President Joe Biden
When caring is weakness
Continue readingPresident Barack Obama
When consensus is weakness
Continue readingStart Small but Start Today
Start with just One Hour a Day
Continue readingHeart vs Merchandising
Pixar has lost its way.
Here’s why.
Biblical Nebuchadnezzar – Power of Will
Nebuchadnezzar Biblical Power of Will – When is Strength Weakness?
Continue readingUsing Loss & Grief in Your Writing
All Stories Are About Loss and Grief
Continue readingBiblical Ruth – Power of Love
The Biblical Story of Ruth explores the tension between faithfulness and independence
Continue readingNine Different Santas
Saint Nick portrayed as all nine Character Types
Continue readingA Merry English Christmas
Happy Christmas, English Style!
Continue readingYesterday -Extraordinary vs the Ordinary
Extraordinary vs the Ordinary – Yesterday
Continue readingGreek Myth, Faust, and Frankenstein: The Tragedy of Idealism
Greek Myth, Faust and Frankenstein: The Tragedy of Idealism
Continue readingSlumdog Millionaire, Lawrence of Arabia, & Ratatouille – The Same Kind of Character?
Fate vs Destiny: Slumdog Millionaire, Lawrence of Arabia, & Ratatouille
Continue readingYou on Netflix
Joe is a toxic Power of Love character in the Netflix series You
Continue readingCersei Lannister
Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove Wielded for Her Children
Continue readingPunch Drunk Love
A dark romantic comedy featuring two Power of Love protagonists.
Continue readingWorking with Writers
Giving and Getting Notes Effectively
Continue readingHow to Evaluate Stories
New eBook – Take your project to the next level
Continue readingBlack Panther
#TypesTuesday – Wakanda Forever!
Continue readingWhere are the Women Directors?
#ThinkpieceThursday – Split Best Director
Continue readingSpec Scripts
#WritingAdviceWednesday – The Bygone Era of Spec scripts
Continue readingIN MEMORIAM
In Memory of Irvin B Charne
Continue readingWhistleblowers
#ThinkpieceThursday – Whistleblowers are Power of Conscience characters
Continue reading2017 Review
#MondayMusings – My review of the year
Continue readingPower vs Influence
#ThinkpieceThursday – The definitions of influence and power
Continue readingI Call “Bullshit” on Scott Rosenberg’s Essay
#ThinkpieceThursday – I call Bullshit on Scott Rosenberg’s Weinstein Essay
Continue readingDeep Dread of Uncertainty
#ThinkpieceThursday – Dreading Change
Continue readingVladimir Putin – Power of Will
Stalin and Putin: Power of Will.
Continue readingChildren’s Media Conference 2014
Leading children’s media event to host Waterstones Children’s Laureate
Continue readingVladimir Putin – Power of Will
Power 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 readingNigella Lawson and her Recent Troubles
A Power of Love character and a Power of Will character battle it out in court and in the press.
Continue readingSummer Workshop in Italy
Friend 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 readingThe Role of Impulse in Creating Three Dimensional Characters
#ThinkpieceThursday – A character’s Immediate Response is where the character goes first emotionally.
Continue readingTom Stoppard’s TV Project
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 – Day Eight – #40movies40days
Defiance tells the remarkable story of Jewish Polish Partisan Fighters who survived World War II by living on the run in the forest.
Continue reading18 Poets Represented on Screen
For those of you rhyme-ically inclined– Here is a great listing of screen stories about poets or poetry.
Continue readingJerry Seinfeld’s Writing Success Secret
Jerry Seinfeld shares the secret to great writing– comedic or otherwise.
Continue readingWhat is an American Film?
Howard Suber argues there is no such thing as an “American” film any more.
Continue readingThe Bachelor – The Power of Love
I 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 readingOscar Nominated PDF Screenplays Here
#WritingAdviceWednesday – Raindance has posted the 2010 and 2011 Oscar-nominated screenplays for both original screenplay and adapted screenplay.
Continue readingA Bug’s Life & Revolution in the Middle East
I 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 readingTHE OTHER WOMAN and Video on Demand
#ThinkpieceThursday – Eric Kohn gives an interesting take on the strengths and weakness of VOD
Continue readingThe Coen Brothers on Screenwriting
#WritingAdviceWednesday – Here is some sage advice from the Coen Brothers.
Continue readingClock, Watches, and The Passage of Time in Movies
This is from a review of a fascinating film montage, The Clock, that looks at the passage of time in life and in movies.
Continue readingNFL Leadership Styles – Can You Help?
Sometimes 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’s New Gig
Melissa 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 readingMy Day at Pixar
I 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 readingThe Queen’s Reaction to THE KING’S SPEECH
Apparently, 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 readingHope-ful survey on the state of Indie Films
#ThinkpieceThursday – Ted Hope presents a glowing outlook on the state of the independent film business.
Continue readingModern Day Sherlock Holmes on the BBC
Sherlock Holmes is indeed a Power of Reason character– Everything can be explained/deduced rationally and logically. “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”
Continue readingMark Zuckerberg on SNL
The 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 readingCineStory Competition
#BeFabFriday – Here is a guest post from a good friend and wonderful writer, Lisanne Sartor.
Continue readingSkins: No Consequences
#ThinkpieceThursday – Dramas that don’t work often don’t attach a price to the choices a character makes.
Continue readingPower of Imagination Profile
Their challenge as leaders is to step forward decisively and make the hard potentially divisive decision on their own.
Continue readingJohn Updike – Novel to Movie Adaptations
When 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 readingTop Ten Political Movies
In 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 readingOn This Historic Day
This 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 readingFear in Politics, Life, and Storytelling
In 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 readingBarack Obama – Three Factors of Character Type
I’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 readingMcCain and Obama: Character Consistency in Storytelling
#ThinkpieceThursday – The Presidential election is an opportunity to see two Character Types play their roles on the world stage.
Continue readingJohn McCain – Three Factors of Character Type
The same tactics and approach can create totally dissimilar strengths and weaknesses, problems and opportunities because the two characters view the world so differently.
Continue readingJohn McCain – Power of Idealism
In 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.
Continue reading