Story Structure

Showing 1101 - 1110 of 1516 results

Make it Emotional

June 22, 2014

In the movie “Dune,” there’s a scene where a narrator tells us that the hero and a woman are falling in love. As we watch...

The Sensation of Touch

June 21, 2014

One reason why novels provide a more engaging experience than movies is that with a novel, the author can let you feel how characters think,...

Comparing the Old and the New

June 20, 2014

If possible, watch a stage play that’s later turned into a movie. “Jersey Boys” started as a stage play and will later appear as a...

Gradual Deterioration

June 9, 2014

Here are two ways to make a boring story. First, create a problem. Second, solve the problem right away. That’s boring because there’s no suspense...

Showing vs. Telling

June 8, 2014

Sometimes the beginning of a movie needs to give the audience information about the story before the story even begins. “Star Wars” did this in...

Make Things Worse

June 5, 2014

The opening of your screenplay should grab the audience’s attention and make them wonder what’s going to happen next. In Act II, this is where...

Why Movies Drag

May 31, 2014

Sometimes you can watch a three hour movie and by the time it ends, you don’t even realize how much time has passed. Other times...

Phrasing Your Theme as a Question

May 24, 2014

Movies without a theme tend to be directionless and short-sighted where every scene tries to do something, but without the unifying goal of a theme,...

Studying the Seriousness Behind Comedies

May 22, 2014

Comedies are often dismissed as less than serious stories, but if you look beyond the laughs, comedies typically contain serious stories. In “The 40-Year Old...

The Deadlines in “Gravity”

May 20, 2014

“Gravity” is a visually stunning picture but from a story perspective, it focuses mostly on external threats. By studying “Gravity,” you can see how external...

About Wallace Wang

First place winner in Scriptapalooza’s 2023 screenwriting competition for the supernatural horror screenplay titled “Nightmares From a Past Life”. Author of “The 15 Minute Movie Method”, “Story Starter”, and “Writing Scenes for Screenplays” in addition to over 50 computer books. Writer of “Three of a Kind”, a situation comedy produced by San Diego State University’s film class that won a student Emmy award. Designer of the board game “Orbit War”, published by Steve Jackson Games, that simulates satellite warfare in the near future.