April, 2015 - The 15 Minute Movie Method

Less is More

April 29, 2015

If you watch the latest “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” you’ll see the usual band of superheroes along with several more, and that’s the problem. There...

Making a “What the Heck?” Moment in the Opening Scene

April 25, 2015

You only have one chance to make a first impression so your opening scene better grab your audience right away. You can do that by...

The Crucial Opening

April 23, 2015

The opening scene is a mini-summary of your entire story. Here’s what an opening scene must do: Grab the audience’s attention by making them wonder,...

Thinking in Fractals

April 13, 2015

A fractal is a mathematical pattern that appears as a tiny building block, but when put together, forms a much larger but identical building block...

Write Backwards

April 10, 2015

Most people start a screenplay at the beginning and work their way to the end. The problem with this approach is that it often leads...

Incompleteness

April 9, 2015

Stories are most satisfying when they answer all our questions. At the end of “Die Hard,” not only do we get the satisfaction of seeing...

Starting Backwards

April 7, 2015

This is how most writers get themselves in trouble. They start off with an interesting idea and keep writing until they run out of ideas....

Guns and Sex

April 6, 2015

Watch most of Hollywood’s latest movies and it’s easy to see the basic formula of using guns and sex to attract an audience. The problem...

Nothing is Stable

April 4, 2015

What makes an interesting movie are interesting scenes, and what makes an interesting scene is one where nothing is stable. Picture a man walking down...

The 15 Minute Movie Method

April 2015