The deadline for our Horror Award is on Sunday! We’re celebrating the contest with articles about our favorite films and TV shows in the genre. Find out what scares us the most… and what we’re looking for from a horror script! Next up: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS… (more…)
Sanjay Dutt – Infamous Bollywood Actor
As more of us get the chance to discover Indian films on streaming services, WriteMovies’ Director Ian Kennedy explores these often lavish films to ask whether Hollywood should take Bollywood more seriously. He discusses the appeals of Bollywood films for English-language audiences, and asks whether Bollywood should take ITSELF more seriously to break through to the rest of the world now that PARASITE has shown that non-English-language films can triumph!
Our slate of online sessions is really ramping up! We’ve already told you about the next one on July 1st – Key Aspects of Writing and Storytelling – but just a week after that we’ll be looking at Killer Concepts – Choosing the Right Ideas on July 8th!
If you missed the deadline for the WriteMovies Sci-Fi and Fantasy Award, there’s no need to travel back in time – we’ve extended the contest for another week, giving you until May 16th to enter!
Want to know what producers want from writers? You’re in luck – that’s exactly what WriteMovies’ Director Ian Kennedy is going to be discussing in a new online session on May 13th. Find out how to work with industry decision-makers and succeed as a professional screenwriter!
The final deadline for the WriteMovies Sci-Fi and Fantasy Award is in just one week on May 9th! Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win great prizes – as well as getting FREE, automatic entry to our Spring Contest and the chance to win the Grand Prize of $3500!
As tomorrow is May 4th – also known as Star Wars Day! – we look to celebrate the most successful sci-fi franchise of all time (sorry Trekkies!).
Since the release of STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE in 1977, the Star Wars universe has expanded across every medium of storytelling. With games, books, TV shows, spin-offs and sequels, even the most dedicated fan struggles to keep up with the vast number of stories.
For writers, the STAR WARS universe represents the potential of your IP. The sci-fi and fantasy genres are arguably the most successful for building large franchises and extended universes, probably because of the freedom the writer has in creating the setting and sheer level of imagination involved; the lore of these worlds gives the writer extra tools to tell their story, which can itself end up captivating audiences.
However, this can also pose risks to the structure of the story. Imagine if A NEW HOPE had opened by introducing us to all the complex politics, history, and technology of a galaxy far, far away. It would a total snooze-fest, right? Instead, it uses its lore to enhance the story, focusing instead on the Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker and only explaining the minimum we need to know.
The key to a great sci-fi and fantasy script is creating a fascinating world for the characters to inhabit without losing focus on the story at heart.
Have you written the next STAR WARS? Have you come up with a fantastical world for audiences to fall in love with? Enter the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Award by the deadline on May 9th before it’s too late!
A year ago, we gave you a sneak peek at the industry diary of our director, Ian Kennedy, as he pitched our winners projects in Los Angeles. Now, as we start a new pitching push, we look back at a year like no other and how it’s shaped our plans for the future.