Feedback Part 5: How To Talk About The Bad Stuff
Feedback Part 5: How To Talk About The Bad Stuff By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Read the whole Feedback series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 It’s a simple fact. Writers don’t like most of what they write. And they don’t like most of what they read either. Writers can […]
Feedback Part 4: Begin With What Works
Feedback Part 4: Begin With What Works By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Read the whole Feedback series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 All writers give and receive notes all the time. We give notes to our friends, our colleagues, our writing buddies, and most importantly to ourselves. We receive notes […]
Feedback Part 3: A New Approach To Feedback
As I discussed in part 1 and part 2 of this series, writing is a highly intuitive process. When notes take us away from our organic connection to our scripts, they tend to do more harm than good, no matter how helpful they may seem.
Whether you are a professional writer, or just picking up the pen for the first time, you’re going to have to deal with notes all the time. From producers, from actors, from directors, from other writers, from family, from friends, and even from yourself.
And guess what. You’re going to need them.
Script Feedback Part 2: The Danger Of Other People’s Ideas
It’s easy for most writers to identify a obviously terrible note. The real danger occurs with the ones that often seem to be the most intelligent…
Is Feedback Destroying Your Work?
When I finished my first screenplay, I did what any self-respecting screenwriter does. I sent it to my mom. She read the script, and called me gushing with pride.
For about half an hour, my mom waxed poetic about every nuance of the script: the story, the imagery, the profound metaphorical qualities.
She only had one question. Even though it all “worked”, she was a little bit confused about why the characters were saying certain dialogue to each other…
“EXT. STREET – DAY” for example.
That was when I realized I was in trouble.
KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise
KICK ASS! The Promise of the Premise By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Kick Ass! Does Just That… It’s rare that you see a big budget action movie that succeeds on as many levels as Kick Ass! Hilarious, high stakes action sequences, directorial vision, fabulous characters, bold acting choices, and more-fun-than-you-can-shake-a-nunchuck-at combine […]
David Mamet’s Rules For Screenwriting. What do you think?
David Mamet’s Rules For Screenwriting. What do you think? By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Thanks to Chaweon Koo for forwarding this great memo from David Mamet to the writers of his Emmy-nominated series The Unit. It’s amazing how even professional writers still need to be reminded of the fundamental principles of […]
What’s Wrong With SAVE THE CAT?
Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat! just might be the most dangerous book out there for writers.
And you should read it.
But first, you need to recognize how to harness what’s valuable in Save The Cat!, while understanding the principles that make it so potentially destructive.
Blake Snyder isn’t dangerous because he is wrong. He’s not. He’s not dangerous because his ideas about how to build a script around a great premise aren’t brilliant. They are.
Blake Snyder is dangerous because he doesn’t teach you how to be a writer. He teaches you how to be a salesperson.
A PROPHET… And You’re Worried YOUR Character Is Unlikable!
A PROPHET… And You’re Worried YOUR Character Is Unlikable! By Jacob Krueger [divider type=”thin” full_width=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] There are many reasons to brave the shocking violence of Thomas Bidigain and Jacques Audiard’s new film, A Prophet (Un Prophéte). This brilliantly crafted screenplay, which takes you into the brutal world of a French prison through […]