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Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk!
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY?
BEFORE YOU DO, KNOW THIS: IT REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT AND DEDICATION. A LOT OF THESE SCREENWRITING BOOKS LIKE TO FILL YOUR HEAD WITH FALSE PROMISES AND EASY TRICKS. BUT IT’S SO DAMN FAR FROM THE OBVIOUS TRUTH: BECOMING A TALENTED WRITER TAKES A LONG TIME AND A LOT OF HARD WORK.
THEY ALSO CONVENIENTLY FORGET TO MENTION THAT THE ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU. THERE ARE OVER A MILLION SCRIPTS ALREADY FLOATING AROUND HOLLYWOOD. HULK HAS READ, OH... A COUPLE THOUSAND OF THEM. AND NEARLY EVERY SINGLE PERSON HULK MEETS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY ALREADY HAS A SCRIPT OF SOME SORT. NOT ONLY DOES THE SHEER VOLUME OF SCRIPTS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH ONESELF IN THIS CLIMATE, BUT SO DOES THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ALREADY A VAST NUMBER OF TALENTED, PROFESSIONAL WRITERS IN NEED OF WORK.
SO GIVEN ALL THESE CRIPPLING ODDS, WE SHOULD ALL JUST GIVE UP, RIGHT? WELL, NO. YOU’RE NOT HERE READING THIS BECAUSE THAT REALITY BOTHERS YOU. AND THAT’S THE THING ABOUT THE MOVIES: THEY’RE WONDERFUL. THEY’RE THE IMAGINATION OF STORYTELLING MADE TANGIBLE. THEY’RE OUR DREAMS MADE REAL. WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO BE A PART OF ALL THAT?
FILM CRIT HULK WAS CREATED IN A CHAOTIC LAB EXPERIMENT INVOLVING GAMMA RADIATION, THE GHOST OF PAULINE KAEL, AND TELEPODS FOR SOME REASON. NOW HULK HAS A DEEP AND ABIDING LOVE OF CINEMA WHEREIN HULK RECOGNIZES THE INHERENT VALUES OF POPULAR, NARRATIVE, OR EXPERIMENTAL STYLES!
THROUGH A UNIQUE JOURNEY, HULK HAS ENDED UP WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD FOR OVER A DECADE AND NOW WRITES ABOUT CINEMA AND STORYTELLING IN THOROUGHLY HULK-SIZED FASHION.
AND NOW YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS / HAVE ON YOUR SCREEN / WHATEVER IN YOUR WHATEVER, THE FIRST EBOOK BY FILM CRIT HULK.
THE ONLY THING IT MEANS TO BE IS HELPFUL.
Free sentence case version included!
BEFORE YOU DO, KNOW THIS: IT REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT AND DEDICATION. A LOT OF THESE SCREENWRITING BOOKS LIKE TO FILL YOUR HEAD WITH FALSE PROMISES AND EASY TRICKS. BUT IT’S SO DAMN FAR FROM THE OBVIOUS TRUTH: BECOMING A TALENTED WRITER TAKES A LONG TIME AND A LOT OF HARD WORK.
THEY ALSO CONVENIENTLY FORGET TO MENTION THAT THE ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU. THERE ARE OVER A MILLION SCRIPTS ALREADY FLOATING AROUND HOLLYWOOD. HULK HAS READ, OH... A COUPLE THOUSAND OF THEM. AND NEARLY EVERY SINGLE PERSON HULK MEETS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY ALREADY HAS A SCRIPT OF SOME SORT. NOT ONLY DOES THE SHEER VOLUME OF SCRIPTS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH ONESELF IN THIS CLIMATE, BUT SO DOES THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ALREADY A VAST NUMBER OF TALENTED, PROFESSIONAL WRITERS IN NEED OF WORK.
SO GIVEN ALL THESE CRIPPLING ODDS, WE SHOULD ALL JUST GIVE UP, RIGHT? WELL, NO. YOU’RE NOT HERE READING THIS BECAUSE THAT REALITY BOTHERS YOU. AND THAT’S THE THING ABOUT THE MOVIES: THEY’RE WONDERFUL. THEY’RE THE IMAGINATION OF STORYTELLING MADE TANGIBLE. THEY’RE OUR DREAMS MADE REAL. WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO BE A PART OF ALL THAT?
FILM CRIT HULK WAS CREATED IN A CHAOTIC LAB EXPERIMENT INVOLVING GAMMA RADIATION, THE GHOST OF PAULINE KAEL, AND TELEPODS FOR SOME REASON. NOW HULK HAS A DEEP AND ABIDING LOVE OF CINEMA WHEREIN HULK RECOGNIZES THE INHERENT VALUES OF POPULAR, NARRATIVE, OR EXPERIMENTAL STYLES!
THROUGH A UNIQUE JOURNEY, HULK HAS ENDED UP WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD FOR OVER A DECADE AND NOW WRITES ABOUT CINEMA AND STORYTELLING IN THOROUGHLY HULK-SIZED FASHION.
AND NOW YOU HOLD IN YOUR HANDS / HAVE ON YOUR SCREEN / WHATEVER IN YOUR WHATEVER, THE FIRST EBOOK BY FILM CRIT HULK.
THE ONLY THING IT MEANS TO BE IS HELPFUL.
Free sentence case version included!
617 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2013
69 people are currently reading
745 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
September 24, 2014
I hate screenwriting books. I spent years in and out of college as a screenwriting and creative writing major trying to find books that told me how to do what I needed to to to get into the business. The 3 act structure. The save the cat moments. After a while, they all end up feeling the same because they all say the same things. "This is how I/my friend/Spielberg did it, this is what executives want and this is how you have to do it."
After a little while, I started to find out that they were all bullshit. Every single one is a way for a moderately successful writer (usually with one or two screenplays under his or her belt) to make a little extra cash. This isn't to knock them. I'd do the same thing, but ultimately, you find that they're all going to say the same thing.
This book is not like that. This book doesn't claim to be the path to success. It claims to be able to give you the basic rules you need to follow to create a dramatic story from a structural and thematic level. Although he's verbose, FCH distills a lot of different screenwriting techniques into easily digestible chunks, citing multiple ways of achieving the same thing, always with the disclaimer that you can and should break any of these guidelines as long as you can explain how and why it will work.
It's a valuable resource, and something I would use as a guideline to sum up a lot of the lessons given across all mediums of storytelling - characters are the most important dramatic center, propulsion comes from decision, theme and having a point to your story is an important ideal to strive for, inconsistencies are okay as long as you're doing everything else right. It's a great way to come at the natural process of storytelling, to explain the basics, things that almost all stories have in common, and then let loose from there. You can't sell a concept, even more importantly, you shouldn't. Every good story ever has had the genetic makeup that FCH describes here - maybe not in the exact same process or methodology, but in general principle. It's without a doubt the most helpful book on storytelling I've read - it breaks the "guidelines" that create cookie-cutter stories and gives you the tools you need on a basic level to start building from scratch. It dismisses the sameness and mediocrity that pervades ALL screenwriting books and classes, and instead glorifies using those tools to create your own story.
The importance of this cannot be stated enough. It's not a guideline on how to get into the business, it's not an examination of what makes executives love your work, it's not a how-to guide. It's a list of the basics necessary. And I, for one, find that incredibly useful.
If you're looking specifically into how to be a storyteller - this book is a must-read.
After a little while, I started to find out that they were all bullshit. Every single one is a way for a moderately successful writer (usually with one or two screenplays under his or her belt) to make a little extra cash. This isn't to knock them. I'd do the same thing, but ultimately, you find that they're all going to say the same thing.
This book is not like that. This book doesn't claim to be the path to success. It claims to be able to give you the basic rules you need to follow to create a dramatic story from a structural and thematic level. Although he's verbose, FCH distills a lot of different screenwriting techniques into easily digestible chunks, citing multiple ways of achieving the same thing, always with the disclaimer that you can and should break any of these guidelines as long as you can explain how and why it will work.
It's a valuable resource, and something I would use as a guideline to sum up a lot of the lessons given across all mediums of storytelling - characters are the most important dramatic center, propulsion comes from decision, theme and having a point to your story is an important ideal to strive for, inconsistencies are okay as long as you're doing everything else right. It's a great way to come at the natural process of storytelling, to explain the basics, things that almost all stories have in common, and then let loose from there. You can't sell a concept, even more importantly, you shouldn't. Every good story ever has had the genetic makeup that FCH describes here - maybe not in the exact same process or methodology, but in general principle. It's without a doubt the most helpful book on storytelling I've read - it breaks the "guidelines" that create cookie-cutter stories and gives you the tools you need on a basic level to start building from scratch. It dismisses the sameness and mediocrity that pervades ALL screenwriting books and classes, and instead glorifies using those tools to create your own story.
The importance of this cannot be stated enough. It's not a guideline on how to get into the business, it's not an examination of what makes executives love your work, it's not a how-to guide. It's a list of the basics necessary. And I, for one, find that incredibly useful.
If you're looking specifically into how to be a storyteller - this book is a must-read.
May 8, 2014
КНИГУ НАПИСАЛ ХАЛК НЕ ВЫКЛЮЧАЯ CAPS LOCK 5/5 WOULD RECOMMEND
Одна из лучших вещей из всего, что я читал "про кино". Книга вроде как о сценарном мастерстве и подается под видом руководства для начинающих сценаристов, но читать её интереснее скорей как сборник "случаев из индустрии".
ХАЛК демонстрирует на примерах South Park, Iron Man и еще кучи отвратительно нехипстерских фильмов и сериалов, что в кино МНОГИЕ ВЕЩИ ГОРАЗДО СЛОЖНЕЕ ЧЕМ КАЖУТСЯ, указывает на распространенные ошибки сценаристов и попутно смешно шутит про хуй и жопу. В принципе можно наверное принять все рекомендации всерьез и отправиться писать нового гражданина Кейна, но я скорее нашел в книге некую дополнительную систему ориентиров, помогающую лучше понять собственное отношение к фильму.
Если пять звездочек из пяти и тот факт, что я вообще оставляю рецензию, не мотивируют в достаточной степени, ТО Я СЕЙЧАС ПОЙДУ МЕТОДОМ ХАЛКА: ПРОЧИТАЙТЕ КНИГУ ТАМ АААААААААААААА
По крайней мере в издании для kindle присутствует и "нормальная" версия текста, но когда вам еще выдастся случай прочитать книгу, написанную капс локом?
Одна из лучших вещей из всего, что я читал "про кино". Книга вроде как о сценарном мастерстве и подается под видом руководства для начинающих сценаристов, но читать её интереснее скорей как сборник "случаев из индустрии".
ХАЛК демонстрирует на примерах South Park, Iron Man и еще кучи отвратительно нехипстерских фильмов и сериалов, что в кино МНОГИЕ ВЕЩИ ГОРАЗДО СЛОЖНЕЕ ЧЕМ КАЖУТСЯ, указывает на распространенные ошибки сценаристов и попутно смешно шутит про хуй и жопу. В принципе можно наверное принять все рекомендации всерьез и отправиться писать нового гражданина Кейна, но я скорее нашел в книге некую дополнительную систему ориентиров, помогающую лучше понять собственное отношение к фильму.
Если пять звездочек из пяти и тот факт, что я вообще оставляю рецензию, не мотивируют в достаточной степени, ТО Я СЕЙЧАС ПОЙДУ МЕТОДОМ ХАЛКА: ПРОЧИТАЙТЕ КНИГУ ТАМ АААААААААААААА
По крайней мере в издании для kindle присутствует и "нормальная" версия текста, но когда вам еще выдастся случай прочитать книгу, написанную капс локом?
August 30, 2014
This is the best book on storytelling I have read. Written by the famous film critic, The Hulk (seriously read his stuff, it's awesome, his website has a 72k word analysis of the James Bond films, for example), the book covers dramatic purpose, theme and the importance of theme to the ending, the fatal flaws in the concept of the three act structure and basically, everything.
To summarise, if you're writing or you love films, read this. Pro-Tip: you might want to jump to the middle that has the sentence case version - I've gotten pretty used to the ALL CAPS HULK STYLE OF WRITING so it didn't bother me (in fact, in a weird way, the style of the delivery in contrast to the content is strangely effective).
Superb. Even has a foreword from Edgar Wright, who is also awesome.
To summarise, if you're writing or you love films, read this. Pro-Tip: you might want to jump to the middle that has the sentence case version - I've gotten pretty used to the ALL CAPS HULK STYLE OF WRITING so it didn't bother me (in fact, in a weird way, the style of the delivery in contrast to the content is strangely effective).
Superb. Even has a foreword from Edgar Wright, who is also awesome.
December 8, 2021
It's cute and it's good but perhaps needed another round of editing? I think the technical, outlining aspect is the one I thought was weakest whereas the meta aspects of what makes a story work and what doesn't was extremely strong. Well worth my time though, and even though it's 350 pages Hulk is such a good, clear writer it's insane.
February 29, 2016
This I need to think about. Review to come.
Read
November 27, 2016A pesar de que la experiencia parece decir lo contrario, todavía es posible hacer las cosas de forma diferente. Partiendo de otras ideas, de otras formas. Y si bien al final del día todo sigue partiendo de unas estructuras inamovibles que han sido y serán siempre del mismo modo, no es menos cierto que, a pesar de todo, son infinitamente más flexibles (e incomprendidas) de lo que solemos creer.
Eso es algo que FILM CRIT HULK entiende a la perfección. No sólo porque sea Hulk. O porque aplaste nuestras expectativas y nuestros prejuicios ESCRIBIENDO EN VERSALITAS. Sino también porque, además de un crítico brillante y un escritor privilegiado, es un analista inteligente capaz de diseccionar, con pulso de cirujano, todos los defectos y virtudes de cualquier película que se le ponga por delante. Dadas esas virtudes, el resultado de un libro llamado Screenwriting 101 resulta obvio: si alguien desea dedicarse a la escritura, ya sea de guiones o de cualquier otra forma retórica —ya que, como señala brillantemente Hulk, un escritor debería poder abordar todos los campos de la literatura—, aquí tiene el libro más inteligente e inspirador que va a encontrar a día de hoy.
Ahora bien, no nos llevemos a engaño. Screenwriting 101 no es un manual. Hulk no ofrece reglas, explicándote, paso por paso, lo que debes hacer en cada situación para escribir un buen guión. Principalmente, porque la tesis de Hulk es que no existen algo así como pasos para escribir un buen guión. Lo que sí hay son patrones. Pero los patrones, a diferencia de las reglas —que son leyes travestidas de normas; algo que en apariencia se podría violar, pero que si se hace no se nos castiga, sino que las cosas (hipotéticamente) dejan de funcionar—, están ahí para ser usados sólo en la medida que nos sean útiles. De ese modo Hulk se enfanga en un ensayo donde toca temas estructurales, creativos, temáticos y argumentales donde, en términos narrativos, no queda absolutamente nada por tocar. Ni siquiera el formato óptimo para escribir guiones. Incluso si esto último es la parte final del libro, además de la menos importante, después de pasar por un grueso donde se nos ha machacado de forma insistente en la necesidad de, más allá del formato o las reglas, tener claro que no existen reglas. Que lo importante es hacer lo que a nosotros nos funcione, pero tener en cuenta que, al principio, lo que mejor funciona es aprender sin salirnos del camino pautado.
Hulk deja todo el trabajo al que escribe. A su intuición, su inteligencia y su talento. No pretende que cualquiera pueda escribir sólo porque, siguiendo unas pautas preestablecidas, cualquiera pueda escribir un pedazo de mierda gigantesca que tiene un parecido razonable con un guión de género. Pretende que cualquiera puede escribir porque, a través de muchos años de trabajo, cualquiera puede desarrollar la intuición profesional necesaria para ser, al menos, competente en la formulación de formas narrativas armónicas. Y si además posee el talento necesario, también narrativas que trasciendan todas las normas.
En ese sentido, Screenwriting 101 sí es un manual. Pero no en el sentido clásico, sino en otro más prosaico. En el sentido de darnos la pauta del propio aprendizaje de la escritura. Aquel que sólo se da escribiendo, que no tiene atajos, que depende de nuestra intuición y de ir aprendiendo, pedazo a pedazo, hasta ser capaces de formular algo con sentido, belleza y elegancia.
Porque de eso trata de escribir. De expresarnos. De expresar algo. Por eso la literatura es, ha sido y será retórica, además de narrativa. Porque necesita contar algo. Y para contar algo, hacen falta dos cosas: algo que contar y las herramientas para contarlo. Ambas cosas algo que, como bien dice Hulk, sólo se consiguen con el tiempo. No siguiendo unas pautas inamovibles asentadas lejos del verdadero conocimiento sobre esas grandes estructuras universales que llamamos retórica y narrativa.
Eso es algo que FILM CRIT HULK entiende a la perfección. No sólo porque sea Hulk. O porque aplaste nuestras expectativas y nuestros prejuicios ESCRIBIENDO EN VERSALITAS. Sino también porque, además de un crítico brillante y un escritor privilegiado, es un analista inteligente capaz de diseccionar, con pulso de cirujano, todos los defectos y virtudes de cualquier película que se le ponga por delante. Dadas esas virtudes, el resultado de un libro llamado Screenwriting 101 resulta obvio: si alguien desea dedicarse a la escritura, ya sea de guiones o de cualquier otra forma retórica —ya que, como señala brillantemente Hulk, un escritor debería poder abordar todos los campos de la literatura—, aquí tiene el libro más inteligente e inspirador que va a encontrar a día de hoy.
Ahora bien, no nos llevemos a engaño. Screenwriting 101 no es un manual. Hulk no ofrece reglas, explicándote, paso por paso, lo que debes hacer en cada situación para escribir un buen guión. Principalmente, porque la tesis de Hulk es que no existen algo así como pasos para escribir un buen guión. Lo que sí hay son patrones. Pero los patrones, a diferencia de las reglas —que son leyes travestidas de normas; algo que en apariencia se podría violar, pero que si se hace no se nos castiga, sino que las cosas (hipotéticamente) dejan de funcionar—, están ahí para ser usados sólo en la medida que nos sean útiles. De ese modo Hulk se enfanga en un ensayo donde toca temas estructurales, creativos, temáticos y argumentales donde, en términos narrativos, no queda absolutamente nada por tocar. Ni siquiera el formato óptimo para escribir guiones. Incluso si esto último es la parte final del libro, además de la menos importante, después de pasar por un grueso donde se nos ha machacado de forma insistente en la necesidad de, más allá del formato o las reglas, tener claro que no existen reglas. Que lo importante es hacer lo que a nosotros nos funcione, pero tener en cuenta que, al principio, lo que mejor funciona es aprender sin salirnos del camino pautado.
Hulk deja todo el trabajo al que escribe. A su intuición, su inteligencia y su talento. No pretende que cualquiera pueda escribir sólo porque, siguiendo unas pautas preestablecidas, cualquiera pueda escribir un pedazo de mierda gigantesca que tiene un parecido razonable con un guión de género. Pretende que cualquiera puede escribir porque, a través de muchos años de trabajo, cualquiera puede desarrollar la intuición profesional necesaria para ser, al menos, competente en la formulación de formas narrativas armónicas. Y si además posee el talento necesario, también narrativas que trasciendan todas las normas.
En ese sentido, Screenwriting 101 sí es un manual. Pero no en el sentido clásico, sino en otro más prosaico. En el sentido de darnos la pauta del propio aprendizaje de la escritura. Aquel que sólo se da escribiendo, que no tiene atajos, que depende de nuestra intuición y de ir aprendiendo, pedazo a pedazo, hasta ser capaces de formular algo con sentido, belleza y elegancia.
Porque de eso trata de escribir. De expresarnos. De expresar algo. Por eso la literatura es, ha sido y será retórica, además de narrativa. Porque necesita contar algo. Y para contar algo, hacen falta dos cosas: algo que contar y las herramientas para contarlo. Ambas cosas algo que, como bien dice Hulk, sólo se consiguen con el tiempo. No siguiendo unas pautas inamovibles asentadas lejos del verdadero conocimiento sobre esas grandes estructuras universales que llamamos retórica y narrativa.
December 7, 2013
Yes, the all-caps thing can be hard to read - luckily, you get both versions of the book, so that's not really a problem if you're not used to it like I am.
This is a really good book. This doesn't try to hold your hand through the process of writing or give you strict structures and ideas that you need to stick to - the author even mentions how terrible the outcome of writing like that usually turns out. Instead, there's a lot more principles and general ideas to how the writing process will go, what you're even trying to do when you write, and what different choices will do to what you're writing. In the end, he just gives you the tools you need and enough advice that you can figure out what to do with it yourself.
My one disappointment is that it feels a lot like the columns on screenwriting that he already wrote. Those are definitely worth a read and this is also expanded from there, but only about half of the material here is new, and it's mostly elaboration on points without too many new things brought up. It's still worth the money (it's $5), just find his old Screenwriting 101 columns and decide if you want more of that. I think this book adds enough to be worth the money, but make that judgment for yourself.
This is a really good book. This doesn't try to hold your hand through the process of writing or give you strict structures and ideas that you need to stick to - the author even mentions how terrible the outcome of writing like that usually turns out. Instead, there's a lot more principles and general ideas to how the writing process will go, what you're even trying to do when you write, and what different choices will do to what you're writing. In the end, he just gives you the tools you need and enough advice that you can figure out what to do with it yourself.
My one disappointment is that it feels a lot like the columns on screenwriting that he already wrote. Those are definitely worth a read and this is also expanded from there, but only about half of the material here is new, and it's mostly elaboration on points without too many new things brought up. It's still worth the money (it's $5), just find his old Screenwriting 101 columns and decide if you want more of that. I think this book adds enough to be worth the money, but make that judgment for yourself.
January 26, 2019
Film Crit Hulk is an author that excites me. His identity isn't one known to us, but just a guise. He's like a superhero, like I don't know... like HULK. The mystery around the man gives the book this unseen authority. It is a screenwriting guide and thus does not give 'rules' but rather 'guidelines' on how to approach everything about writing scripts. Writing in general too. Hulk discusses in great depth about all the uber important and minutia details of writing and a little about how Hollywood works. Best one I've read on the topic - who needs Robert Mckee??
November 3, 2015
EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT STORYTELLING, I LEARNED FROM FILM CRIT HULK.
Had to type that in all caps because HULK.
This was great. Everything by Film Crit Hulk is great.
I think what I find most surprising about Hulk's writing is how sensitive Hulk is to the human condition. There's a lot of empathy and sentiment. The conceit becomes nearly invisible after you read a couple of hundred words. This is a writer I would love to meet in person. I'm sure the conversation would be great.
Had to type that in all caps because HULK.
This was great. Everything by Film Crit Hulk is great.
I think what I find most surprising about Hulk's writing is how sensitive Hulk is to the human condition. There's a lot of empathy and sentiment. The conceit becomes nearly invisible after you read a couple of hundred words. This is a writer I would love to meet in person. I'm sure the conversation would be great.
May 16, 2016
Awesome. Goes beyond Save The Cat and Syd Field.
April 1, 2021
So fricken inspiring. I downloaded this book after struggling with the structure of my current story. It was so refreshing to see in words things I've learned over the years as a writer. I had no idea there was someone out there who thinks like me with story. The author helped me understand on a critical level why I rebel against the typical story structure, and also freed me to write the story I want to write. If you read this, man, thank you so much for taking the time to put your love for story into words. I hope I can thank you in person one day.
September 7, 2016
One of the best books on writing I've ever read, particularly if you have any interest in the structure of storytelling. Hulk's gimmick may turn some people off, but come into this with an open mind and you'll find an absolutely invaluable resource, even if you disagree with some of his opinions.
September 18, 2019
Best book I've read on the subject of storytelling. I'm not a writer and yet I was captivated from start to finish. Practical for those learning the craft, and informative for those who appreciate it.
June 19, 2015
A hulk-sized amount of awesomeness! A great book to read even if you aren't a writer. Film Crit Hulk's understanding of drama, story and character are insightful and uplifting. A must read!
June 24, 2016
This is the best book on storytelling I've ever read.
January 29, 2024
The kind of book where you want to highlight all the key ideas but then end up with Yellow Pages (haha)
Random notes:
-------------------------------
Re: opening scenes
Finding Nemo: opening scene (Marlon's wife and eggs dying except for one) explains Marlon's overprotectiveness over Nemo -> means we empathize with him when Nemo's lost and care about the rest of his journey
Different movie: the same opening scene was put 2/3 of the way in as an "aha!" moment (a reveal about someone's character) -> no empathy created because the first 1/3 was just us watching an overprotective parent be overprotective for no reason -> means the "aha" scene served no functional purpose other than being an "aha" moment
Another different movie: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: "You see, the film’s central conflict is driven by the fact that this crazy guy (John Candy) seems one-dimensional and annoying. And this provides comedic conflict for the main character (our audience surrogate, Steve Martin) as we tag along with him on his journey. And then when the movie calls for catharsis, we are given the information that the annoying travel companion’s wife recently died and all this behavior is symptomatic of the fact that he is lonely. Why does this late reveal pay off here and not in John Carter? Because the conflict we get from not knowing is what drives the movie. If we knew his wife was dead at the beginning it would be hard for us to laugh at him while empathizing with our main character’s situation. And when it’s time for that conflict to be resolved? The information is revealed, and it works."
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"The end of an act is a point in the story where a character(s) makes a choice and can no longer “go back.”
The 3 act structure is garbage. If anything, 5 acts (like Shakespeare) is more accurate, but stories shouldn't be split into acts purposefully, it should happen organically."
--------------------------------------
From the South Park guys: "What should happen between every beat that you’ve written down is either the word “therefore” or “but,” right? So what I’m saying is that you come up with an idea and it’s like ‘okay, this happens’ and then ‘THIS happens.’ No no no. It should be ‘this happens’ and THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ BUT ‘this happens’ THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ [...] "we see movies that do it! It’s just like ‘this happened and then this happened’ and that’s when you’re ‘the fuck I’m watching this movie for???’ That’s not a movie. Therefore/buts give you the causation. And that’s a story."
-------------------------------
"The short version of Dan Harmon's character-conflict-circles look like this:
1. A character is in a zone of comfort
2. But they want something
3. They enter an unfamiliar situation
4. Adapt to it
5. Get what they want
6. Pay a heavy price for it
7. Then return to their familiar situation
8. Having changed"
-------------------------------
"If you look through most good screenplays, for some reason the movie's main plot or
action kicks into place on exactly page 17"
-------------------------------
"A plot hole is a crucial gap or inconsistency in a storyline (as presented) that prevents the proper functioning of the plot or central characterization (as presented). [...] A plot hole occurs when the
new information given is fundamentally countering the old information with no eventual accounting for why. A lot of times we can have a character suddenly switch motivations, but this has to be explained for us to accept it. And the more the switch makes sense based on other information presented before or after, the better we feel about it.
"But the thing to understand here is that the kinds of plot holes that actually matter are the plot holes that hurt the functioning of the movie, meaning the plot holes that derail the in-moment experience and actively prevent you from enjoying the film right there as you are in the theater.
"So in that spirit, let's be clear - a plot hole is not any of the following:
I) A blatant movie-stopper
II) Something that only seems confusing in retrospect
III) An event that simply occurs off-screen
IV) A loose end (though it can be)
V) A real-life inaccuracy
I) A friendly and kind acquaintance of Hulk's was once discussing the problems he saw in Looper and he asked the logical question: "why doesn't the future mob just drop their targets in the middle of the ocean?"
The simplest answer?
Because then there would be no movie.
Glibness aside, it really is the only answer that matters. You can stop virtually any single movie on the planet (invented sci-fi world or not) with a simple solution that nullifies the core conflict. But we don’t go to theaters to watch people come up with the best solutions. We go because we want to watch a damn movie."
-------------------------------
Don't waste opportunities to say something!
"In the film Chinatown, Jake Gittes is a private detective who has just informed one of his clients that, yes, his wife is cheating on him. To console the poor chap, Towne writes that Jake does the following:
"Gittes reaches into his desk and pulls out a shot glass, quickly selects a cheaper bottle of bourbon
from several fifths of more expensive whiskeys."
The implication of this may seem obvious, that Gittes is "cheap" or something, but the fact that he has them all lined up and ready to go in his office says something else. It implies that Jake knows the client won't know the difference. "
-------------------------------
"When voice-over goes in and out haphazardly, you are altering the rules of your "movie universe." You are saying the story comes from this person's perspective and they are a kind of "god of perspective" in this movie. That's what voice-over really means to your tone. And it has a huge impact on how your audience subconsciously thinks about the film's reality. So when the movie suddenly fucking ditches the voice-over and becomes a regular movie apropos of nothing, then the audience can feel it. You are essentially saying you have made two different kinds of universes in your film. And that's cheating. Worse, it's destructive to the intent of your storytelling."
-------------------------------
Random notes:
-------------------------------
Re: opening scenes
Finding Nemo: opening scene (Marlon's wife and eggs dying except for one) explains Marlon's overprotectiveness over Nemo -> means we empathize with him when Nemo's lost and care about the rest of his journey
Different movie: the same opening scene was put 2/3 of the way in as an "aha!" moment (a reveal about someone's character) -> no empathy created because the first 1/3 was just us watching an overprotective parent be overprotective for no reason -> means the "aha" scene served no functional purpose other than being an "aha" moment
Another different movie: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: "You see, the film’s central conflict is driven by the fact that this crazy guy (John Candy) seems one-dimensional and annoying. And this provides comedic conflict for the main character (our audience surrogate, Steve Martin) as we tag along with him on his journey. And then when the movie calls for catharsis, we are given the information that the annoying travel companion’s wife recently died and all this behavior is symptomatic of the fact that he is lonely. Why does this late reveal pay off here and not in John Carter? Because the conflict we get from not knowing is what drives the movie. If we knew his wife was dead at the beginning it would be hard for us to laugh at him while empathizing with our main character’s situation. And when it’s time for that conflict to be resolved? The information is revealed, and it works."
--------------------------------------
"The end of an act is a point in the story where a character(s) makes a choice and can no longer “go back.”
The 3 act structure is garbage. If anything, 5 acts (like Shakespeare) is more accurate, but stories shouldn't be split into acts purposefully, it should happen organically."
--------------------------------------
From the South Park guys: "What should happen between every beat that you’ve written down is either the word “therefore” or “but,” right? So what I’m saying is that you come up with an idea and it’s like ‘okay, this happens’ and then ‘THIS happens.’ No no no. It should be ‘this happens’ and THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ BUT ‘this happens’ THEREFORE ‘this happens.’ [...] "we see movies that do it! It’s just like ‘this happened and then this happened’ and that’s when you’re ‘the fuck I’m watching this movie for???’ That’s not a movie. Therefore/buts give you the causation. And that’s a story."
-------------------------------
"The short version of Dan Harmon's character-conflict-circles look like this:
1. A character is in a zone of comfort
2. But they want something
3. They enter an unfamiliar situation
4. Adapt to it
5. Get what they want
6. Pay a heavy price for it
7. Then return to their familiar situation
8. Having changed"
-------------------------------
"If you look through most good screenplays, for some reason the movie's main plot or
action kicks into place on exactly page 17"
-------------------------------
"A plot hole is a crucial gap or inconsistency in a storyline (as presented) that prevents the proper functioning of the plot or central characterization (as presented). [...] A plot hole occurs when the
new information given is fundamentally countering the old information with no eventual accounting for why. A lot of times we can have a character suddenly switch motivations, but this has to be explained for us to accept it. And the more the switch makes sense based on other information presented before or after, the better we feel about it.
"But the thing to understand here is that the kinds of plot holes that actually matter are the plot holes that hurt the functioning of the movie, meaning the plot holes that derail the in-moment experience and actively prevent you from enjoying the film right there as you are in the theater.
"So in that spirit, let's be clear - a plot hole is not any of the following:
I) A blatant movie-stopper
II) Something that only seems confusing in retrospect
III) An event that simply occurs off-screen
IV) A loose end (though it can be)
V) A real-life inaccuracy
I) A friendly and kind acquaintance of Hulk's was once discussing the problems he saw in Looper and he asked the logical question: "why doesn't the future mob just drop their targets in the middle of the ocean?"
The simplest answer?
Because then there would be no movie.
Glibness aside, it really is the only answer that matters. You can stop virtually any single movie on the planet (invented sci-fi world or not) with a simple solution that nullifies the core conflict. But we don’t go to theaters to watch people come up with the best solutions. We go because we want to watch a damn movie."
-------------------------------
Don't waste opportunities to say something!
"In the film Chinatown, Jake Gittes is a private detective who has just informed one of his clients that, yes, his wife is cheating on him. To console the poor chap, Towne writes that Jake does the following:
"Gittes reaches into his desk and pulls out a shot glass, quickly selects a cheaper bottle of bourbon
from several fifths of more expensive whiskeys."
The implication of this may seem obvious, that Gittes is "cheap" or something, but the fact that he has them all lined up and ready to go in his office says something else. It implies that Jake knows the client won't know the difference. "
-------------------------------
"When voice-over goes in and out haphazardly, you are altering the rules of your "movie universe." You are saying the story comes from this person's perspective and they are a kind of "god of perspective" in this movie. That's what voice-over really means to your tone. And it has a huge impact on how your audience subconsciously thinks about the film's reality. So when the movie suddenly fucking ditches the voice-over and becomes a regular movie apropos of nothing, then the audience can feel it. You are essentially saying you have made two different kinds of universes in your film. And that's cheating. Worse, it's destructive to the intent of your storytelling."
-------------------------------
January 24, 2019
Granted, I've yet to write a script, BUT this is still a great ready with great advice.
The way the book is structured builds things up from basics to more nuanced bits of advice, its delivered charmingly, succinctly, with detail, and in a way that's often wrapped up in an easy-to-remember phrase that encapsulates whatever concept is explored:
"SHOW DON'T TELL" / "WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW" / "THEREFORE & BUT instead of AND THEN"
The formatting reads blog-esque, but if you're familiar with the kinds of blogs that Film Critic Hulk writes then you'll know that that's nothing disparaging.
Overall the book has really helped by understand some fundamentals, helped me focus on script-specific details in movies, inspired me to do some work of my own, and done it all in a really accessible way. Best of all, by the end the advice -while persuasive and informative- is tied up in a purely pragmatic way: it may seem dreadful to be told that the work of script-writing requires more than the implementation of ready-made structures or templates, but its extraordinarily honest to do so. It speaks to the integrity of the author.
The way the book is structured builds things up from basics to more nuanced bits of advice, its delivered charmingly, succinctly, with detail, and in a way that's often wrapped up in an easy-to-remember phrase that encapsulates whatever concept is explored:
"SHOW DON'T TELL" / "WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW" / "THEREFORE & BUT instead of AND THEN"
The formatting reads blog-esque, but if you're familiar with the kinds of blogs that Film Critic Hulk writes then you'll know that that's nothing disparaging.
Overall the book has really helped by understand some fundamentals, helped me focus on script-specific details in movies, inspired me to do some work of my own, and done it all in a really accessible way. Best of all, by the end the advice -while persuasive and informative- is tied up in a purely pragmatic way: it may seem dreadful to be told that the work of script-writing requires more than the implementation of ready-made structures or templates, but its extraordinarily honest to do so. It speaks to the integrity of the author.
June 3, 2020
A few things to know about this book:
1) It's unfortunately out of print, but you can pirate it online.
2) It's not actually 600 pages long, the second half is just the first half but not written in all caps (seriously).
3) The guy who writes it is one of my favourite film critics. He used to write for Badass Digest but now he just has a Patreon. Well worth checking out if you like deep dives (like really deep (like tens of thousands of words deep)) into mainstream cinema's role in Western culture.
The book is a great text on the theory of storytelling from someone who works in Hollywood. I have no intention of writing a screen any time soon, but I treasure it as something which has shaped how I consume and critique all kinds of media. That said it also has a good mix of general, practical, and super-practical advice for screenwriters around plotting, character building, and world-building, as well as more basic stuff like script formats and pitching your ideas.
It falls just short of five stars for a pretty limited discussion of non-traditional storytelling (in terms of both form and content).
1) It's unfortunately out of print, but you can pirate it online.
2) It's not actually 600 pages long, the second half is just the first half but not written in all caps (seriously).
3) The guy who writes it is one of my favourite film critics. He used to write for Badass Digest but now he just has a Patreon. Well worth checking out if you like deep dives (like really deep (like tens of thousands of words deep)) into mainstream cinema's role in Western culture.
The book is a great text on the theory of storytelling from someone who works in Hollywood. I have no intention of writing a screen any time soon, but I treasure it as something which has shaped how I consume and critique all kinds of media. That said it also has a good mix of general, practical, and super-practical advice for screenwriters around plotting, character building, and world-building, as well as more basic stuff like script formats and pitching your ideas.
It falls just short of five stars for a pretty limited discussion of non-traditional storytelling (in terms of both form and content).
September 8, 2020
Ah stories, why do we love them? Why do we want them, why do we need them? And if there's so many writing and screenwriting books out there, why does a lot of movies nowadays feel the same? What makes a great story?
I think this Film Crit Hulk's book answered all those questions, not as definitive truths, but starting points. Instead of giving another static framework with a series of beats to follow, it spends its time to break popular frameworks used today, not for the sake of rejecting them, but to deconstruct them to their barest components to see what made them seem to work, and what actually did.
And it's entertaining all throughout! If you've ever read one of Film Crit Hulk's essays, this book is more of the same but with the addition of an arc and an all-encompassing-theme. Who wouldn't love that?
I think this Film Crit Hulk's book answered all those questions, not as definitive truths, but starting points. Instead of giving another static framework with a series of beats to follow, it spends its time to break popular frameworks used today, not for the sake of rejecting them, but to deconstruct them to their barest components to see what made them seem to work, and what actually did.
And it's entertaining all throughout! If you've ever read one of Film Crit Hulk's essays, this book is more of the same but with the addition of an arc and an all-encompassing-theme. Who wouldn't love that?
July 16, 2024
A book about how craftsmanship makes whatever it touches better and what you can get, that you have directly experienced, when craft is absent from a work. Its funny to the point of being charming. Some of the ideas, I disagree with. Still, the spirit of the book is absolutely in the right place. Its not a "how-to" that so many beginners search library racks for. This book is a "how you should be" as a writer of any sort. Its a call to arms to elevate your work towards an art form. To fill your worlds and characters with all the possibilities they could be. It is a lovely read worth the time.
April 16, 2023
Screenwriting 101 is a irreverent, free-roaming, no-holds barred look into the world of screenwriting. I really appreciated Hulk's takedown of the traditional 3-act structure and monomyth Hero's Journey type of structure, which I never felt was very useful, same as Hulk. The key insight in Hulk's book that I am walking away with is this idea of having a "pre-existing conflict" in the story. Hulk has also highlighted the importance of studying Shakespeare for understanding story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2017
Film Crit Hulk's screenwriting book is truly a blast! The first 10,000 words are a little slow, but once you get into the structuring and beats section, Hulk has such nuanced and deep ideas on breaking story. It's not like other screenplay books that offer a formula, but rather a rumination on what makes story work. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy movies as much as people who want to write screenplays/novels/anything. Even the incredibly short section on formatting is the best I've ever read--so logical! I get it now! I found the caps and uncaps version of the ebook funny, but annoying, so they could probably lop off the caps and literally no one would be mad. Overall though, this is a great book on story and creation.
September 24, 2017
Indispensable
Possibly the best practical guide to breaking a story I have ever read, and one that has had an immediate and hugely positive effect on my work and, more importantly, my attitude to my work. Everyone should read this.
Possibly the best practical guide to breaking a story I have ever read, and one that has had an immediate and hugely positive effect on my work and, more importantly, my attitude to my work. Everyone should read this.
May 15, 2020
Flawlessly written book for screenwriters. However, if you are just a usual movie-lover looking for a good read, this book, probably, won’t fulfill your wishes (despite author’s note telling that this is a nice stuff for cinefiles).
March 21, 2017
This goes well when he talks about good/bad specific movies, but a lot of the other advice is too general, and very rambling.
July 3, 2018
The best book about screenwriting I've read without a doubt.
September 11, 2018
A book that prioritizes the Whys of good storytelling over the whats and hows. Really gets to the heart in a way that is genuine insightful and funny
February 20, 2022
Must read for aspiring screenwriters, you can randomly open and read from any page. It's like a book full of screenwriting tips.
September 4, 2025
Just tell a story-- screenwriting 102 by Michael Medlen
👎
👎
September 12, 2014
The best screenwriting book i have read.
Most screenwriting books is written by people who are out of work and ends up writing a how to book to pass the time, and they ten to write.. this is what i did therefor this is the best way to do it and these are the ways you do it. When in reality there are so many ways to write a script, that it is impossible to pinpoint an accurate way to make a script a success.
Most people are either on two extremes. 1. because either from prior experience in writing books or some other form of medium, they think that they can just write the perfect script. 2. Trys to follow the rules of books or teachers or any type of guidelines that tell you this is the way you write screenplays and if you write it this way you will succeed.
I have also met people who think, they don't need to watch any movies/tv or anything and they need to focus on just writing. Which is like a contradiction, why do you even care to be a writer... in a visual medium if you don't care about the medium itself. Also, putting yourself in a box in this type of industry only tells people that you are not serious because you don't care.
Most of this book, deals with most basic issues people deal with when they write, or because they watch these type of movies and they want to make something just like it, without understand what it was really good in the first place. You have to be a good writer for someone to be able to higher you, but of course that is not reflective of the final product, whether the writer is blamed for it or not.
Because Film Crit hulk is a Crit that writes blogs about movies.. but his blogs are about the understanding of story telling and structure and how to use camera movements etc. also being someone who has written scripts and reads a lot of scripts as part of his job... He is someone that can comment on over usage of things and how so many writers are not able to really understand why some filmmakers are known as great ones has a message behind their films, even if it's just an action movie. A film critic who is a screenwriter, is someone who is a student of film but also a teacher of it, that is able to look beyond himself to be able to write this book. The biggest thing is also, he would always say, you don't have to take any of his advice...
But for me, there are so many things in here and examples from good film makers (whether you like them or not) and also examining some bad film makers that gives you a over all idea of the film industry and how people really write they script ..rather then just a set of rules.
He leaves his point to point how to write something that you can get in most other books at the end. Because the most important part is if you know how to tell a story and why.
highly recommend anyone who is interested in writing screenplays, or even a lover of film and television that wants to know a little more about the making ofs.
Most screenwriting books is written by people who are out of work and ends up writing a how to book to pass the time, and they ten to write.. this is what i did therefor this is the best way to do it and these are the ways you do it. When in reality there are so many ways to write a script, that it is impossible to pinpoint an accurate way to make a script a success.
Most people are either on two extremes. 1. because either from prior experience in writing books or some other form of medium, they think that they can just write the perfect script. 2. Trys to follow the rules of books or teachers or any type of guidelines that tell you this is the way you write screenplays and if you write it this way you will succeed.
I have also met people who think, they don't need to watch any movies/tv or anything and they need to focus on just writing. Which is like a contradiction, why do you even care to be a writer... in a visual medium if you don't care about the medium itself. Also, putting yourself in a box in this type of industry only tells people that you are not serious because you don't care.
Most of this book, deals with most basic issues people deal with when they write, or because they watch these type of movies and they want to make something just like it, without understand what it was really good in the first place. You have to be a good writer for someone to be able to higher you, but of course that is not reflective of the final product, whether the writer is blamed for it or not.
Because Film Crit hulk is a Crit that writes blogs about movies.. but his blogs are about the understanding of story telling and structure and how to use camera movements etc. also being someone who has written scripts and reads a lot of scripts as part of his job... He is someone that can comment on over usage of things and how so many writers are not able to really understand why some filmmakers are known as great ones has a message behind their films, even if it's just an action movie. A film critic who is a screenwriter, is someone who is a student of film but also a teacher of it, that is able to look beyond himself to be able to write this book. The biggest thing is also, he would always say, you don't have to take any of his advice...
But for me, there are so many things in here and examples from good film makers (whether you like them or not) and also examining some bad film makers that gives you a over all idea of the film industry and how people really write they script ..rather then just a set of rules.
He leaves his point to point how to write something that you can get in most other books at the end. Because the most important part is if you know how to tell a story and why.
highly recommend anyone who is interested in writing screenplays, or even a lover of film and television that wants to know a little more about the making ofs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews