NYWIFT Blog

Notes from a Screenreader: The Wonkavator

Photo via Go Into the Story. Willy Wonka: No, it’s a Wonkavator. An elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways, and slantways, and longways, and backways… A screenplay should not be a Wonkavator, even if it isn’t linear. What you want in a spec script is a ride straight...

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Notes From a Screenreader: ’20 Feet From Stardom’

Photo via Go Into the Story. If you have not seen 20 Feet from Stardom, put it at the top of your to-do list. It won an Oscar, and it is the non plus ultra of setting your inner star loose on the world. A voice is a voice, whether it is raised in song or committed...

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Notes from a Screenreader: Old News

Photo via Go Into the Story. How long ago did you write your script? Does it show? It is impossible to stay convincingly up to the minute with technology and pop culture in a script, but it is possible to blow the dust off by doing a careful read for obsolescence. There’s an app for that....

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Notes From a Screenreader: The Likability Trap

Photo via Go Into the Story. Protagonists need a bigger than life personality. Most spec scripts have protagonists without one. The average protagonist is unobjectionable. They color inside the lines and find a way to get what they want without breaking any rules. That is the likability trap. In an effort to create a sympathetic protagonist,...

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