Shake It Up: Learning Shakespeare with ReadThrough
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
1y ago
Shakespeare’s plays were written to be experienced, not read. They’re meant to engage all the senses and should be taught in the same, full-bodied way. But it isn’t always possible for an entire class to watch a play on a whim. For a student to show up to a live performance of Macbeth every time they want to hear how a specific pun is delivered. They can’t rewind actors; they can’t halt a performance to ask them to speak up. Film adaptations are another option, but then they run the risk of watching a Baz Luhrmann interpretation and thinking that Hawaiian shirts were a fashion staple for ..read more
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Exploring the Three-Act Structure
WriterDuet's Blog
by Charlotte Daraio
1y ago
Imagine going bowling.  Bear with me here. You arrive at the alley with a set amount of preconceptions: there are going to be pins, there are going to be lanes, there are going to be big heavy balls that sometimes create a suction around your fingers that makes you panic for the second it takes for you to pull your thumb out. What you don’t do is show up to a bowling alley expecting a speed dating party. Unless some kind of weird event is on. A bowling alley is designed for people who want to bowl. A film, in the same way, is structured for people who want to be entertained. This is wh ..read more
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Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Montage
WriterDuet's Blog
by Emily
1y ago
Does anyone else get completely wrapped up in their storylines? Because I certainly do. Much like any other writer, I view my screenplay as my baby. I know everything about it and sometimes, a couple hours isn’t enough to cover all that’s needed. Whether your plot spans over a few years, or there are multiple storylines that have to be woven together, a montage can be an incredibly helpful tool when laying out all the details. If we didn’t have them, our scripts would either be lacking crucial information, or dreadfully long. I mean, can you imagine watching Rocky without ever witnessing hi ..read more
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How to Make a Screenplay Title Page
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
1y ago
You are more than just your title. Have you ever heard that saying? It’s a nice sentiment, right? Now, let’s apply it to screenwriting: Your title page is more than just your screenplay’s title. That’s better! While the cover page of a script does include a title, there’s a whole slew of other details and formatting technicalities to consider. Let’s dig in. How do you format a screenplay title page? There’s a place for everything on a title page and everything should be in its place.  Title and author: A screenplay’s title and author name go smack-bang in the (horizontal) center ..read more
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How to Write a Logline (with Examples)
WriterDuet's Blog
by Charlotte Daraio
1y ago
Ah, the logline: the chihuahua of screenwriting.  Much like these gorgeous, yappy dogs, a logline is a tiny creature that contains the energy of a much bigger beast. It’s your screenplay’s boiled-down essence – its life force. It should make its presence known to passersby. It should wag its tail, quiver, bark until the right person takes a chance and stops to give it their attention. It might be easy to judge the logline as unnecessary in the context of a well-thought-out story; to view it as something you can slap together as quickly as your fingers can type. But a logline’s purp ..read more
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How I Use Dialogue Filter to Create a Unique Character Voice
WriterDuet's Blog
by Charlotte Daraio
2y ago
When it comes to creating a unique character voice, everything I know about human interaction seems to fly out the window. Sometimes, I don’t even know how I would say something, let alone how the fictional people that exist only in my head would say it. As someone who reads a lot of scripts, I can tell you that this is a common problem. It’s easy to write the bulk of a screenplay and then realize all too late that every one of your characters sounds exactly the same. Or, worse yet, exactly like you. It can also be difficult to find the line between explanation and subtext. The focus is ofte ..read more
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48-Hour Screenplay Throwdown
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
2y ago
The ultimate FREE screenwriting competition is here! Once Screenplay Throwdown starts, you’ll have 48 hours to write a short script based on our guidelines below. Submit your script through ReadThrough, our new script reading app, and we’ll provide feedback comments on every single submission. Pit your script against writers from around the world to see if you’ll be the last writer standing! Screenplay Throwdown Starts Saturday, April 16th at 12AM PDT Days Hours Minutes Seconds add to your calendar SUBMISSION GUIDELINES In order for your script to be considered, please f ..read more
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How Pro Screenwriters Outline a Script
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
2y ago
Award-winning screenwriting duo Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (Inside Job, Netflix) use a 4 phase process to outline their script and turn a story idea into a finished screenplay. Why outline? Scott Miles: “When you’re first starting out, it’s tempting to skip the outline stage. Just go straight to pages, knock out a vomit draft and hope to fix it all later. But why do that to your future self? Outlining is basically time travel for screenwriters. You’re gifting future you a blueprint for how to write the next great movie or binge-worthy tv show”. Phase 1: Logline Al ..read more
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How Pro Screenwriters Outline a Script
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
2y ago
Award-winning screenwriting duo Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (Inside Job, Netflix) use a 4 phase process to outline their script and turn a story idea into a finished screenplay. Why outline? Scott Miles: “When you’re first starting out, it’s tempting to skip the outline stage. Just go straight to pages, knock out a vomit draft and hope to fix it all later. But why do that to your future self? Outlining is basically time travel for screenwriters. You’re gifting future you a blueprint for how to write the next great movie or binge-worthy tv show”. Phase 1: Logline Al ..read more
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What We’ve Learned from Reading 2000+ Scripts
WriterDuet's Blog
by writerduet
2y ago
WriterDuet’s free screenwriting competitions gave us the opportunity to see a wide range of writing styles. While doing so, we felt that some common screenwriting tips would help many of the scripts, and we want to share our thoughts on why. Here are our biggest takeaways, which aren’t absolutes but seem generally useful to consider: Characters Captivated Us When They Wanted Things Real Bad A strong desire can lead characters down some wild, intriguing paths. We were hooked by characters who demonstrated what they were trying to achieve, without long stretches of expository ..read more
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