What makes a movie suck? Look back at the movies you disliked and at some point the movie lost your interest. Here are some of the reasons why. Movies are an experience. When we watch a good movie, we feel like we’re participating in the story. We know we’re not Indiana Jones or Hans Solo, […]
‘There’s an old saying that too many ccooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Essentially this means if too many people try to create soemthing, the end result will usually be a mess. You’d think Hollywood would understand this by now, but it still persists in thinking that hiring more writers can improve a flawed […]
Every story begins with the hero in less than ideal circumstances. Think of fairy tales where Hansel and Gretel are in a home where the father wants to dump them in the woods. If you start your story with the hero in a bad situation, your story can show how the hero can grow from […]
To keep your audience on the edge of their seats, give them a cliff-hanger — literally. Early movies were called cliff hangers because each segment ended with an event that would keep people on the edge of their seat, such as having the heroine tied to train tracks with a train fast approaching. With such […]
Everyone says that you should watch good movies to see how it’s done. I say you should also watch crappy movies to see what to avoid. Everyone has their idea of what makes a lousy movie. However, most people agree that some movies are worse than others. I had a chance to watch one of […]
What makes a bad movie? How about the lack of problems for the hero to solve? When most people think about their favorite movies, they remember the big scenes like the Death Star blowing up, the revelation that Bruce Willis is really dead (The Sixth Sense), or the couple finally able to fall in love […]
Everybody follows a leader. Nobody follows a couch potato. If you want an audience to follow your story, make your hero into a leader, not a couch potato. Back in 1984, I was an extra on a movie called “The Hanoi Hilton,” which was about the infamous Vietnamese prisoner of war camp that held most […]