by Erik Bork | Apr 12, 2018
Robert McKee recently blogged about the “Rise of One-Act Films,” and I found so much of interest in his article that I wanted to expand on the topic, from my perspective. He describes a one-act film as one which “accumulates pressure gradually, often...
by Erik Bork | Jan 4, 2018
I’ve written before about the first ten pages of a screenplay, and touched on the nature of the Catalyst (which the Save the Cat “beat sheet” insists should happen on exactly page 12). But I haven’t yet focused on its “Debate Section” —...
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 | 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 | May 31, 2014
Script Magazine has just published my new article where I discuss the issue of “formulaic” writing, and the use of story structure paradigms to help guide the process of crafting a screenplay. It begins thusly: Writers often rebel against the idea that a...
by Erik Bork | Jan 4, 2014
I eventually watched HBO’s THE WIRE, over a decade after its five-year run began. Once I started, I found myself binge-watching through the first three seasons. This show was never a clear hit with audiences, and didn’t win many major awards. But WGA screenwriters...
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 | 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...
by Erik Bork | Jun 7, 2012
On Saturday October 20, I’ll be participating in two panels at the Screenwriters World Conference at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, put on by the Writers Store — one on “The ABC’s of Television Script Structure” at 11 AM, and the other...
