Steve Cuden on Screenwriting
Steve Cuden on creating compelling characters, the essential beats that all successful Hollywood films have, and where new writers often go wrong.
By Brianne Hogan. Steve Cuden’s love for movies is practically embedded in his D.N.A. “I have had film in my blood stream since I was a little boy,” he says. “I have been watching television and movies since I was a child. In fact, it used to be the bane of my father’s existence. I […]
Story is Story: Art Holcomb on Screenwriting
Art Holcomb discusses the fundamentals of storytelling, what he finds most fascinating about screenwriting, and the importance of premise.
By Brianne Hogan. When Art Holcomb was eight years old, his maternal grandmother, a poet, gave him a blank book. It was to encourage him to write out his feelings. She also shared with him books by the greats, like Shakespeare and Cummings. By the time he watched A Midsummer Night’s Dream at ten, he […]
Billy Merritt on Romantic Comedy Writing: Plot Beats & Screenwriting Tips
Bill Mernit discusses the current state of romantic comedies, what fascinates him about the genre, and why his beats are so essential in writing a solid rom-com script.
Learn romantic comedy plot beats from screenwriter Billy Merritt. Expert interview on writing romantic comedy structure, character development, and screenplay techniques.
“Stories are Trances.” Steven Barnes on Screenwriting
Steven Barnes discusses adaptations, the importance of telling the truth in your work, and why the steps of the Hero's Journey are like piano keys.
By Brianne Hogan. According to Steven Barnes, screenplays and stories are “like conversations with friends you have yet to meet,” which is a comforting thought to the lonely writer holed up in their apartment, banging out words. A screenwriter and sci-fi novelist himself, Barnes always wanted to a writer. “I always told stories,” he says. […]
Banking on The Big Short
Charles Randolph on adaptation, collaboration, and Oscar nomination.
By Brianne Hogan. In a former life, Charles Randolph, born and bred in Nashville, worked as cultural studies and philosophy professor until a chance meeting with the Farrelly Brothers on the USC campus rocked his world in the early 1990s and led him to Tinseltown. Now he’s a seasoned screenwriter (Love & Other Drugs and […]
