August, 2018 - The 15 Minute Movie Method

Start with a Theme

August 30, 2018

There’s a saying that people often can’t see the forest for the trees. This means focusing too much on details that you can’t see the...

Theme Defines Structure

August 27, 2018

There’s a huge difference between a good movie and a bad one. In a good movie, all the parts work together. In a bad movie,...

Story Structure is the Key

August 22, 2018

Here’s how Hollywood thinks they can make a movie better: Add more special effects Hire more A-list stars Hire a “hot” director Hire more writers...

Show the Hero’s Fate

August 19, 2018

In every story, the hero has something at stake and the story is about whether the hero will succeed or not. In most cases, we...

Repetition to Keep Upping the Stakes

August 13, 2018

In a good song, the melody gets repeated multiple times in different ways. Stories are similar. Study any good movie and you’ll find that it...

Keep It Real

August 8, 2018

People enjoy watching movies to escape their ordinary lives, but sometimes ordinary lives can be the most fascinating way to escape. The goal isn’t to...

Characters with No Goals

August 5, 2018

The key to writing an interesting story is to give goals to all your main characters. The weakest type of story is where the hero...

The Structure of Novels vs. Screenplays

August 2, 2018

There’s a reason why many novels don’t translate well into movies. It’s because of the fundamental nature of novels. In a novel, the main goal...

The 15 Minute Movie Method

August 2018