Tag: Sci-Fi

#TypesTuesday – Doctor Who: 1 Character, 9 Types

#TypesTuesday – Doctor Who Is One Character Who Has Been Every Type

Repetition and Reflection

It turns out that just putting in hours and hours at your chosen writing work is not enough; the only way to get better is to make sure you’re devoting those hours to what the researchers call “deliberate practice.”

Avatar – Controversy Rages

As Avatar moves closer to breaking Titantic’s number one place in box office history, controversy has raged in the press and elsewhere about the film, about what James Cameron was trying to say, about the supposed underlying political, social or moral agendas at work in the film and generally about what the film means and why it is so popular. Here are some interesting links.

Vulnerability Scenes

Everyone who has heard me speak or teach knows how fundamental vulnerability is to making a movie or television show memorable. The way an audience BONDS with a character is through scenes where the character is vulnerable. Here are some of my favorites– what are yours?

Terminator Salvation – Idealism vs. Conscience

Terminator Salvation is a solid satisfying summer hit. It’s also a great illustration of the difference between a Power of Idealism character, Marcus Wright (played by Sam Worthington) and a Power of Conscience character, John Connor (played by Christian Bale). Although both men (and both Character Types) are honorable, how each views honor is different.… Continue reading Terminator Salvation – Idealism vs. Conscience

Wall-E – Getting to the Essence of Things

In a few seconds the audience (or executive in a pitch session) should be able to get the essential core of your story and character. One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein: “If you can’t say it simply and briefly you probably don’t understand it well enough.”