tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43499145882512179232011-12-08T10:18:07.592-06:00How to Write a Script, Become a Screenwriter, Write a Screenplay<p> by Brian Burke</p>Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.comBlogger1531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-56530122114891823762011-12-08T09:33:00.001-06:002011-12-08T10:17:29.195-06:00

Are you interested in the Reality TV genre? Would you like to write or cast a Reality TV show, or maybe even star in a Reality TV series? Maybe you're interested in shooting your own Reality TV show? Good, you came to the right place -- not me, but the resource I'm going to give out to you. BUT, you have to follow the rules, which are-- *watch this trailer (sizzle reel) to understand the massive

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-10513793875797443302011-12-07T00:02:00.001-06:002011-12-08T10:18:07.604-06:00

"Reality", not "realty", that's what I said, probably to your chagrin because my ears are ringing as you get that disdainful thought you can't help but having. I wouldn't go into "realty", as in "real estate", the housing bubble burst and it's important to move on. Trends and markets change. Business cycles. Life goes on. What I'm saying is that you should still be proud of your spec script, but

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-79139269033815247272011-12-06T17:30:00.000-06:002011-12-06T23:03:54.791-06:00

In 2009, I created this blog to document an amateur's foray into writing screenplays. I started at zero, no prior screenwriting knowledge, just some creative writing experience with the number of websites I built throughout the years for businesses, including my own, in the arts. I laid out the format for the blog to be as "script-like" as possible, and though simple, it has received many

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-31753550411623322072011-12-06T16:48:00.010-06:002011-12-06T17:19:52.941-06:00

This is a link to my best screenplay. Although the 2nd draft is better, you will definitely get the concept and what I wanted to convey when I wrote this draft.It was uploaded to Massify.com, a great resource for the film industry, and is still WGA protected.Keep in mind, this was written in less than 90 days by an individual with NO prior writing experience for screenplays (until my intense,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-69973662388788989202010-07-18T10:12:00.008-05:002010-07-19T06:41:13.385-05:00

Friday, we lost our little buddy of almost 16 years. Dusty was always there for us, as we were for him -- there's a missing piece to our puzzle now.I don't want to say much more, just trying to focus on all of the good times we had. Irreplaceable loss sucks, plain and simple.The "Coldplay" song below keeps coming to my mind. For me, it currently describes the way that trying caregivers see loss

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-36167978417414735872010-06-23T08:18:00.003-05:002010-06-23T09:02:25.149-05:00

We made it! 1000 miles of road striping and a two-day drive led us here. All pets are safe and accounted for, that's the main thing. The three rescue kittens hung out in Caesar the dog's large kennel, no problems at all. Stay tuned for a post on traveling with pets sometime.It was hell getting out of South Carolina, the place sucked me dry until the last minute of repairs and painting. There

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-61527059630338273792010-05-23T17:22:00.002-05:002010-05-23T17:44:02.971-05:00

Ahhh, fellow bloggies and black fonts, how I miss you so! It's been full-on reno here, in prep to put the SC house on the market and get our butts moved to Houston, where we just closed on house contract #3. The RELO company was a pain in the ass down to the last minute, just like two years before. I won't go into it all, lets just say I'm not impressed when everyone we deal with makes it seem

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-6901220520404234012010-04-22T16:54:00.003-05:002010-04-22T17:11:21.073-05:00

Hey Bloggies, hoping all is well.We dropped the contract on the first house in Houston, near the Galleria, because it failed the "hydrostatic inspection". The test is about $350 and I highly advise getting it if buying a home, unless it's brand new. Basically, they plug the waste line outside the house, fill every sink, tub, and drain, and watch the line for thirty minutes. Most of the lines had

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-89535476956348209942010-04-01T07:11:00.002-05:002010-04-01T07:39:52.001-05:00

Hi everyone, I hope your spring has sprung by now and you're holding fast to those New Year's resolutions of three months past!Just an update -- we did a whirlwind tour through Houston, Texas, and contracted on a house in the last few hours of the trip. I'm sure our realtor, Tiffany, was relieved, because we had almost convinced her we would never make concessions on the location and ammenities.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-90051648201933515132010-03-13T10:24:00.004-06:002010-03-13T11:15:47.129-06:00

With the evolution of "social networking" and changes in very traditional protocols, I feel it is necessary to outline some of the distortion of roles in this phenomenon. In plain english, I'm going to call "bullshit" on a bunch of it, with help from an online dictionary.FRIEND -- "A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts".To disappoint Facebook, and many of its users, their term for "friend"

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-48591619977734457142010-02-17T09:04:00.004-06:002010-02-17T09:56:12.839-06:00

I've been on a long, yet short, eight-month journey in the world of screenwriting. I spent long hours in training and achieved goals in a short amount of time. It's been a lesson that you really do set your own pace in this life. Screenwriting as a craft is invigorating -- a challenging environment where you have to put a virtual world into the least but most descriptive words. It's a mind game

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-91396785625686622642010-02-11T22:54:00.004-06:002010-02-11T23:31:05.603-06:00

Is it complacency going down here, or just a state of mind, or age? Do people actually stand up for what they believe in anymore, or just what is profitable? Do people care, or just care about what affects them? Do you give a fuck anymore, or is this my own, middle-aged state of mind as everyone goes through, questioning the midst of a journey?A combination thereof, I assume.In the 1980's, we bit

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-39675948329568242112010-02-10T19:20:00.002-06:002010-02-10T19:44:39.747-06:00

I've spent the past few days not packing, not looking over the RELO package, not on completing home renovations... instead I've been researching Houston with a lot of help from "the Google", especially "Google Maps" with all of its satellite imagery.Why? Because I don't want to "get my ass shot off", as we urbanites say in commonspeak. Like in St. Louis, my prior stomping grounds, "don't go north

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-39387428810622854342010-02-08T05:39:00.003-06:002010-02-08T06:04:54.237-06:00

I posted about the film "UP IN THE AIR" at that link.The film was adapted from Walter Kirn's novel. Screenwriter and director Jason Reitman claimed that he "found" the book and wrote the screenplay over the years.Enter Sheldon Turner, screenwriter -- who wrote the first draft. How is that? Seems that he was contracted for this long before Reitman was ever involved.What? Yes, it gets more

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-29854925911218772942010-02-05T08:17:00.005-06:002010-02-05T08:47:18.098-06:00

I hope you got a tax refund! Now is the time to look into the future and protect your hard-earned cash during 2010.*Business - if you're not writing off expenses as an official business, then you should be. Go online and google "ficticious business name statement" and your state, think of a unique name, fill out the form and bam -- it's on paper. Then keep all of your receipts and follow my

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-86721315372549044352010-02-04T07:19:00.012-06:002010-02-04T13:58:05.941-06:00

The time has come -- the annual trip into the books, receipts, shoe box, however you do it. I put thousands of people into business in my art school, and one of my favorite parts was telling students how to pay taxes, or moreso, how not to.Disclaimer: no cheating, I won't tell you to cheat, just how to get what's allowed, if you push the numbers or facts it's you and the IRS, don't refer to this

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-19888757083631850362010-02-02T06:52:00.008-06:002010-02-02T07:28:02.189-06:00

Can't believe your eyes, can you? No, I won't be going to see "Avatar", and I thought I'd give you ten reasons why, so here's the countdown!#10 - Because someday I'll see it on cable, which I already pay for.#9 - It will probably give me a headache.#8 - We have enough conflict on Earth right now, I don't need to pay to see more of it.#7 - The characters are a rip-off on "The Blue Man Group", same

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-37023859811510022762010-01-30T07:35:00.000-06:002010-01-30T07:35:00.336-06:00

That's right -- we're Houston-bound!Did I sell my script, find a job, or what? Nope. My wife was offered a lead position at the new headquarters in Houston, and I strongly encouraged her to take it. It's the next best step for her career, and we were set on getting out of this rural nowhere at any cost, so why not get paid for the move? Yep, includes relo pay and benefits.Mind you, we just went

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-79038210338260121002010-01-29T06:04:00.000-06:002010-01-29T06:58:25.780-06:00

In this Thanksgiving 2009 post aboutINKTIP.COM(post at link)I announced the entry of my script, "CLUNKER", into INKTIP.COMSixty bucks, a fax of my release, and almost two months later and I'm ready to share some info.For starters, site admin Jerrol LeBaron seems on it. My fax was confirmed quickly, as well as my uploads, in no time I was "out there."But let's go back in time, screenwriter, to

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-71986355551060895102010-01-27T21:29:00.004-06:002010-01-27T21:40:42.040-06:00

A new thing around here, the "QUICK BLURB", and this one comes from watching Obama's "state of the union" speech tonight.If you've kept up with presidential speeches over the years, you have to admire this guy's candor, regardless of your beliefs, because it is conveyed in a language and style that no other president has. Not to degrade any of our greats -- there have been many. And I couldn't

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-62734840514292376552010-01-27T19:25:00.004-06:002010-01-27T19:46:25.743-06:00

I tried to stay off the blog for a month, while "CLUNKER" occupied the main post spot. Apparently, I couldn't do it, falling a few days short. Seems I love to write.So, happy 2010, all. Seems a lot like 2009 after all the smoke and hypomania clears, doesn't it? But, for true artists, hypomania never goes away, and that's why I'm back to posting!A lot has happened in a month, and I'm not going to

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-39901119494071158692009-12-30T13:39:00.005-06:002009-12-30T14:13:20.637-06:00

Launching into 2010, I figured it's time to finally unleash the campaign for my "CLUNKER" movie script. Here's what it entails --*Script -- 110 pages of rom-com funniness that might bring a tear to your eye, or so I hope!*Inktip -- a listing on inktip.com, which I'm not so enthusiastic about right now, but it's worth a shot for the price.*Video -- which depicts the opening scene and my mission --

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-91188096851843642082009-12-28T08:00:00.003-06:002009-12-28T08:26:12.942-06:00

Marketing my script lately, I've run across a lot of actors. Ironically enough, when you look at the film industry and the entire process -- to get a film from an idea, to screenplay, to greenlight, filming, post, and then distribution -- it all has very little to do with actors.In the "pre" process, the only attention an actor will get is if they are tagged as an "element", meaning they are

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-42391737471039807752009-12-24T08:05:00.006-06:002009-12-24T08:27:09.709-06:00

We should do Christmas more often. I'm not one for out of season, pre-Christmas sales, I still don't understand where it became "law" to announce all the deals and start decorating on Thanksgiving, but to those who enjoy it, fine. And by every New Year's, I'm quite over Christmas, "out with the old, in with the new", we need to move on.But as for Christmas eve, and the day itself, I'm all for it.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-81443506992858666832009-12-23T06:59:00.002-06:002009-12-23T08:00:29.307-06:00

As explained in THIS POST, I wrote a letter asking government officials to consider my ideas concerning a hiring incentive for employers in order to create new jobs.Keep in mind, I'm non-partisan, I just want the right thing to be done, people need jobs. Nearly 80% of our government's money comes from our taxes, without workers, those numbers are fading.Local SC congressmen and reps had responded

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-40003668369473014612009-12-22T09:18:00.005-06:002009-12-22T10:06:50.493-06:00

Dear readers, as explained in previous posts, part of my "job" is that of a political columnist for local papers. Below is a letter that I wrote, in early August of 2009, concerning unemployment, and urging our government to create incentives for employers to hire. This was sent to SC reps, as well as Congress, the Senate, GOP rep Michael Steele -- any email address I could find which seemed

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-7466402296637300472009-12-20T09:27:00.004-06:002009-12-20T09:56:39.958-06:00

2010 is coming up fast, time for a new set of screenwriting goals. It's been a productive year -- learning the craft, completing and marketing my first screenplay, my "How to Write a Script / Screenplay" being posted and twittered by several visitors who I am more than grateful for.I've learned a lot about the industry in a short amount of time, it's been the most productive period of

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-68208514675820156752009-12-19T10:30:00.003-06:002009-12-19T11:01:07.384-06:00

Before I fully unleash my guerilla marketing campaign for my script, there are a few things I would like to explain, for myself, and for anyone in doubt. I recently posted on the fact that screenwriters need to brand themselves, it's unfortunate, but good writing alone doesn't cut it. Of course, the brand itself will not sell a script, but it does make you memorable should your black and white

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-56976276590828820902009-12-15T08:17:00.008-06:002009-12-15T09:30:51.963-06:00

Last night Caesar the dog and I drove in an hour of fog in hopes of rescuing the third and last kitty. We did it! "Blitzen", "lightning" in German, is aptly named because he or she was the hardest catch. But, within thirty minutes, this solid black kitty was in the live trap and on the way to reuniting with the siblings in our lower level.All three are resting comfortably, eating well, using the

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-44223792028116372472009-12-14T13:41:00.005-06:002009-12-15T09:26:58.892-06:00

So, as described yesterday, three black kitties, maybe ten weeks old, were living around a McDonald's trash dumpster an hour away from here. This morning I headed out with all my cat-trapping gear and faithful rescue dog, Caesar, at my side.I was nervous on the drive up. I feared seeing three black spots on the highway upon arrival. Not the case, thank god. But, my jitters were more justifified

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-84707220553222789022009-12-13T18:39:00.003-06:002009-12-15T09:28:01.330-06:00

The weekend was spent traveling to civilization -- Atlanta this time. Malls, bookstores, people -- wow. It didn't even dawn on us that the place would be nuts with Christmas shoppers.Screenwriting related, the only thing "BORDERS" had was "Screenwriting for Dummies", and I'm beyond that by now, could have used it 100 days ago though, lol.And, "BLOOMINGDALES" might want to take the security tag

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-7554609608143214082009-12-11T09:41:00.002-06:002009-12-11T10:00:57.310-06:00

The odds have proven that you have to do more than write well to make it in the screenwriting business. Dustin Lance Black was a gay activist even before writing "MILK". Shane Black was an actor before even being considered as a writer. Diablo Cody was a stripper who published a blog about it, among other smart moves she made. Yes, most screenwriters in the past few years have had to invent ways

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-83913482415486440812009-12-10T07:29:00.003-06:002009-12-10T07:49:39.934-06:00

Hi screenwriters and fans thereof, let's talk about something -- the screenplay lotto. Yep, it's a lotto. Unconfirmed sources say that nearly fifty-thousand screenplays were sent to Hollywood last year. That would be 1000 for every state, figuring many come in from other countries, the estimates are not odd. Quite frankly, they suck!And, being in or around the trade, you know that half of what is

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-23781051159815754962009-12-08T18:28:00.005-06:002009-12-09T05:11:35.248-06:00

Julie Gray of "Just Effing Entertain Me" has another one-page script competition on her site. The three words that had to be used were -- Aztec, eggnog, and felicity (that was a fun google search, NOT!)The story had to have a beginning, middle and end. Here's my entry."AZTEC ATHEIST" by Brian BurkeFADE IN:INT. THIRD GRADE ART CLASS - DAY Where you spent younger years -- round stools, tables.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-7015816715290094912009-12-06T08:00:00.005-06:002009-12-06T08:28:22.533-06:00

THE ROCKER is about a middle-aged drummer who joins his nephew's band, living out his dream of rock stardom twenty years late.RAINN WILSON, who you know as "Dwight" from "The Office", is great in this flick, coming across as a believable drummer who was kicked out of his 1980's hair band. Two decades later, on his last dime, he rooms up with his sister's family.His nephew's band needs a drummer,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-58183338183088982702009-12-05T07:13:00.000-06:002009-12-05T09:23:01.330-06:00

Psst! You hear that? No? Listen closely... you hear it, right? It's called "silence", screenwriters get very familiar with it. We usually crave it, especially when we're writing, or in a thought, it can be our best friend. Many of us seek it out, venturing to the basement, backyard, a shady hotel down the road -- anywhere we can get the peace and quiet to start tapping out "INT." and "EXT." in

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-3680205571135818732009-12-04T06:41:00.003-06:002009-12-04T07:03:42.221-06:00

Julie Gray, multi-talented scribe and reader, host of "JUST F*ING ENTERTAIN ME", had a recent post about her travels. She hit Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Ecuador in one month, for different reasons. In Ecuador she taught a writing class to a group of students.I can't put the story into a nutshell, it's a wonderfully inspiring post about seeing the world and how it opens a different set of eyes (

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-46621993160718104442009-12-03T07:43:00.000-06:002009-12-03T12:54:12.288-06:00

Hello folks, I've been out of this loop a bit and fully absorbed in promoting my script. I've spent every day and night since Thankgiving on a guerilla campaign to get this script on the big screen.As reported earlier, I'm up on inktip.com and prodcos are pulling up my logline in their searches. Thought: I need to shorten my logline. 2nd Thought: when you press "info" on your T.V. the logline is

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-28517929298224635732009-11-28T08:37:00.003-06:002009-11-28T09:05:33.438-06:00

Another one you have probably seen but we had to revisit it on the satellite last night. I've read the script a few times, there are some minor changes in the actual movie, mostly for the sake of expediting things or increasing drama, like main character Andy's bicycle accident at the end.The film is sweet and has a good moral value to it, Steve Carell is fantastic in the role, of course. A Judd

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-71117647272815864742009-11-27T07:28:00.003-06:002009-11-27T07:44:05.850-06:00

You've probably seen MILK, being awarded best screenplay and all. I had read the script but saw the film for the first time, last night. Moving picture, it is.As for structure, the film was so interesting I found myself not even trying to count the changes in acts, I didn't care. Sean Penn does such an amazing job portraying Harvey Milk that I really felt like I was there, no distractions.Emile

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-47101177095084502142009-11-26T07:29:00.003-06:002009-11-26T07:48:38.165-06:00

Yesterday I took $60 and uploaded the script, logline, synopsis and a bio for six months on INKTIP.COM. For the price and length of exposure, I figure it's better than paying an entry fee for a writing contest or two where the odds are just the same.Inktip now requires a hand-signed contract so I printed theirs and faxed it back. They were quick to approve everything, after my upload it was

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-40119192419628988012009-11-25T07:33:00.002-06:002009-11-25T07:44:02.047-06:00

There seems to be a bug in the "Cinergy" program, at least occasionally. When I enter "project setup" and put my contact info in for the title page it repeats the last few letters or digits, such as555-123-1234 234Yep, that's the extra "234" up there.I updated, rebooted, tried it all yet it keeps coming back. If I keep it down to four lines and leave the email address out it works fine though.A

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-13606162191598927762009-11-24T08:24:00.004-06:002009-11-24T08:39:37.163-06:00

Hello everybody, just the latest update here, 111 days into screenwriting.I spent a week on the synopsis for the completed screenplay, which I did the last checks on last night. Hopefully I'll get that on inktip.com before Thanksgiving day, who knows, maybe an exec will get loaded on the holiday and decide to call? LOL.In other news, I cut off about six inches from my hair, which hadn't been cut

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-38153893470327466562009-11-23T07:58:00.006-06:002009-11-23T08:30:41.396-06:00

I mentioned the film "Up in the Air" in THIS POST. Set for a December release, they just started airing the T.V. ads for it this weekend. It was either reviewed or mentioned in my copy of "TIME" magazine, as well as Lovely Wife's "Elle."Of course the coverage is standard for any upcoming film, whether it's good or not. The difference is this time I'm really taking notice, chomping at the bit to

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-31484902909020026482009-11-22T08:31:00.002-06:002009-11-22T09:14:30.989-06:00

BURN AFTER READINGArmed with a DVR remote on a Saturday night, Lovely Wife and I perused the latest to see what we could watch and settled on "Burn After Reading". After all, it was a Coen brothers flick with Clooney, Malkovich, Pitt... what could go wrong?A lot.I'm not against different formulas, we should all try something new, but this just doesn't work. Here we have an interesting plot, great

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-81798158713511306702009-11-21T08:11:00.003-06:002009-11-21T08:39:34.530-06:00

I spent one week on one page. No, not one page of the script, that would be a bit much. It was my one page synopsis of the screenplay. From the get-go I wasn't liking the concept of having to put 110 pages onto one page. Seems sort of, er, uh, degrading? Maybe not quite, but close.Provided with an example of how this should look, I tore into it, keys blazing, then burned to a halt. Where was all

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-1016643622745596492009-11-20T09:18:00.003-06:002009-11-20T09:39:45.860-06:00

If you had to choose one as a screenwriter, which would it be? If you had to write a CSI script, would you rather be a writer that had never been on a crime scene but has research at hand, or a cop with twenty years of experience in smelling blood and covering up body parts with white sheets?There's a lot to be said for both sides of that, without the knowledge of proper structure and a good

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-58469074214730820132009-11-19T07:43:00.003-06:002009-11-19T07:52:51.767-06:00

So, yesterday I went on a search for some brass brads since I'll be doing another round of printing scripts. My obvious choice was to go to "Office Depot", or is it "Office Max", because we only have one of the two and they start with the same name and look like twins. Whatever.In I go and spot "fasteners" listed on one of the aisle boards, would have to be there, right? Staples, clips, key rings

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-64454330791933798652009-11-18T09:30:00.004-06:002009-11-18T09:39:21.209-06:00

A bit shaken here, because someone didn't know what a "wingman" is, in the 21st century dating sense. I mean, I think it gets pretty common usage on T.V. and film, I've heard it a lot of times, what better way to decribe the relationship?Therein lies my prob, because this is going on a "one-page", a synopis, and every word counts, the space runs out real quick. I can't really think of a term in

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-14417509478357930772009-11-17T06:28:00.003-06:002009-11-17T07:02:52.837-06:00

Last night, after knowing my script would need only one more PDF proof-read, I went to the WGAW (Writer's Guild of America, West) site and registered my screenplay. Drum roll, please --WGAW Registration# 1394440Yep, for twenty bucks, I filed my screenplay in Hollywood, right over the internet. For an accomplished screenwriter this might be more of a nuisance than glory. But for me, and many other

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-23564590481952637072009-11-16T06:06:00.004-06:002009-11-16T06:25:43.274-06:00

Last night, over red wine and T.V., I was pretty wowed by Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode of the "Seinfeld" reunion. Oh sure, it was funny, that's expected. What was truly interesting was watching the cast in rehearsal.The first "read" was at an elongated rectangular table, with Jerry and "George" and the usual cast, surrounded by writers and producers. An A.D. or someone would call

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-35534213283523981902009-11-15T08:09:00.003-06:002009-11-15T08:22:49.124-06:00

Do you believe in your story? The script that you toiled over, day and night, or maybe just on weekends because you're paying the bills with that full-time job? How far will you go to see it on the screen? I know, completing it is task enough, and printing that much paper and drilling holes can be a daunting duty, but is that enough?And then there's the query letter -- face it, you could spend

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-46075349470572820682009-11-14T09:04:00.002-06:002009-11-14T09:14:50.646-06:00

No, I don't have one, lol, I was talking about the movie. It had a $40 million budget and current returns are $460 million. That's half a billion! That's enough, probably to buy Michigan, well, not all of it, but at least the city of Detroit, and then you'd have to spend another half-billion to "flip" it. Good problem to have I guess, spending that kind of money.I haven't seen "Hangover", that's

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-8384385645728662222009-11-13T06:50:00.003-06:002009-11-13T07:23:35.011-06:00

Oh, the poor, downtrodden scribes! Pity the souls of thee who embark on such a wretched journey, with pen or laptop in hand, strolling unwittingly to their own execution!90% of writers come at me with this crap, lol. I've learned five different professions in my life, not including all the trades that I know one helluva lot about, and could easily hang tough with some of the best in, like

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-84108330978578638932009-11-12T08:24:00.003-06:002009-11-12T08:29:04.749-06:00

Hey y'all, (so they say down here) just a note to tell you that I'm in the process of diving into a serious marketing campaign. Stay tuned.Meanwhile feast your eyes on produced screenwriter Esther Luttrell's great tips on whether or not to capitalize SOUNDS in your script!http://www.estherluttrell.net/Sound-in-a-script.html

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-88464030602267986702009-11-11T06:48:00.001-06:002009-11-11T06:51:11.853-06:00

I just took a journey through the unexplained, or moreso, explained for the first time. Nobody explained it, maybe I'm still trying to figure it out --Action - Description lines.Sure, I was describing the action, no prob there, and in the least amount of words possible, as advised by the pro-readers. The problem is, that is choppy, clinical -- there's nothing artistic or creative about it at all.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-78507224682240035882009-11-09T07:18:00.000-06:002009-11-10T10:20:25.862-06:00

INT. ELEVATOR - DAYCrowded, elbow to elbow. "Packed like sardines" becomes a term you can empathize with. A short REDHEADED FEMALE, in a doorman's cap and jacket, pokes a button on the panel -- it lights up.The slight g-force jerks the box upwards, suddenly the thought of the floor dropping out becomes a welcome idea -- at least you'd be out of this hell-hole of breathy passengers, who are

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-68175946788136901132009-11-08T06:24:00.000-06:002009-11-09T09:57:26.697-06:00

On Sunday, Lovely Wife showed me the front of the local newspaper with the headline of "City Approves New Slogan."I hadn't even opened the paper - I was still on the laptop trying to decipher mysterious sluglines in produced scripts, such as --SECURITY CHECKPOINT - SAMEThanks Jason Reitman, for that confusing scene heading.Back to the newspaper -- the other day I wrote an op-ed and sent it in,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-36536129240910450642009-11-07T07:45:00.002-06:002009-11-07T08:54:15.660-06:00

Imagine my surprise when my friend -- who works in screenwriting, production, and many others sectors of the craft and profession -- shared this bit of information concerning scene headings (sluglines) --INT. JOHNSON HOUSE - LORI'S BEDROOM - NIGHTA Slug Line gives information to 4 members of the production team: The lst Assistant Director, the Location Manager, the Set Decorator, and the Lighting

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-77530061818414703472009-11-06T07:11:00.004-06:002010-01-09T14:02:58.998-06:00

UP IN THE AIRAdapted & Directed by JASON REITMANStarring GEORGE CLOONEY I just read the script for "Up in the Air", which is available at a link on Simply Scripts (click on the title at the beginning of the paragraph, PDF). GO TO AND DOWNLOAD "UP IN THE AIR" SCRIPTWATCH "UP IN THE AIR" TRAILER ON YOUTUBEIt's the story of a hatchet-man who terminates employees by contract, collecting frequent

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-81732693237443227512009-11-05T10:07:00.004-06:002009-11-09T09:58:29.261-06:00

This is my latest op-ed column to be published in our local paper. In short, a branding firm decided that "The Right Size" would be our town's new moniker-- slaying ensues, lol... Size Doesn't Matter Greenwood's residents and businesses were no doubt excited to hear of a recent task force organized to "brand" the city. The brand is to "be conveyed in the signage throughout Greenwood and on

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-11369715327484646512009-11-04T07:10:00.003-06:002009-11-04T07:18:41.882-06:00

Is it a conflict, or a challenge?CONFLICT:1. A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.2. A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.3. A psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or tendencies.4. Opposition between characters or

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-16406993379812361032009-11-03T07:26:00.005-06:002009-11-03T13:15:48.304-06:00

Searching the web led me to SIMPLYSCRIPTS.COM, where I downloaded my earliest reads. There is also a section for "unproduced" scripts, as they put it.Yes, aspiring screenwriters willingly upload their scripts to public access. This might make sense if production companies trolled the site-- fact is, they don't. It might also be an option if the readers who downloaded were actual Hollywood readers

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-17386848865963288842009-11-02T07:35:00.005-06:002009-11-03T20:40:00.898-06:00

When someone offers to read your script, whether it's a professional reader or just a friend, you should be thankful. What that means is foresight, not hindsight. They're spending an hour or so of their time helping you, don't expect them to clean up your junk.When your screenplay has typos and camera angles you're telling me one thing: you don't care, so why should I? If I can tell that you

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-47275460890118236692009-11-01T07:45:00.002-06:002009-11-01T08:02:21.947-06:00

One of the ideas floating around the blogosphere is to self-publish a book in connection with your screenplay. Of course, techniques for writing novels are quite different than that of screenwriting, but if you have a good story it's not impossible.LULU.COM has become one of the most popular sites and services to self-publish through. The size, format, and price is completely up to the author.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-66091030109202609162009-10-31T18:27:00.003-05:002009-10-31T18:35:35.169-05:00

Just checked out a site recently, inktip.com, where you can upload a bio, logline, query, treatment, and script for $60. They claim to background check the companies they give access to, in other words, it is not a free view for all out there.They also claim over 53 production deals from the site, and a current record of approximately one deal a mo0nth. For the price, in comparison to the cost of

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-81509121954879095132009-10-30T07:28:00.004-05:002009-10-30T16:27:03.960-05:00

Another week down and another update in. Breaking headline of the week:HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVELY WIFE!and110 pages is the new 120!What? Just when I honed the script to 120, omitting spaces and some lines in the process?? But we were told that whitespace in between action lines made it easier on the eyes, and an easy read. And I'm not bumping out the margins, or tightening the line spacing. But, I

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-91516130437041608582009-10-29T07:05:00.002-05:002009-10-29T07:09:32.083-05:00

Find something to write about, anything, just do it. If it's humor, make it funny, with interesting characters that have quirky traits, a story that is going somewhere, give it a theme. A plot is good, essential, but give us a theme we're interested in, something we can relate to or admire.Be the expert, in your area of expertise. You're probably more interesting than you think, but only in

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-67357559821044175252009-10-28T07:59:00.003-05:002009-11-03T08:32:54.337-06:00

Every screenwriter, at some point or another, faces one, perplexing, inevitable question:"Should I move to LA?"Check into any message board on the craft, google it, eavesdrop on a group of eccentric drama students at a coffee shop, and the topic will come up, more than a few times.Successful screenwriters usually do live in LA, Terry Rossio lives up the hill from the studios because he often

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-9227158622129640032009-10-27T07:03:00.000-05:002009-10-27T09:07:15.997-05:00

After printing your script, as I mentioned before, you will still finds things that you either need or want to change. Format, typos, grammar, and structure errors are a few obvious problems that will get attention.I want to talk about repetition, specifically verbs. Many pro readers and screenwriters tell us we need to have the character moving, and to make that movement obvious, to take the

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-22290807932040577532009-10-26T08:55:00.005-05:002009-10-26T09:10:16.534-05:00

PRINTING YOUR SCRIPTMentor John August has THIS great post about the last steps he takes to proofread and prepare a script before sending it off. For some unknown reason, human eyes can see typos on paper that they failed to see on the computer, so it will be essential to print out your screenplay for a "fresh set of eyes" view. Speaking of which, get a friend or family member, or anyone else who

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-58543413287823400702009-10-25T07:29:00.000-05:002009-10-25T07:53:58.765-05:00

Yesterday was a monumental moment in my screenwriting career:the completion of my first script, the printing thereof, and my first read, provided by my Lovely Wife.The script took a few hours to outline and pitch, a couple of weeks to write, and several days, maybe also weeks, to set and polish, which was the toughest part of the whole process.I've wrote, read, and have rewritten this story so

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-42998624311053596412009-10-24T07:40:00.000-05:002009-10-24T08:58:41.114-05:00

SCRIPT FLOW AND PROPORTIONSRecently, mentor JOHN AUGUST posted that the three stages of screenwriting should be referred to as a "draft, set, and polish". This is specifically in reference to contract deals. Your first draft, no matter how many times you rewrite and polish it, should always be referred to as the "first draft" if you are shopping it in the industry.But that doesn't mean you should

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-56102636158399301052009-10-23T07:06:00.005-05:002009-10-23T08:59:27.674-05:00

Eighty days and posts in, time to give an update. CONCEPT BEHIND THIS BLOGIf you're not familiar, the goal here was to write a finished script within sixty days. I have completed one screenplay and am almost finished with the second. I have also written a treatment for the third screenplay, which must be completed one-hundred days from now- no problem.What's the big deal? Eighty days ago I knew

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-82869775366055941442009-10-22T07:18:00.001-05:002009-10-22T08:33:49.867-05:00

LEARN TO LOVE WRITING SCRIPTSThere is a saying out there in screenwriting that goes, "Nobody likes to write, but everyone loves having been written". In other words, we're happiest when the script is completed, finished, over with, dunzo. We rejoice when we have two brads stuck in the one-hundred-something page stack of papers and can finally pass it to a family member, friend, reader, producer,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-85209323314129175452009-10-21T08:16:00.005-05:002009-10-21T08:33:27.589-05:00

YOUR SCRIPT TRAILEROne of the points to our readers guide, actually the first and maybe most important one, is whether the reader can vision the movie trailer. There are a lot of movie trailers posted online and it pays to take a look at what the studios like to pack into a minute or so of clips.Take a look at the trailer for "DEVIL WEARS PRADA", which clocks in at two minutes, ten seconds.As I

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-73846656604178311512009-10-20T07:16:00.003-05:002009-10-21T08:34:47.455-05:00

SCREENWRITING DISCIPLINEAs mentioned several times in this screenwriting primer, there are lots of theories as to how a screenplay is best written. There's no silver bullet for the industry but there are plenty of guidelines, standards, and trends to follow. If you abandon the basic rules, especially concerning format and typos, your work will not be taken seriously.At this point in the game you

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-46628859377058527992009-10-19T09:58:00.005-05:002009-10-19T10:18:20.012-05:00

WRITING A SCENE FOR A SCRIPTBy now you're hopefully working on your screenplay, if not, find the time. Do whatever it takes to complete your goal, whether it takes getting up one hour earlier or staying up one hour later to write the script. Work on ideas while driving down the road to work, but first and foremost, pay attention to the road! Listen how people actually speak to one another, it's

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-80404410091000590152009-10-18T11:15:00.003-05:002009-10-18T11:15:00.183-05:00

WRITING BETTER SCENE DESCRIPTIONOur third, and, unfortunately, final "Scriptcast" with JOHN AUGUST has him teaching us how to write a better scene description. We can only hope to coax him into posting more of these in the future, they're an excellent learning tool.The following scene could be complicated for an amateur screenwriter, especially if they have aspirations of writing the next James

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-44388540417290257052009-10-17T10:20:00.000-05:002009-10-17T10:20:00.403-05:00

HOW TO WRITE BETTER ACTION In our "sub-series" of taking advice from a mentor, we follow JOHN AUGUST as he writes and talks us through improving an action scene.The produced screenwriter behind the movie "Charlie's Angels", John turns this nondescript few lines of action into realistic action and results that are descriptive, captivating, and easy to visualize."WRITING BETTER ACTION" by JOHN

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-18946938599271825172009-10-16T07:54:00.002-05:002009-10-16T07:54:00.507-05:00

HOW TO WRITE BETTER SCENE OPENINGSTo continue our theme of learning from online screenwriting mentors, we are going to attend a screenwriting lesson from Mr. John August himself. Yes, you'll see him work, hear him speak, we'll get first-hand, over the shoulder screenwriting tutelage from none other than our elected professor. And it's all free, most paying students don't even get that

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-23749266054927075462009-10-15T07:15:00.001-05:002009-10-15T08:30:11.532-05:00

HOW TO FIND A SCREENWRITING MENTORThanks to the World Wide Web, we have front seat access to many professional screenwriters, who, to our luck and gratefulness, are willing to share the tricks of the trade.Before the internet, such tutelage was only available through the classes that you paid for and books that you could read. If you were lucky (and a bit crazy), you packed your bags and moved to

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-2507399185128000072009-10-14T07:36:00.002-05:002009-10-14T19:17:06.132-05:00

THE READER'S CHECKLISTWith a fancy script editor now in your hands, you're ready to write the next best screenplay, one that friends, family, and anyone else you can force this on will actually read, and you want a good reaction. Face it, the second best thing to completing the script will be if someone tells you it's great, and that they think this is your calling. We've covered all of the major

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-26372581314149116822009-10-13T07:02:00.002-05:002009-10-13T08:20:20.263-05:00

FREE SCREENWRITING SOFTWAREI am currently using "CINERGY", a free script creation and editing program, to write my own scripts. "FINAL DRAFT" is probably the most popular scriptwriting software among screenwriting professionals. It does, however, come at a cost, and I highly recommend that you first start working with Cinergy, and if you complete a script or two then you owe it to yourself to

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-25064434623568501432009-10-12T07:28:00.000-05:002009-10-12T08:39:35.330-05:00

HOW TO AVOID COMMON SCREENWRITING MISTAKESYou might be writing your script to complete a personal goal, or just feel it is a story that you need to tell and will be satisfied by just completing it. You may also have the intention or goal of actually selling your screenplay. Whatever the case, if you're going to write something that anyone will read, try to make it well worth the reader's time.

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-25787051634476999152009-10-11T07:13:00.003-05:002009-10-11T08:37:28.959-05:00

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY SCENELess than a week into it, and you know the format and vernacular of a screenplay, understand ACT structure, have an outline for your story and characters with traits. You understand that you're taking the audience for a ride, and it should be an interesting one or they'll get off at the next stop. That we have to keep everything moving forward in the story, and that

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-64276007994227434562009-10-10T07:10:00.000-05:002009-10-10T09:08:44.380-05:00

HOW TO CREATE CHARACTER TRAITS AND ARCYour main character, the protaganist, and their evil counterpart, the antagonist, as well as other cast members, must have certain personality traits. This can be reflected by the way they look, talk, walk, habits that they may have, their occupation, where they like to vacation; it's just like people in real life. Creating this can be a judgmental process,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-56362046421667896472009-10-09T07:38:00.004-05:002009-10-09T09:08:00.493-05:00

HOW TO STRUCTURE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT)What is the right way to structure a screenplay? There are several theories.That's probably the last thing you wanted to hear, but it's true. Critics, let alone screenwriters, can't agree on everything, and that's okay. You shouldn't be out to satisfy everyone, that will never happen, but there are certain rules that should be followed, not broken.Across the

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-74856952808117026002009-10-08T07:18:00.001-05:002009-10-08T08:14:48.555-05:00

HOW TO WRITE A LOGLINE - CONCEPT OF A SCRIPTBy now you've read one or two screenplays and are getting familiar with the format and vernacular. The script is going to be the medium in which you convey the story, and it has to have interesting content, entertaining the reader and audience.Your script needs to be full of events, and they need to take place with proper timing. In an analogy, think of

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-25693044797808702892009-10-07T07:01:00.002-05:002009-10-07T08:20:35.170-05:00

HOW TO FORMAT A SCRIPTNow that you have read a few of our linked scripts, it's time to discuss the format and vernacular of the screenwriting craft. Improper formatting can kill even the best of spec scripts. Fortunately, there are many screenwriting programs available that will do all the work for you. Some are even free! We'll get to that later.For now, let's touch on some of the things that

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-32023514278889228772009-10-06T07:10:00.005-05:002009-10-06T08:01:51.437-05:00

HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY First on the agenda is to help you get motivated about writing your own screenplay. No, I am not an expert, but plenty of other screenwriters are, and I have read much of their posted material and tips on what, and more importantly, what not to do when it comes to writing and selling a spec script. As of this post, I've only been familiar with the screenwriting "craft"

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-62947529547825283192009-10-05T07:09:00.003-05:002009-10-05T16:58:42.664-05:00

I've started Monday with a good laugh, thanks to the blog called "STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE". When I saw the link I didn't know what to imagine, would this be a parody of great things that just white people like? Sort of. My take is that it's things that you're "supposed" to like if you're white, to be hip, because the things on the list are so unique. But if you're on the real inside loop, you'll

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-18895120688554858052009-10-04T07:19:00.002-05:002009-10-04T17:09:59.101-05:00

I was just reading script notes from an example that a reading service posted. The feedback was rather lengthy and detailed, good when you're paying for it. My favorite part was when they pointed out that the writer had failed to properly describe the setting, "LA doesn't have any brownstones", it read. They encouraged the scribe to do more research before writing about a particular area. Germany

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-45625012389998068932009-10-03T07:47:00.001-05:002009-10-03T08:52:38.495-05:00

Everyone's on a budget nowadays, if you're not, then you must be either one of these executives with outrageous bonuses that we heard about last year, or you are completely budget-less because you're broke. In the latter case, you're probably reading this from a computer at your local library. Turn around, see all the people in line, behind you? I'll try to make it snappy so they can get on.If

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-44179314939202249672009-10-02T07:07:00.003-05:002009-10-02T08:14:56.097-05:00

In one of the many great columns by appointed mentor TERRI ROSSIO, he compares lyrics in music to action description and dialogue in a good script. As he points out, in a screenplay, not everything has to rhyme, in fact, it shouldn't, unless you are writing the sequel to "MAMMA MIA".By the way, the aforementioned brought in over 600 million bucks worldwide- incredible!In doing so, Rossio uses

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-43539883501074883792009-10-01T07:13:00.000-05:002009-10-01T08:19:57.762-05:00

Everyone knows the, what now has become cliche, sort of inside joke about men refusing to ask for directions while driving, especially if there is a female in the vehicle.It doesn't matter if the car is running on fumes and we've seen the same exit and convenience store sign for the umpteenth time, it's doubtful that we'll give in and stop at the 7-11 to ask for directions.People, or more

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-31600710834662352772009-09-30T06:28:00.002-05:002009-09-30T07:41:05.140-05:00

Okay, into the second script and I have a few looming questions. So far I've written an outline, successfully pitched the story to my Lovely Wife, and have completed about eighty pages of what will (hopefully) be a one-hundred-twenty page script. I'm using "CINERGY", by the way. Scoff if you will, but it works, and it's free! I can (hopefully) easily paste everything into "FINAL DRAFT" when

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-28712602961328802042009-09-29T07:00:00.002-05:002009-09-29T08:15:03.180-05:00

I've been on the prowl lately, digging through blogs and online articles, in search of my next influential character in the screenwriting profession, someone who can offer a piece of inspirational advice, give an unknown tip, a clue, or at least lead by example in what I consider to be, or should be, one of the highest regarded professions: working with words.I navigated a labyrinth of URL's,

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-56908033926806898922009-09-28T07:27:00.004-05:002009-09-28T07:39:54.645-05:00

MAD MONEYStarring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, and Ted Danson.In between Lovely Wife doing laundry, and me traversing the porch and walking Caesar the Dog, we watched "MAD MONEY". No, not that irritable investment show with the guy yelling at the screen, the film with three women working at a Federal Reserve, "recycling" (stealing) money that was destined to be taken out of

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349914588251217923.post-18213085788539072632009-09-27T07:24:00.004-05:002009-09-27T08:39:50.364-05:00

EXT. SCREENED PORCH - MORNINGCaesar the Dog paces the porch, ready for another mass dogwalk. Brian types away on the Dell, wearing flanneled jammies in a plaid print. The yard is freshly mowed and soaked, compliments of a southeastern storm.BRIANNot today, Caesar, sorry.BRIAN (V.O.)Lot of flooding in the southeast this week. I heard they are thinking about renaming "Atlanta" to "Atlantis".(beat)

Brian Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277096481969362359noreply@blogger.com0