by Erik Bork | Nov 12, 2021
“One big problem it takes the whole movie to solve.” This is what I constantly find myself saying to writers I work with, when I describe what I’m looking for at the heart of any screenplay. Sounds simple enough. But where most scripts struggle is in...
by Erik Bork | Nov 30, 2019
I found Marriage Story to be a devastatingly emotional portrait of a couple going through a divorce, where we like both of them, and can see both of their perspectives as they navigate a huge life change and legal conflict with someone they have loved deeply....
by Erik Bork | Mar 1, 2019
Subtext is often talked about as the key to good dialogue. But what is it, exactly, and how do we use it? Subtext is what characters are really thinking, behind what they’re actually saying. In the best dialogue, the two things tend to be different. The audience...
by Erik Bork | Nov 14, 2018
What is a B Story? It’s a secondary story that has its own beginning, middle and end, and is focused on its own problem, separate from but intertwined with the A Story. And it has its own main character, who may or may not be the same as the A Story’s....
by Erik Bork | Nov 7, 2018
At the core of what we’re trying to do with any script is to make strangers care. Virtually every note I give on any script ultimately connects to that goal. We want people to emotionally invest. It must matter to them what happens in our stories. And...
by Erik Bork | Nov 2, 2018
The show runner of a drama series I once worked on described what he wanted in the middle of an episode as being a “punch – counterpunch” dynamic between the good guys and the forces opposing them. As I coach writers these days on their projects, I...
by Erik Bork | Mar 30, 2018
There are certain fundamental qualities that stories for the screen seem to need, which all writers struggle to master. I see problems related to these qualities in virtually every idea or script — including my own! I have blogged about all of these over the...
by Erik Bork | Dec 2, 2017
Many writers believe their story needs a villain — a single character who is the main source of opposition in the story, or the primary “bad guy.” Since arguably all stories have a “protagonist,” don’t they all need an “antagonist”? I don’t believe they...
by Erik Bork | Apr 17, 2017
When developing a screenplay (or series) idea, I’m always looking for what the main problem is. The one big problem that is really hard to solve, which becomes the main focus of the narrative. It should have huge stakes, which are not just internal, but external in...
by Erik Bork | Mar 23, 2017
My favorite thing about Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat screenwriting books is his theory that successful movies tend to each fall within one of ten specific types of stories. These ten “genres” can be a hugely helpful tool for screenwriters at the all-important concept...
