Jun 25 Love0 The Character Iceberg: What Lies Beneath By Michael Schilf Screenwriting 101 Only a small part of an iceberg actually rises above water; the rest is an unseen mountain below. And when…Read More
Jun 21 Love0 The Three L’s of Story Creation By Michael Schilf Screenwriting 101 WHERE TO START? Screenwriting is strenuous, time consuming, and overwhelming, often because we don’t know where to start, or if…Read More
Jun 20 Love0 Two Keys to Creating Compelling Characters By Michael Schilf Screenwriting 101 A good story is driven by its characters. But if your characters are not compelling, the audience simply won’t care…Read More
Jun 19 Love0 Story: Four Key Elements By Michael Schilf Screenwriting 101 The basic spine of any successful screenplay comes down to four key story elements: character, objective, obstacles, and theme. A…Read More
Jun 17 Love0 Creating Cinematic Characters By Michael Schilf Screenwriting 101 What is character? While it seems intimidating, creating an unforgettable character begins with understanding what “character”means. Webster’s Dictionary defines character as…Read More
Mar 12 Love0 Final Draft 9 Review: Screenwriting Software Makes the Grade By Michael Schilf Main It was August of 1998, and I was a 23-year-old kid from Wisconsin beginning my Masters in Screenwriting at the…Read More
Jan 20 Love2 Jamie Marks Is Dead: Review – Sundance 2014 By Michael Schilf Sundance Film Festival After winning the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at Sundance in 2006, there was no doubt that writer/director Carter Smith…Read More
Jan 20 Love2 Life After Beth: Review – Sundance 2014 By Michael Schilf Sundance Film Festival Zombies are hot. Well, I don’t mean attractive necessarily, unless maybe you are Beth Slocum (Aubrey Plaza – Parks and…Read More
Jan 19 Love2 I Origins: Review – Sundance 2014 By Michael Schilf Sundance Film Festival It was my second full day at Sundance. I had just finished up on the red carpet, and I was…Read More
Jan 19 Love0 The Sublime and Beautiful: Review – Slamdance 2014 By Michael Schilf Slamdance Film Festival “My aunt was killed by a drunk driver,” explained writer/director Blake Robbins (Sons of Anarchy, Oz, The Office) at the…Read More