Bad screenwriting analysis: #1 Plot convenience

Yeppers, it’s time to examine some bad screenwriting and see how and why it got that way so we – of course – don’t make the same mistakes.

From a cool site that never lets us down…and has a really cool name as well: Shadow and movies.

Yep, this definitely was a film filled with bad writing. Dang! (What? You’d rather hear “Goddammitfuckthisshit…!” etc.?

Are you looking for a way to make sure that the people who read your book or watch your movie leave angry and frustrated? Well, you’re in the right place because I’m about to explain what is a plot convenience and why you should totally use it whenever you have the chance. read article

RESIDENCIES FOR WRITERS IN 2019

How many times have your fully employed friends asked you this oh-so-innocent (and yet really annoying) question: “How can you stand being home all the time? Don’t you wish you could work out of a real office?”

Okay, so the answer is, “Not so much, TVWriter™ Minion, because my friends are envious as hell about me being able to work from wherever I want…and these days most of them can work that way too.”

That’s all well and good, but have you thought about genuinely far places where you can write? Exotic foreign locales that you absolutely can afford because they’re free? And may even get paid to do it? read article

Bob Tinsley: Amazon’s New Indie Film Distribution Platform – “Yay! or Nay!”?

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Yesterday, we ran an article by Noam Kroll about Prime Video Direct, the latest addition to Amazon’s boxfull of marketing madness platforms. Here are frequent TVWriter™ contributor Bob Tinsley’s thoughts on the subject. What are yours?)

by Bob Tinsley

Go with me here: say, “Amazon Studios.” Leaves a sour taste in your mouth, doesn’t it? But maybe, just maybe, Amazon might be about to redeem themselves. read article

An Insider’s Shocking Look at this year’s Oscar Winners

John Lewis presenting clip of “Green Book” on last Sunday’s Oscarcast

“Shocking” because it appears to this TVWriter™ minion to be not only rational but also pretty positive. Don’t get me wrong. I love snarking about the show, the award, and the Hollywood film industry in general, but this time around Roger Friedman is saying some very insightful things:

Oscars Wouldn’t Have Brought John Lewis to LA for Nothing– They Knew “Green Book” Would Win
by Roger Friedman

Donna Gigliotti did a kick ass job producing the Academy Awards. The show moved fast, the performances were all memorable, and no one noticed the absence of a host.

But they could easily have asked Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Maya Rudolph to host the show. They were phenomenal. read article

Understanding Our Online Future

Fascinating article dealing with TV and TV writing from the perspective of – business, people! With some important history thrown in for a little thing that’s often missing in these kinds of discussions – context:

Business Musings: Learning, The Future, and CES (Contracts/Negotiations)
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

In November, 2007, the members of the Writers Guild of America (East & West) walked off the job as part of a contract negotiation with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. (AMPTP) That strike was consequential for a variety of reasons. read article