by Erik Bork | Oct 31, 2015
I’ve consistently found that most of the notes I have on any script I read — and certainly all of the most important ones — are notes I would have had on the basic idea behind the story, if it had been pitched to me before it was written. And so, the #1 piece of...
by Erik Bork | Jul 4, 2015
The best movies tend to have a growth arc for the main character. In the end, they have often somehow become better versions of themselves, as well as having solved some big problem in their world. This means they have to start the movie as the “not best version of...
by Erik Bork | Jun 6, 2015
If I could sum up the number one most common overall weakness in screenplays I read, it would be that the main character does not have a big enough overall problem, and a high enough level of difficulty and complications as they try to solve it. When you get the...
by Erik Bork | May 24, 2015
Jumping around in time with flashbacks can be confusing in a script, and can make it hard for a reader to get oriented and settle into one particular story, in a specific time frame. And this is what tends to really grab readers — a discrete challenge for a main...
by Erik Bork | Feb 26, 2013
Loglines describe a movie (or series) idea in a quick sentence or two that provide enough of an idea of what it’s about to (hopefully) seem like a grabby, fresh and commercially viable concept. They present a compelling situation for characters one can imagine...
by Erik Bork | Nov 23, 2012
Script Magazine online published my article about ARGO’s use of creative license today. Here’s how it begins: Having adapted a number of true stories for the screen, I found myself wondering, as I watched Argo, which moments might have been...
by Erik Bork | Nov 22, 2012
I recently got to see the L.A. production of THE BOOK OF MORMON musical. I felt I basically knew the story from listening to the songs on the original Broadway cast recording. But not knowing the spoken dialogue or visuals, I was interested to see how the narrative...
by Erik Bork | Nov 3, 2012
Lately I’ve been brainstorming what to write for my next feature script. And I’ve been looking for questions to ask myself which might lead to good ideas. The goal is to stimulate the flow of possibilities through the use of some sort of prompt, and then...
by Erik Bork | Oct 25, 2012
Ben Fountain’s new novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was recently named a (top five) finalist for the National Book Award for fiction, and boy, can I see why. I found it a great example of what “literary fiction” can do so well, that...
by Erik Bork | Aug 31, 2012
Yes, it’s true that a writer might only get the opening pages of their script read — and that it will likely be put down right away if those pages don’t immediately engage the busy industry professional who has given it a chance by opening it. Most screenwriters...
