July 2013

Showing 1 - 8 of 8 results

Persistence and Determination

‘A year ahead of me in my high school was a guy named Sam Raimi, who later went on to direct the Spiderman trilogy. I...
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The Tentpole Collapse

At a recent panel discussion at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas predicted that the studios couldn’t afford to invest massive amounts of money...
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Understanding Act IIb — Negative Rising Action

The second half of Act II is where the hero starts losing and the villain starts winning. By knowing the purpose of this second half...
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Experiencing Irony

In the movie “About Schmidt,” Jack Nicholson plays the hero, a retired insurance agent who has lived a relatively dull existence most of his life...
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On Being a Professional Writer

To be a professional writer, you don’t necessarily need skill and talent. You just need passion and desire to write and tell a story. Since...
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“The Sting” — The 15 Minute Movie Method

To get a clear idea how the 15 minute movie method works, watch the 1973 movie, “The Sting,” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Without...
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Learning by Screwing Up

In case you’re wondering, this site is undergoing major remodeling because I screwed up. While trying to update WordPress that runs this web site, something...
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“Die Hard” Analysis

How the movie “Die Hard” taught me the importance of mini-goals. Whether you like action movies or not, the 1988 “Die Hard” movie is one...
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