The Script Cafe
 
The Craft
Tips, Tutorials, and Ramblings for Scribes of Every Skill Level.
 
 Saturday, May 19, 2007 Pruning the Script  We writer's often balk at having to make deep cuts in our screenplays, but I saw something in a doc about winemaking today that I thought I'd pass along. A winegrower in the Russian River Valley, one of California's premier spots for growing Pinot Noir, was talking about what makes her wine so read more...​  Monday, May 7, 2007 The Scene Okay, so someone just asked me the question "What is a scene?" I was about to blurt out the answer, but my brain froze. I remember wondering the same thing when I was starting out, but in all the years since I haven't thought about it much. Truth is, most writers never think about that sort read more...​  Thursday, April 5, 2007 Dialogue Shorthand Here are a few words writers can use in their screenplays to give characters’ dialogue a more naturalistic flow. But be careful. Like salt, a little goes a long way, so use in moderation -- “Can’tcha” = Can’t You “C'mon” = Come on “Coulda” = Could have “Cuz” = Because “’em” = Them “Gimme” read more...​  Thursday, March 15, 2007 Tolstoy: Smoking & Writing “When a man works he is always conscious of two beings in himself: the one works, the other appraises the work. The stricter the appraisement the slower and the better is the work; and vice versa, when the appraiser is under the influence of something that stupefies him, more work gets done, but read more...​  Friday, March 2, 2007 What’s an Antagonist? Your first thought of an antagonist might be of a “bad guy” or “villain.” Sure, an antagonist can be the so-called heavy in a film, but then not every film has a ner-do-well. Sometimes the antagonist isn’t a person at all, but rather an antagonistic force like a hurricane, an avalanche, a raging read more...​ DCE96EC4-63E0-484E-BEDC-7AF78F3AB972.htmlDCE96EC4-63E0-484E-BEDC-7AF78F3AB972.html85216DA3-B2C3-4B70-B97E-7217016079AD.html74B3DD3D-3E0F-4BBF-B284-35196D2B9D5A.html84E9536B-59E0-45B6-B4CC-F11575D935EA.html8BA2CE7F-969E-4C82-BE9B-146DCF03B1EE.htmlshapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5