TV comedy writers are some of the most hard-working professionals in the business. Not only do they have to shape the story (or adhere to it) and keep their characters straight as is the case on most shows, but they
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The Object of Desire
If one of the most basic attributes to compelling storytelling is conflict, forces standing in opposition to the protagonist, this demands that the protagonist have a motivation or goal that can be challenged. A state, achievement, character or object that
Watch a Screenwriter Construct a Scene in 7 Minutes
Some find the typical avenues for learning to become a professional screenwriter unappealing. Professors know the craft and can certainly pass on those fundamentals every writer needs to have in their repertoire. Yet, they speak mostly from an academic perspective
The Golem
The horror classics of German silent cinema produced a staggering influence over film history. Nosferatu is most often lauded for doing so, but it’s always worth looking into the films that influenced the influencers. Dark Corners Reviews provides some of
Pixar’s Best Meeting Ever
1994, the Hidden City Café in Point Richmond California. John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Joe Ranft, the grandmasters of Pixar’s heyday, meet for lunch towards the end of production on their first feature, Toy Story. It’s clear that
Powell After Pressburger
A relaxed documentary exploring the career of Michael Powell is available to watch on YouTube now. Best known for his rich professional relationship with Emeric Pressburger (collectively known as “the Archers”), collaborators, technicians, performers and family paint a picture of
Explaining the Fabula and Syuzhet
Fabula and Syuzhet are a set of Russian terms where, as far as English-speakers are concerned, their Russian-twang handily outweighed their usefulness. Formalists Vladimir Propp and Viktor Shklovsky coined the terminology in the early 20th century, when very few forms
How Chris Columbus Launched the Harry Potter Movies
With each film in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series earning less than the last, it seems that Warner Bros. has managed to squander the potential of the Wizarding World, previously one of their most successful properties.
7 Westerns Picked at Random
We are not so far removed from a time when Westerns were inescapable, from serials meant to keep kids busy for a few hours to the towering John Ford classics topping critics’ polls today, only to vanish in earnest. These
Quentin Tarantino Goes Through Every Film He Saw in 1979
Considering the rate at which Quentin Tarantino intravenously injects films from every country on earth, every year imaginable, and of every quality level endurable, it’s a wonder he ever gets around to making films of his own. He’s been on