Category: About Writing
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Writing Seinfeld Style
Here’s Jerry Seinfeld talking about writing a bit, and how it works. And here’s Peter Mehlman talking about writing his episodes of Seinfeld and his wider career. And here’s a typical writing day.
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Shane Black Talks Raising The Stakes, Reversals, And Payoffs
A master of his craft and genre, Shane Black, talks about raising the stakes, reversals, and payoffs in story.
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Oblivious Janitor Cut
There’s a trope that action movies keep revisiting because it seems like it should be funny, but I’m pretty sure it’s not. It’s that bit when Arnie is flying a Harrier Jump Jet precariously close to a skyscraper facade, and we cut inside and see a cleaner with headphones on, completely oblivious to the action…
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What Panic Room Teaches Us About Silent Exposition
I was watching another David Koepp movie last night. And like most of the movies he has written, Panic Room contains an elegant moment of exposition. Meg and Sarah have just moved into their new home, and they are finishing up their pizza. Sarah moves to pour herself some more Coke, and Meg stops her.…
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Top Gear Is A Sitcom
Top Gear is a sitcom. The Grand Tour proves it. It might have started out as a car show, and morphed into a magazine show, but as it stands now, it has become a sitcom, whether by accident or design. And people like sitcoms. The moment it stumbled into that genre, it’s audience ballooned. It’s…
