When I was in my Master’s Program at the UCLA Film School I got a handout with a copy of a wonderful poem, A Passion for the Possible. For me, the poem definitively sums up what the audience is looking for in a character.
Continue readingI came across this item and found it to a perfect recipe for a terrific creative life.
Continue readingWhenever a character is disappointed, rejected, humiliated or spurned (or has a set-back of any kind), he or she experiences a loss. The question is, how does experiencing this loss reveal character? The loss and grief cycle includes these character revealing steps.
Continue readingVoted “Best” Student Film Festival by MovieMaker Magazine, the Angelus Student Film Festival draws entries from graduate and undergraduate students of film from around the world.
Continue readingIn watching the grand drama of the American election play out, it’s interesting to look at the candidates’ Character Type. John McCain is a classic Power of Idealism character.
Continue reading#TypesTuesday – In order to have real power, a story and a character must have a single clear emotional focus.
Continue reading#MondayMusings – Rebels are opportunistic, but Revolutionaries strive for change
Continue readingA question I frequently get asked is: “What if someone steals my idea?” The fact is, you cannot protect an idea. You can only protect the expression of the idea. Your unique expression or individual point of view is what makes any of your script ideas valuable or protect-able.
Continue readingIn 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.”
Continue readingPower of Truth characters value loyalty and commitment very highly, but they can be very unsettled and indecisive. They can become self-doubting and suspicious to the point of paralysis. At that point, they no longer trust their own instincts.
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