As screenwriters, our job is to make our main character’s journey throughout the whole film as exciting and challenging as possible. If we don’t put any obstacles on the protagonist’s way, our film will be very short and most likely uneventfully boring. Film is a kind of imitation of life, and real-life is filled with…
Scriptwriting In A Nutshell: Make Your Characters Different
When creating characters, a common mistake many new writers make is to create characters that are too similar to one another. I made that mistake countless times myself. If the characters we have created are too similar to one another, they will act in the same way, will wear identical clothes, or will order the…
“Learning How to Read in a Year”
Nearly a year ago Little M. went to a dyslexia assessment centre in London to do the dyslexia test. The results were overwhelmingly negative and a huge blow for him, even though he never said anything about the sadness he felt. The stress of that day left his body and spirit on the train back…
Scriptwriting in a Nutshell: Character’s Goals and Stakes
Most stories begin with the main character/s wanting something, something the character cares for genuinely, has a lot invested in but for some reason can’t get. The character’s goal/s or want/s should be something the audience will also care about deeply and will be able to identify with. If you give your character/s what they…
“The Bad and The Ugly of Learning From The Grown-Ups”
A lot of the scientists, teachers and influential voices in the education sector tell us that children learn from observing and imitating the grown-ups in their lives. I believe this to be true and have often seen Little M. doing stupid stuff, which his dad or I have done. I know that our family is…
Ask Yourself If You Need a Sales Agent
You worked incredibly hard to complete your film; you spent years editing and begging people for favours, especially when your project had no budget for anything; the years of hard work have finally paid off and now your film is finished. You believe in your project and your talent, and deep down in your heart,…
7 Steps That Will Help You Market Your Film
As filmmakers, we work hard and put a lot of energy into developing, shooting and completing our projects. The whole process of putting a film together is so intense that it often leaves us with very little energy and shrinking financial resources to properly market and promote our film. Every time I finish a film,…
“Anything Can Happen”
I realise that this romantic notion of a suffering and starving filmmaker is still firmly imprinted on a lot my fellow filmmakers’ minds. But unfortunately, in our global, on steroids, changing market place, this idea only can harm filmmakers, not bring anything positive to their long-term careers. In reality, it doesn’t matter how great your…
“After a Year of Homeschooling”
After a year of homeschooling, I can honestly say that I enjoy the process enormously. I was scared at first and unsure whether I could provide my son with the level of education he deserved but I have to say that the two of us are doing pretty well. The fact that I have become…
6 Stages of Successful Digital Marketing Campaign Plan for Your Film
In other words, your digital marketing campaign plan is not going to be successful without following those stages one after another. STAGE 1 Building awareness of your project, which includes: audience building, a page like ads, poster, trailer, or promotional video. STAGE 2 Validation, which includes: rave reviews, features, interviews, TV, radio, online appearances, and…