I was born in Southern Appalachia, and raised in a double-wide trailer with 10 siblings by two disabled parents. My opportunities were limited but my imagination was vast, which came in handy since I often had to entertain myself as a kid. I remember being 11 years old and watching old war films while clutching a Nerf gun and hiding behind a basket full of clean clothes in my living room—or as I imagined it—behind enemy lines. I thought one day I’d grow up to be a soldier. Enter Now  |  Final Deadline in 16 days As a senior in high school, I was approached by an Army recruiter. Aft ..read more

OK, we have to talk about the camera rig used in Bad Boys 4 (also known as Bad Boys: Ride or Die). You know the one I’m talking about—you’ve probably seen it all over TikTok and Instagram. Will Smith is wearing a vest with a camera attached to it, and he’s whipping his gun and the camera around. It’s super kinetic and high-energy and unlike anything I’ve seen before. But why am I talking about camera gear in a blog post about screenwriting? Oh, for this reason alone, you guys: I have never wanted to write an action movie so bad until I saw that viral clip. The “Sputnik Rig,” as it’s been dubbe ..read more

The theme of man vs. nature is among the oldest in storytelling. From the very beginnings of humanity, both men and women have found themselves in a constant struggle against the elements. These types of tales captivate us primarily through the physical challenges faced by the protagonists. However, the true essence of these stories lies deeper, in the emotional and philosophical layers beneath the core character versus nature concept. This richness of underlying meaning adds profound depth to these ideas, offering readers and audiences a more immersive and thought-provoking experience. Enter ..read more

Listed below are the Quarterfinalists of the 2024 ScreenCraft Comedy Competition. These exceptional screenplays were selected from almost 1,700 submissions. Congratulations to the writers who have made it this far and thanks to all for submitting! Stay tuned for the Semifinalist announcement on June 26th on our blog and on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages! And if you’d like to receive a notification when this contest re-opens for entries, you can subscribe for updates via Coverfly here. Here are the Quarterfinalists: (The Making of) The Widowed Chocolatier Nick Sconce 11 Months ..read more

You know how other professions are always sending people on business trips to conferences and other important meetings? Like that one episode when the cast of Friends joined the paleontologists in Barbados ("The One in Barbados") or when the staff of Abbott Elementary attended the Pennsylvania Educational Conference ("Teacher Conference"). Writers have that, too! We have conventions with our favorite creators (yes, you can and should be writing off Comic-Con as work—and your awesome cosplay outfit as well).  Enter the ScreenCraft Writers Summit—four days of amazing keynote conversations a ..read more

Creating a show is no easy task. From finding the entry point for adapting a complex story to navigating the creative dynamics of a writers’ room, many elements go into creating a great scripted TV show. Erica Lipez, who developed and show-runs the Hulu series We Were The Lucky Ones, knew that adapting the historical drama into an eight-episode mini-series would be tough but extremely rewarding. ScreenCraft sat down with Erica Lipez to talk about adapting the harrowing true story for the screen, taking care of her team while writing the series, and why every TV writer should write in multiple ..read more

My name is Matt and I’ve lost almost every single screenwriting contest I’ve ever entered. That said, some of these contests, like ScreenCraft, have proven a great help in the important next steps I am taking in breaking into the industry, but not in the ways I think people may expect when they begin to submit their scripts and hope for placements and wins. There’s a wide range of podcasts, articles, and blogs about how contests do or don’t help aspiring writers become professional. Most of them are pretty clear that the majority of placements in contests often don’t matter that much to reps a ..read more

Science fiction movies are a gateway to exploring futuristic scenarios, advanced technologies, and complex questions about humanity and society. From classics like Blade Runner to modern hits like Interstellar and Dune, these films utilize a range of sci-fi tropes that define the genre while enhancing storytelling. Here, we delve into some key sci-fi tropes and their roles in captivating and challenging audiences. But wait... what’s a trope again? Enter Now  |  Final Deadline in 2 days What Is a Trope? A trope is a rhetorical device, motif, or cliché that recurs frequently in liter ..read more

Richard Linklater is truly an independent filmmaker. Famous for his experimental style and do-it-yourself spirit, his most acclaimed films include the Before Trilogy (1995-2013), three films starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy that are considered some of the best pieces of screenwriting of all time, and the Academy Award-nominated Boyhood (2014), a coming-of-age drama that Linklater filmed over 12 years to depict the actual passage of time in lead actor Ellar Coltrane's life. Screenwriters can learn so much from watching his films and observing his career trajectory. So, let's ..read more

Part of the fun of writing science fiction is using your imagination to create new speculative and theoretical technology in your fictional stories. The whole point of sci-fi is to take technology and science to the next level as you showcase the human reactions to the benefits, the dangers, and how those advancements affect society of those sci-fi elements. But how can screenwriters conjure futuristic technology that feels possible and believable enough to avoid readers and audiences having to suspend their disbelief to the point where it feels more like fantasy than potential scientific real ..read more