Spoiler alert: this breakdown divulges information about the plot of the film. It’s easy to make fun of Godzilla. Laughable franchise. Dinosaur that looks like a chicken. Really big scales that make it impossible for him to sleep on his back. But making fun doesn’t get us anywhere. Th

Spoiler alert: this breakdown contains information about the plot of the film. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best reboots of a franchise in the last ten years, and it’s mostly because of the fine work by the screenwriters, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Their story strat

Paranormal Activity isn’t a great film. But it is a brilliant indie filmmaking strategy. In my article “10 Story Techniques You Must Use to Sell Your Script” (see below) I state that “if you’re writing a screenplay for an indie film, write horror, thrille

Horror is consistently the most popular of all genres. And it is the cheapest type of film to make, so it is the form of choice for indie writers and directors. The problem is that horror is also the lowest form, typically devoid of story. So the question becomes: How do you write a h

The Blair Witch Project is a textbook example of how to write a successful script for the independent market. What appears to be sloppy filmmaking by amateurs is really just one element of a strategy that turns weaknesses into strengths.  What were the writers faced with as they appro

How do you write a blockbuster? If you’re Michael Crichton, you write Jurassic Park, the highest-grossing movie of all time. This deceptively simple film is very instructive for anyone trying to write the big hit in today’s Hollywood.  To see Crichton’s choices, let&

The horror thriller is one of Hollywood’s most popular story combinations. But to do it well, the writer must explore deep into the minds of both the hero and the opponent. They are doubles of one another. The opponent’s attack is the hero’s weakness confronting him.