The Rule Book
Art Holcomb uncovers the emotional rule book inside us all, and explores how to use this in developing characters.
By Art Holcomb. So much of good storytelling is about cause and effect, set-ups and payoff, motives and consequences. Consider for a moment: if there are two separate story paths that exist in each script we write, then there is a story engine – a consequence mechanism that drives each and they are quite different […]
String of Pearls: An Alternative Way to Create a Story
Forget for a moment all story structure, acts, beats and technical terms. Forget the guru and screenwriting experts. Art Holcomb explores an alternative method of screenwriting.
By Art Holcomb. Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Pablo Picasso One common problem I see in my practice is when aspiring screenwriters cannot separate the Creating Process from the Drafting Process. Many beginning writers sit down at the keyboard, type FADE IN and rush […]
To Every Character Their Moment
Art Holcomb discusses the importance of Moments for characters, and offers advice on how to use them in your own scripts.
By Art Holcomb. Moments. They’re what the audience remembers about a great movie. They’re what actors (and script readers) look for in a good script. Moments can be more important than structure; when strung like pearls on a necklace, it is the moments of a film that link writer-to-actor-to-director-to-viewer. They are what turn film into […]
Collaboration
Art Holcomb's tips for successful collaboration with a writing partner.
By Art Holcomb. What to these people have in common? Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The Farrelly Brothers. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Joel and Ethan Coen. All are famous screenwriting teams that went on to great success. And all are screenwriters who once made the decision that they were […]
Are Your Scripts Written in Clay or Written in Marble?
How Art Holcomb's process can make your writing more efficient.
I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel like it’s a collage. You tell the narrative, you tell the story, but you feel like you’ve created this tapestry. But it also has a shape, a story. Shane Black Writers have […]
