Writers are often worried about someone stealing their idea. So let’s parse out what we should worry about, what we shouldn’t worry about, and how we can protect ourselves. Let’s say you’ve got this killer marketable idea and it sings on the page. Great! If you send it out to someone, will they steal it from…
During our recent round of free 30-minute phone calls, age seems to have been a concern for a number of you. Is there ageism in Hollywood? If you’re over 40, are people going to look at you differently? So we had a lovely chat with Brad Johnson, screenwriter, filmmaker, and founder of The Gray List,…
This week our resident rom-com expert Anna Siri brings us a deep dive into the beloved romantic comedy format. It’s been a couple of decades since rom-coms have had a moment like this. We can remember the days when the likes of Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers packed the theaters with audience-goers in search of…
Get Repped Now returns March 17th. So we’re kicking off Get Prepped For Get Repped, a series of weekly giveaways, articles, and more, to help you BRING IT. To start it off with a bang, we’re giving away 60 FREE PHONE CONSULTATIONS (you read that right.) Plus we’re launching our 23rd Anniversary Sale at CoverageInk.com….
Anora. Annabel. Abigail. Michael Clayton. John Wick. Marianne. Emilia Perez. What do all these titles have in common? They’re all “name” titles. And what do they tell us about the movie or show? Zero, zilch, nada. Genre? Nope. Tone? Nein. Theme? Non. Subject matter? ʻIkai. (Yeah, that last one was Tongan and we had to look…
Every screenwriting teacher talks about Theme. But do you actually need it? If you’re unfamiliar, THEME generally refers to what the writer is really trying to say: the takeaway, the mission statement, if you will. It’s often a truism or observation about life, like: no good deed goes unpunished, or love will find a way….
There’s a whole hidden infrastructure in Hollywood devoted to tracking and scoring Open Assignments. Come get some. (Note: This article was originally published in 2019, and some of the people mentioned have moved on.) It’s not just about specs. The vast majority of a working screenwriter’s income often comes from assignments. We spoke…
Yes, we know, eyes are glazing over at the thought of yet another missive about formatting. Look, guys, you don’t want to give the gatekeepers a reason to pass on your script before they’ve even read it. And if they open the PDF and it’s clear that the author doesn’t know the difference between sheeeit…
FREE Half-Hour Consultation w/ Every Horror Submission thru October Are you working on a scary good horror/thriller script that you plan on unleashing on the world to wreak havoc, terrorize, and lay waste to us all? Cool! For the entire month of October, we’re giving away FREE half-hour consultations with every horror pilot…
We were overwhelmed with entries this year and a surprising amount of near misses that may only be a draft or two away. But in the end, eight scripts were undeniable. What did they get right? Each showed a strong and distinctive writing voice as well as a command of the genre they were…