Video Essays
The Mother of All Action Heroines: Rose Sayer
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Monday, May 11th, 2020
Although The African Queen is a far cry from what we think of as action adventure these days, at its center is a female action hero we could all take a few lessons from. The Mother of All Action Heroines: Rose Sayer from Jennine Lanouette on Vimeo. You can watch the The African Queen on… read the full article.
A Mini Structure Within the Larger Structure
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Tuesday, December 13th, 2016
Within a film’s overall structure, you can sometimes find a scene sequence that constitutes a miniature three-act structure telling a story-within-a-story. In The African Queen, it is the story of how Rose and Charlie blow up the Louisa. This is an example of a highly developed third act grounded in human drama, rather than all… read the full article.
Sympathetic Doesn’t Have To Mean Likable
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Thursday, June 12th, 2014
The beauty of the concept of sympathetic character is that once you have your viewer invested in your main character, you can then have him go off and do all kinds of maladapted things without losing your viewer’s engagement in the story. Sympathetic Doesn’t Have To Mean Likable from Jennine Lanouette on Vimeo.
Who Has the Power?
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
In a scene of psychological conflict, someone has the power and someone else is trying to get it. Track the underlying power balance between characters and make the power shift on action. Who Has the Power? from Jennine Lanouette on Vimeo.
Glossary
Posted by Jennine Lanouette on Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
Because there can be varying definitions of terms in screenwriting circles, these are some short explanations of the terms I use, many of which are discussed more thoroughly in the links provided. Act: A sequence of scenes in a screenplay that comprises either the beginning, the middle or the end. Backstory: Everything that took place or happened… read the full article.