#TypesTuesday – Wakanda Forever!
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#ThinkpieceThursday – Split Best Director
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#WritingAdviceWednesday – The Bygone Era of Spec scripts
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In Memory of Irvin B Charne
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#ThinkpieceThursday – Whistleblowers are Power of Conscience characters
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#MondayMusings – My review of the year
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#ThinkpieceThursday – The definitions of influence and power
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#ThinkpieceThursday – I call Bullshit on Scott Rosenberg’s Weinstein Essay
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#ThinkpieceThursday – Dreading Change
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Stalin and Putin: Power of Will.
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Leading children’s media event to host Waterstones Children’s Laureate
Continue readingPower of Will characters take what they want, fight for every inch of turf, refuse to show any weakness themselves and pounce decisively on the weakness of others.
Continue readingA Power of Love character and a Power of Will character battle it out in court and in the press.
Continue readingFriend and colleague from UCLA, Paul Chitlik, now a clinical assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, holds a residential writing seminar in Europe every summer. This year, the seminar is in Cairo Montenotte, Italy.
Continue reading#ThinkpieceThursday – A character’s Immediate Response is where the character goes first emotionally.
Continue readingAlthough this website is not dark in protest of SOPA I stand with those who are! Here is why–
Oscar-winning writer Sir Tom Stoppard tells how he came to adapt four novels set before and during the First World War into an upcoming BBC/HBO television drama.
Continue readingDefiance tells the remarkable story of Jewish Polish Partisan Fighters who survived World War II by living on the run in the forest.
Continue readingUniversal’s deal with AnyClip can make memorable scenes from “E.T.,” “Jaws” and more available by search and embeddable on Facebook or your website.
Continue readingFor those of you rhyme-ically inclined– Here is a great listing of screen stories about poets or poetry.
Continue readingTime Magazine has compiled a montage of some of the greatest one liners in movies. Watch them here–
Continue readingJerry Seinfeld shares the secret to great writing– comedic or otherwise.
Continue readingHoward Suber argues there is no such thing as an “American” film any more.
Continue readingI am not particularly a fan of The Bachelor but I was struck by this article on the current season. It’s such an apt description of the Power of Love character. These Character Types are the ultimate seducers.
Continue reading#WritingAdviceWednesday – Raindance has posted the 2010 and 2011 Oscar-nominated screenplays for both original screenplay and adapted screenplay.
Continue readingI watched Pixar’s A Bug’s Life last night was struck by the similarities in the story to what is happening in Egypt and all around the Middle East. The film is powerful statement of “there are more of us than there are of them.”
Continue readingWith international co-productions so important in Hollywood, this international MA in Screenwriting is a way to make the overseas contacts that lead to success.
Continue reading#ThinkpieceThursday – Eric Kohn gives an interesting take on the strengths and weakness of VOD
Continue reading#WritingAdviceWednesday – Here is some sage advice from the Coen Brothers.
Continue readingThis is from a review of a fascinating film montage, The Clock, that looks at the passage of time in life and in movies.
Continue readingSometimes it is really useful to look at the Character Types of real people to see how what they do or say defines them. The SuperBowl and the magnificent victory by Green Bay and their young quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a great example to start off with. I’d like to type all the major players in the NFL in terms of their leadership styles. I’m looking for some help here– with quotations or a link to a video as an illustrations. Can you help fill things out?
Continue readingMelissa Rosenberg, one of the most successful female writers in the business, has a new fantasy assignment. I’m looking forward to seeing how she revives a venerable old franchise.
Continue readingI spent an amazing day at Pixar on Tuesday. I was doing a Character Map session with some of their writers, artists, directors and others. It’s easy to spot people coming to Pixar for the first time. They’re the ones, like me, walking around trying to soak in all the wonderful visuals in the building and snapping pictures like mad. Here are some of mine–
Continue readingApparently, Queen Elizabeth likes the portrayal of her father’s struggle with his stuttering and her mother’s attempts to help. She’s seen a special screening of the film.
Continue readingMark Heyman, co-writer on BLACK SWAN, will write AGE OF RAGE with Marc Webb attached to direct.
Continue reading#ThinkpieceThursday – Ted Hope presents a glowing outlook on the state of the independent film business.
Continue readingSherlock Holmes is indeed a Power of Reason character– Everything can be explained/deduced rationally and logically. “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”
Continue readingThe lesson here is FaceBook and Zuckerberg’s deft handing of The Social Network movie. Despite being a fictional and immensely unflattering protrait, Zuckerberg wisely refrained from going ballistic in the press– which wouldn’t have helped and would have only made him look worse. Now he is at the point of being able to laugh at the whole thing and wins points for not taking himself too seriously.
Continue reading#BeFabFriday – Here is a guest post from a good friend and wonderful writer, Lisanne Sartor.
Continue reading#ThinkpieceThursday – Dramas that don’t work often don’t attach a price to the choices a character makes.
Continue readingHere is an interesting piece on how central a good story is to success and galvanizing others. Politics is all about who has the most compelling story.
Continue readingTheir challenge as leaders is to step forward decisively and make the hard potentially divisive decision on their own.
Continue readingI think “being watched” is how any one gets any deal or any assignment in the entertainment business. No one is going to risk any kind of a substantial budget on someone they don’t know on some level. Here is why online is the best way to get noticed.
Continue readingI’ve had the great opportunity to work with Gary Carter, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer of Fremantle’s experimental division, FMX. I’ve worked with him on the broadcast side of FremantleMedia’s business. FMX is the division that is working with me on my online drama and interactive website.
Continue readingHere are my observations about a very spectacular public online series failure: Quarterlife. These are the take-aways from my analysis of the series created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick
Continue readingWhen looking for a novel to adapt, look for a story that has a strong external narrative. Find a story in which a character’s actions lead to specific external consequences with real impact and which effect important transformation in the character or others.
Continue readingIn 2008, Entertainment Weekly set out to identify some of the best-loved political films of all time. Here are the top 10 picks, with each film’s primary star.
Continue readingThis day belongs to the world. Without the good wishes, positive thoughts and fervent hopes of the whole world this day would have never happened. For that, America thanks you.
Continue readingIn my Character Map workshops I talk a lot about fear. This article from the Huffington Post makes a clear statements about fear in politics, everyday life and storytelling. It is a wonderful summary of the discussion of fear I have with my workshop participants.
Continue readingI’ve written extensively on the differences in Character Type between John McCain and Barack Obama. Both candidates’ response to the recent American financial crisis is further revealing of all aspects of their Character Types.
Continue reading#ThinkpieceThursday – The Presidential election is an opportunity to see two Character Types play their roles on the world stage.
Continue readingThe same tactics and approach can create totally dissimilar strengths and weaknesses, problems and opportunities because the two characters view the world so differently.
Continue readingIn watching the grand drama of the American election play out, it’s interesting to look at the candidates’ Character Type. John McCain is a classic Power of Idealism character.
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