Articles
Everything Men Need to Know About How to Respond to Abuse They Were Told by Callie Khouri 25 Years Ago
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Thursday, October 19th, 2017
In a 1992 printed interview, screenwriter Callie Khouri told this story about a pivotal moment in her life: “One day I was walking down the street minding my business when this old guy in a car starts talking to me. He’s old enough to be my grandfather. I’m ignoring him, which is what… read the full article.
Advocating for a Character-Driven Screenplay Structure
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Tuesday, August 11th, 2015
Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was considering the possibility that there might be more to screen drama than external conflict-driven plotting when, as if hit by a thunderbolt, a new paradigm of story structure downloaded onto the page in front of me. I had been teaching script analysis, a lecture class… read the full article.
Save the Baby! On the Benefits of the Three-Act Screenplay Structure
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Friday, November 21st, 2014
Poor old three-act structure. It gets hammered away at, like an old punching bag, every time someone wants to challenge the primacy of the formulaic Hollywood screenwriting methods. “Take that! You follow-the-dots, color-within-the-lines, stodgy old armature!” Poor, poor three-act structure. So much to offer. So misunderstood. What if I were to tell you that in… read the full article.
On Finding New Screenplay Structures for Independent Films
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014
It often seems to me that the independent film community is not entirely comfortable talking about screenwriting. Or perhaps more specifically story structure. This is not surprising considering a Hollywood Screenwriting Advice Industry has grown up over the past 20 years pushing a mono-minded model of story structure that a creative innovator could find stifling.… read the full article.
The Three Dimensions of Story
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
Adapted from How Do You Know If a “Good” Script Is a Good Story? published on slated.com, August 2012 In screenwriting circles, there is a prevalent definition of “story” that goes like this: First you chase your character up a tree; then you throw rocks at him; then you get him down. My screenwriting professor in graduate school… read the full article.