doing a post about Jullian Fellow's latest...

Screenwriting Tips

How to Pace your Screenplay

Pacing relates to the flow of the story as we perceive it. A fast-paced film has a lot of scenes that are generally short and to the point.

It’s What You Can’t See That Scares You: Paranoia and Empty Spaces in The Invisible Man

Contains mild spoilers for The Invisible Man (most of which feature in the trailer) By Daniel C Tuck | H.G. Wells’ original novel 'The...

Analysis

Review: Dark Waters (2019)

By John Finnegan | Mark Ruffalo is quickly building an impressive portfolio of work which sheds light on social problems (see Spotlight)...

We've turned 1!

We're a year old!

Screenwriting Tips

Doubt: Visual Storytelling

A breakdown of a key scene from the 2008 drama Doubt.

Analysis

Dunkirk Film Analysis – Going to War with Convention

Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk held the Number One spot at the American box office for its first two weeks.

Analysis

It’s Getting Crazy Out There: Reinventing the Joker Again

It’s hard to go in to watch Todd Phillips’ Joker without any pre-conceived thoughts and ideas.

Analysis

Growing Pains: The trouble with the multi-generational narrative in IT Chapter Two

Update: Murder on the Amalfi Coast (Italia Noir)

One of the things that I love about running this podcast is the opportunity to create or source all the incredible images and posters...

New Project: Murder on the Amalfi Coast

It’s fitting that I write this while touring Tuscany. On top of all the amazing projects we’ve got lined up for the coming months, we’ve...

Our Mission Statement

I’m writing this post on my phone as I’ve abandoned my laptop for a few days of R&R (as you can tell it’s going well!) so this is a bit...

Screenwriting Tips

John Wick 3: Following the Rules

John Wick 3: Parabellum is taking the box office by storm. It overtook Avengers Endgame at the box office and has proven to be one of the...