I have heard countless pitches from artists with ideas for animated TV shows. Usually, a pitch is unoriginal or derivative or it’s just a string of pseudo-interesting concepts but there’s no story. Sometimes a pitch has a snappy set-up or an interesting main character but it goes flat and formulaic in the “potential episodes.” And […]
Man Vs. Society: Your Hero Will Change The World & The World Will Change Your Hero
Use caution when writing a Man vs. Society conflict into your script. If you don’t think through what a Man vs. Society conflict will cost your hero, you will wind up with a Man vs. Nature conflict instead. …except your storm will be made up of human faces. Last week, Chris talked about Man vs. […]
Man Vs. Nature: It’s More About Dying Than Surviving
The Man Vs. Nature conflict is not just about surviving in the wilderness like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, James Franco in 127 Hours or one of my personal favorites: Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson. “Nature,” for the purposes of designing conflict and plot, can mean the natural AND the supernatural. In fact, “Nature” is […]
Man Vs. Self: How To Create Heroes With Heart
The Dark Knight Rises will make millions this summer, but poor Wonder Woman will probably never get her film or tv pilot made. There is a reason that Batman is the most popular superhero in the DC universe and it is the same reason that people can’t get enough of Spider-Man, Ironman or Wolverine… Often […]
Interview With Brian McDonald: Storytelling Guru, Author of ‘Invisible Ink’ & ‘The Golden Theme’ :: PWP #21
“Everybody’s looking for the elevator. There is no elevator. You have to climb the mountain.” -Brian McDonald Brian McDonald wrote the two best books on storytelling that I have ever read. (I have read a lot of books about storytelling.) ‘Invisible Ink’ will equip you as a storyteller. ‘The Golden Theme’ will give you a […]
