VOL 1. As a new thing, I will be answering screenwriting questions from my blog members. If you want your questions answered by an industry professional, sign up for your free subscription to the blog. BLOG MEMBERS QUESTION: A lot of people say even the first line of the first page of a great script is apparent. So what is it about an opening line that impresses you the most? My answer: What a great question. Thanks !!! There is definitely something to be said about that very first sentence in a screenplay. It gives an impression that is hard to shake off - especially if it's a bad impression ..read more

(Part III of "Is your screenplay ready to market?") Most spec scripts are based on bad ideas. There...I’ve said it. In all my time as a professional studio reader we would read sometimes as many as a hundred screenplays before we found anything, even resembling an idea, not to say; and original idea. Most spec writers, it seems, do not have a firm grasp on what qualifies as an idea, in the mind of a professional. There’s a disconnect between what the layman considers being an idea, and what the industry thinks, it is. I do, however, believe the average writer can learn how to originate great ..read more

(Part II of "Is your screenplay ready to market?") By Dan Hoffmann I don't think, I've ever met a spec writer who thought they couldn't answer this week's screenwriting question. Everyone thinks they can. But very few, actually can. And that's one of the reasons why so many scripts get rejected. But this story begins a long time ago. More than 30 years. I was interviewing for the position of script reader. The executive producer asked me if I was really prepared to read bad scripts. He then stressed the fact that reading bad Spec screenplays can be very tedious and frustrating. He just wanted ..read more

By Dan Hoffmann Congratulations !!! A few minutes ago you finally pounded the words "Fade out" onto the last page of your screenplay and naturally, you are excited to have completed a whole screenplay. And, in a few days, when you are done celebrating, you are ready to take the next step; Selling it. Unfortunately, the movie industry on the west coast is a lot like popping a can of soda. Once, you've popped the can and the fizz is out, the fizz is out and there's no way of putting it back in. So, if you happen to be among those many who pitch a screenplay before its ready, you can't go back at ..read more

By Dan Hoffmann Most screenplays have problems; Problems with the plot, dialogue, structure, characters subtext, genre, with suspense, surprise and much more. These are mostly, easy to fix but one specific plot problem that most spec scripts have is so problematic that it feels like staring down into a bottomless pit. This article is about that problem and how to fix it. THE BOTTOMLESS PIT Imagine a story, a sequence of events that leaves you indifferent. Imagine being forced to read and memorize the entire Yellow pages from cover to cover. The words make sense because they are written in Eng ..read more

BY DAN HOFFMANN One of the questions I get asked often is some variation of this; " When you were a Script Reader, what did you find was the most common flaw in Spec scripts?" I always get slightly dizzy when confronted with this question because Screenplays written on speculation, are often a Pile, a Pool, an overwhelming accumulation of mistakes. It's like being asked; What is your favorite grain of sand in the Sahara desert? - pick one. But then, when I thought more about it, I came to realize that four flaws stand out as the most common ones. I thought even harder about it, then realized ..read more

There a few things that show you that you hold in your hands, a professional, clean, tight screenplay. I will list those principles here and once you are familiar with those, it should be easy enough to check them up against your own screenplay. Here they are: ECONOMY OF WRITING CAUSALITY DRAMATIC SIMPLICITY ECONOMY OF WRITING ‘Economy of writing’ means that you tell your story or illustrate a point, in the most simple way possible. In screenwriting, this usually means a way that involves action rather than dialogue. For instance; Let’s say that your main charachter is a Brain Surgeon and you ..read more

It’s not only difficult. It’s almost impossible. It’s a meat grinder every single time. Either the novel gets ground, I get ground, The author of the novel gets ground or we all do. The reasons are many; A few years ago A production company contacted me because they were considering to option a novel and they wanted my advice on its adaptability. They send me a copy of the novel but before I had a chance to read it, the author called me up and asked me what I thought. I told him that since I had yet to read his work, I could not comment on the specifics but I could, however, tell him this muc ..read more

When it comes to developing stories for Movies and Television professionally, nothing is as important as what I call plot concepts. I will give you some of my favorites ones but don´t forget that a professional writer should always become acquainted with as many Concepts as possible. They are the tools you need to create an interesting and exciting plot concepts and why would´t you know all the tools, available to you? Knowing as many as possible gives you more options, more freedom and creativity when you're coming up with concepts. As a script developer, a screenwriter and a screenplay anal ..read more

No, I'm not talking about the Three Act-structure. Nor, am I talking about any of the models found in the books of Syd Field, Robert McKee, Blake Snyder or any other Script Gurus out there. This article is not about formulas. This is about the screenwriting structure found in all professional screenplays, yet not mentioned in any of those books and therefore, ignored by virtually all spec writers. In all my years as a screenplay reader for studios, and still to this day - our offices would get, literally flooded with screenplays, floor to ceiling. Needless to say, most of them - the vast, vast ..read more