The reading room.
Practical reading on film, television, advertising and business pitches.
1,000 articles · Four ways into the work.
1,000 articles · Page 17 of 42
What Should Your Film Pitch Ask the Reader to Do Next?
How to Write a Film Logline—Not a Tagline
Write a Nonlinear Film Synopsis Without Straightening Out the Film
Build a Film-Slate Pitch That Gives Each Project a Reason to Be There
Pitch a Short Film Without Shrinking a Feature-Film Template
Explain Why a Short Film Needs Its Running Time
How to Write a Film Treatment: Show How the Movie Plays
“Why This Film Now?” Is Not Just a News Hook
Prepare a Film-Pitch Packet for a Location Owner
Pitch a Character Who Keeps Undermining Their Own Goal
Pitch a Film That Changes Its Central Question Halfway Through
Does a Coincidence Start the Film—or Solve It for the Characters?
Pair Archival Sound and Images Without Inventing an Event
Write the Director’s Statement for a Screenplay You Did Not Write
Invite an Editor Into the Film You Have Actually Shot
Show the Choice That Makes Your Film’s Main Character Worth Following
Make a Character’s Interior Life Visible in the Film Pitch
Adapt a Comic for the Screen Without Treating Every Panel as a Shot
Write a Film Composer Brief That Leaves Room for Composition
Scene Headings, Action, and Dialogue: A First Guide to Reading a Screenplay
Pitch a Film’s Opposition Without Inventing a Villain
Explain a Film’s World Through a Rule Someone Has to Live With
Explain a Time-Loop Film Without Repeating the Whole Plot
Show the Institution Your Film’s Characters Have to Navigate