Writer / Director Timothy Scott Bogart: Family Man If he wasn’t an addict and a gambler, there could never have been the triumphs. But even more than that—he was in love with two women at once—and yes, I could have played that down, but I found that…

"It's interesting, I probably thought about how to write the script for the better part of ten years before having the clarity to finally write "Fade In." How do you tell the story of a life?"

pipelineartists.com/writer-director-timothy-scott-bogart-family-man

So, Ya Got an Idea Ideas are like assholes: everyone’s got ‘em. So, what makes your idea worthy of becoming a book, or a film, or a TV series?

"Another important part of getting your germ of an idea fleshed out is to have readers."

pipelineartists.com/so-you-got-an-idea

'Perfection Intersection': An Interview with Jo Steinhart That’s when it clicked: filmmaking is the perfect intersection of all of my interests.

"It’s much easier to have one very clear statement like “porn=good” or “porn=bad,” but usually those films suck, because that’s not how life works."

pipelineartists.com/an-interview-with-jo-steinhart

Off the Beaten Path: An Interview with Michelle Lerner ... what we think of as a novel is actually just an accident of history.

"Some things can't be fixed, and we need to go on anyway."

pipelineartists.com/off-the-beaten-path-an-interview-with-michelle-lerner

Am I the Drama? Why Writers Should Take Acting Classes Robert Towne of Chinatown fame wrote the script with Jack Nicholson in mind. Guess where they met? Acting class.

"When an acting teacher is giving you notes, it’s essentially a director giving you notes."

pipelineartists.com/am-i-the-drama-why-writers-should-take-acting-classes

You've Got to Earn It Does the benefit of moving the cathartic moment up, hooking the audience, outweigh the emotion that will come if you steel your nerves and wait?

"Moments are earned through emotion and connection."

pipelineartists.com/youve-got-to-earn-it

The Producer Vibe Check This is where writers often fall into the emotional trap of equating “interest” with “momentum.”

"Observe whether a producer truly gets what you wrote. Be wary if they seem to be chasing market trends rather than being committed to protecting the unique tone of your project."

pipelineartists.com/the-film-producer-vibe-check

Kill the Cat - Storytelling Structures for Screenwriters Sick of the Hero’s Journey Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by "The Hero’s Journey." Now that every screenwriter’s hand is up ...

"Even if you didn’t have a name for it before, you’re probably familiar with it, since almost every Hollywood movie follows this formula. Fortunately, there are plenty of examples to the contrary."

pipelineartists.com/kill-the-cat-storytelling-structures-for-screenwriters-sick-of-the-heros-journey

🎬 New Symposium on Wednesday—for both #screenwriters and emerging directors.

Improve your writing with deeper insights into the filmmaking process.

*session is recorded for all who register in advance.

symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/direct...

#filmmaking #scriptchat #ScriptSky

The Importance of Emotional Cause and Effect ... character decisions are rooted in their emotions. Those emotions, in turn, are rooted in the character’s core beliefs and their perspective on the world, in their backstory.

"Done well, and paired with excellent pacing and a compelling voice, narrative drive is an essential component to keep readers hooked to the page, reading chapter after chapter, long past when they should have gone to bed."

pipelineartists.com/the-importance-of-emotional-cause-and-effect

Movies: The Best Deal in America Either we start going to movies, or the movies start going away.

*the following is based entirely on anecdotal evidence. I'm not researching the median price of entertainment in every major North American city plus Europe and Greater Asia, but it's probably pretty accurate, you don't need to factcheck.

pipelineartists.com/movies-the-best-deal-in-america

Your Most Critical Act Shaky beginnings lead to problems down the road every time without fail.

"I one-hundred percent, wholeheartedly, unequivocally believe, with all my soul and every fiber of my being, that the first act of any screenplay is the most important words in that story."

pipelineartists.com/your-most-critical-act

Why Wicked Works Where Chu was truly brilliant as a director was in his innate understanding of the intimacy of film.

"Chu didn’t deviate so dramatically in bringing his musical to the screen.... Instead, Chu respected the intellectual property (I.P.) so profoundly that no one has uttered a word about how this or that was left out of the adaptation."

pipelineartists.com/why-wicked-works

Ways to Approach Desire in Your Main Character Before we can subtly communicate the desires of our character to the audience, we have to fully understand those desires ourselves.

From the archives....

"One of the most compelling ways to move your protagonist through every scene in your story is to keep his or her desires just below the surface in the subtext."

pipelineartists.com/desire-and-character

New York. What a Character. They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. What they don't tell you is that once you do make it here, you'll never want to make it anywhere else.

"I've left New York multiple times over the years, sworn them off for good, to never return, only to eventually make my way back. I’m not alone in this pursuit to try to live without New York only to find that New York lures me back just by existing."

pipelineartists.com/new-york-what-a-character

Your Most Critical Act Shaky beginnings lead to problems down the road every time without fail.

"I one-hundred percent, wholeheartedly, unequivocally believe, with all my soul and every fiber of my being, that the first act of any screenplay is the most important words in that story."

pipelineartists.com/your-most-critical-act

Fish: And Why It’s Not So Easy To Write What You Know Because, yes, there is merit to writing what you know—but when you’re in the middle of something, you absolutely do not know it. It isn’t over yet.

"Six years old is an interesting age. My memories of life at six are the stuff of my writing: My wonder, my incongruence with society, my processing of my family’s dissolution."

pipelineartists.com/fish-and-why-its-not-so-easy-to-write-what-you-know

Calling Frankenstein fans & gothic #horror readers. You want to listen to this one.

New episode of The Story Will Save You!

Author Leila Siddiqui talks about her new book, The Glowing Hours, writing routines, evil twins & so much more.

thestorywillsaveyou.buzzsprout.com/2356701/epis...

#BookSky

Wait! Don't Trash that Script As William Goldman said about Hollywood, “Nobody knows anything.” Learn all you can but trust your instincts.

"Trust me. It’s this wall of checklists that keeps you from writing. Your desire to improve has stymied your progress. You need to be rescued. You need to get back to the joy."

pipelineartists.com/wait-dont-trash-that-script

Reckless Creatives Podcast Reckless Creatives is the Pipeline Artists original podcast about nothing and everything.

NEW!

Podcast ep of Reckless Creatives w/Matthew Lutz, founder of the Allegory conference, coming to L.A. this March.

Listen:

pipelineartists.com/reckless-cre...

The Calling Card Script Did I ever expect it to get made? Nope. Not from the minute I wrote it.

"A Calling Card script, he said, is a script so good and different that it doesn’t necessarily even need to get made, it just needs to impress the reader with the craft and skill of the writer."

pipelineartists.com/the-calling-card-script

Character Therapy—Nowhere to Hide Your characters have to overcome their internal demons—and you have to stop protecting them.

"But it's also about business. When you pitch an exec, they not only want to see a great concept and loads of opportunities for conflict, but they also look for character evolution. Why should we root for this person?"

pipelineartists.com/character-therapy-nowhere-to-hide

Becoming a Writing Research Powerhouse If you only try to find facts to support your hopes or assumptions, you’ll miss discovering things that could inspire you or help you write an even better story.

"If you only try to find facts to support your hopes or assumptions, you’ll miss discovering things that could inspire you or help you write an even better story."

pipelineartists.com/becoming-a-researching-powerhouse

Theme and Kaijus Make no mistake, though. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not essential. It very much is.

"But theme happens invisibly. It exists underneath the surface, like a secret level in "Starcraft" that you have to work to unlock. You have to dig to find it."

pipelineartists.com/theme-and-kaijus

Why Grumpy is Great On Screen Our malaise has ended up yielding plenty of characters who in sunnier times would most likely have been the villains in a story.

"But here’s where writing about such problems/opportunities get truly interesting … what if the hero tackling such negatives is themself a very negative person?"

pipelineartists.com/why-grumpy-is-great-on-screen

Rea Frey Bestselling author, book coach, and publishing strategist Rea Frey helps writers get crystal clear on their book goals, choose the best publication path, and bring their vision into the world—their…

Authors and author-curious,

Book Pipeline has re-opened a limited consult package from bestselling author Rea Frey!

Learn more:

bookpipeline.com/plus/rea-frey

Don't Overlook Your Understory A screenplay isn’t some mystical thing with a bazillion components. It’s something most writers can master, if you break it down to its simplest, most basic elements ...

"To say it another way, understory is what’s going on in the background while your characters are figuring out and going after their goals in the foreground."

pipelineartists.com/dont-overlook-your-understory

A Simple Guide to Writing the Dreaded Synopsis It’s also important to not forget about the voice and tone of the story when creating your synopsis.

"While this may seem basic, executing a successful synopsis is easier said than done, especially when you’re so close to your work. It’s often such a struggle to identify what is necessary to include, and what can be left out."

pipelineartists.com/a-simple-guide-to-writing-the-dreaded-synopsis

Never Think You're Bigger Than the Gods If Martin Scorsese doesn’t act bigger than the gods, no one should.

"That’s the tricky thing about Hollywood success, isn’t it? It’s great to get your foot in the door, but in order to qualify as a working writer, actor, or filmmaker, you have to keep opening the door again and again and again."

pipelineartists.com/never-think-youre-bigger-than-the-gods

Reckless Creatives Podcast Reckless Creatives is the Pipeline Artists original podcast about nothing and everything.

Co-hosts Sadie Dean and Jeanne Veillette Bowerman share the truth, and nothing but the truth, about the challenges and benefits of living life as artists, striving for freedom to create in any medium, even ones you never thought of before.

pipelineartists.com/reckless-creatives-podcast