Screenwriter Nick Philippa reveals the secret to landing a representative in Hollywood.

Tension builds in The Inside Pitch Facebook group, expertly managed and run by WME story editor Christopher Lockhart.

If you clicked on this because you wondered, “Is podcasting a shortcut to getting an agent? What’s the secret? Is this how I skip to the front of the line?”

In 2021, I made a proof of concept trailer for my feature screenplay, Mo’allem (The Teacher). Today, I’ll be talking through the process of creating it and what I learned along the way.

In a previous article “Why do actors and directors butcher our dialogue?”, we’ve covered the reasons why longer, more realistic and expressive dialogue can be frowned upon in screenplays.

When we share our appreciation for movies and TV, the most popular way is by quoting the zinger lines of dialogue. “Get away from her, you bitch.” sums up Ripley’s entire encounter with the alien queen.

Movies were once exclusively created on film stock, and film has physical limits. One reel is about 1,000 feet of film, and holds 10 minutes of story material. Most movies consist of eleven reels (around 110 minutes).

I’d put screenwriting styles into two categories: 1. The “summary list” approach, like The Shining, and 2. The “flourished essence”, like The Princess Bride.

Back in my early days, when my friends and I were certain we were going to become the next Movie Brats of Hollywood, I was the designated writer. I hated writing. I had no clue how to do it.

I shot a short film at the height of the Omicron pandemic in December 2021, and thought I'd share my four biggest takeaways.

If you’re a feature screenwriter, at some point you’ll be asked for a pitch deck to help sell your script to the film industry executives that count – the ones who approve the signed checks but rarely read scripts.

I first learned about show bibles on November 1, 2017, a memorable milestone day in my career. While at the Variety Inclusion Summit that year I had a seat as a guest of one of my heroes, the late and great writer and director John Singleton.

Last year, my romcom Happy Birthday, Toby Simpson came out on Amazon in the USA. Given that I had never produced or directed anything before, I decided to write about the five main things I learned from the experience of making my first feature.

Created by Franklin Leonard in 2005, The BlackList is an annual compilation of screenplays that are “most liked” by over 375 film executives in Hollywood.

Although most writers on the list have representation, there are always a few that make the list without any managers or agents.