Nickel Boys and Shawshank Redemption: Primary and Secondary Structure

Learn how Nickel Boys and Shawshank Redemption use secondary structure to shape audience expectations—and how to apply these techniques to the structure of your screenplay.
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The White Lotus: Why Season 3 Feels Different

Learn how Engine and Theme function in all 3 seasons of The White Lotus and how slight changes in The White Lotus Season 3 massively affect the feeling of the series…
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
Anora: Using the “Sea Change” to Supercharge Structure

Discover how Sean Baker’s Anora uses a seismic mid-story twist to reshape structure, character, and theme — and how to apply it to your screenplay.
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
The Brutalist Part 2: Do You Need an Active Main Character?

Discover why Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, rejects the idea that protagonists must drive the action and how its unconventional approach grows out of its thematic exploration of the immigrant experience.
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
The Brutalist Part 1: How to Deal with Experts & Research

Learn how to balance expert research and creative freedom in your screenwriting as we explore Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody-
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
The Apprentice: Writing The Antihero

Learn from The Apprentice the art of writing complex antagonists by connecting to the universal emotional needs that drive character choices
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
Lessons from Sundance 2025 Part 2

Learn from Sundance 2025 genre stand-outs Together and Didn’t Die how to explore deeply human characters and questions within an elevated horror or zombie format.
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
Lessons from Sundance 2025 Part 1

From an ambitious one-shot pilot to a haunting exploration of grief, Jacob Krueger unpacks how three Sundance selections demonstrate the vital principle that “form is function” in screenwriting.
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/
A Real Pain: Building Characters With Vignettes

Learn from “A Real Pain” how to master the art of character vignettes – those crucial first moments that create the lens through which you can build the structure of your screenplay, hook A-list talent, and unlock your own understanding of who your characters truly are.
Join us for a Special Thursday Night Writes! Our Happy Hour of Writing Exercises with Jake every Thursday night at 7:00 pm ET, RSVP: https://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/free-writing-classes-thursday-night-writes/