Author Archives: Harry Ford - Comedy

Week 11 – Finishing my script

After weeks of musing, pondering, outlining, and script writing, I have finally completed my first module as an MA student. After at least eight rough drafts, Nick Murphy’s Last Broadcast is in a good place. The Writer’s Statement seems to accurately reflect my intentions, inspirations, and insights into where the story comes from and whatContinue reading “Week 11 – Finishing my script”

Week 10 – Writers’ Rooms

As evidenced by some of the best television shows of the 21st century, including Breaking Bad and The Killing, the writers’ room is one of the most successful ways of producing great scripts. Gathering brilliant minds around a table to break stories, lay out episodes beat-by-beat, and contribute towards a narrative can lead to diversityContinue reading “Week 10 – Writers’ Rooms”

Week 9 – The Art of the Pitch

Being a screenwriter is about so much more than writing. It isn’t enough to put beautiful words on the page, or describe action fit for the biggest cinema screens. In fact, your screenplay may never get considered unless you master the art of the pitch. Ah yes, pitching; the mortal enemy of many screenwriters. WhatContinue reading “Week 9 – The Art of the Pitch”

Week 8 – Kickstarter (other crowdfunders are available)

What makes a great Kickstarter campaign? This week, I’ve been researching some of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in an attempt to figure out what separates the winners and losers. Though there are anomalies – big projects that couldn’t entice investors, tiny projects that became runaway successes – it’s fair to say the best KickstarterContinue reading “Week 8 – Kickstarter (other crowdfunders are available)”

Week 7 – Writing is Rewriting

Last week, I wrote about how the first draft is an important foundation to refine and sculpt during rewrites. As I finished the first draft of my short Nick Murphy’s Last Broadcast this week, the notion that writing is rewriting echoed constantly in my mind. Even as I typed ‘THE END’, I was thinking aboutContinue reading “Week 7 – Writing is Rewriting”

Week 6 – The first draft

You can spend weeks and months writing drafts, outlines, treatments, and any other useful materials, but eventually, the time will come to sit down and start writing. It’s always a tense moment, knowing that all your hard work comes down to how good the resulting screenplay turns out to be. However, writers often focus soContinue reading “Week 6 – The first draft”

Week 5 – Is Structure Important?

As I work on the step outline for my short horror Nick Murphy’s Last Broadcast, I’ve been thinking about structure. Structure is the fundamental core of all great stories. Whether it’s as simple as three acts (beginning, middle, and end) or as detailed as Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! beat sheet, almost every great filmContinue reading “Week 5 – Is Structure Important?”

Week 4 – The evolution of screenwriting

It’s easy to forget how simple screenwriting is in the 21st century. Not the process of generating ideas and writing dialogue, which remains as tricky as ever, but the act of actual putting together a screenplay. Having only ever used Final Draft or Celtex, it’s hard to imagine a time when technology didn’t do theContinue reading “Week 4 – The evolution of screenwriting”

Week 3 – Where do ideas come from?

Idea generation is the most fun and most pain you can have as a writer. There’s nothing quite as exciting as the first time a new idea forms ; a spark of inspiration here, an evocative phrase there. Sometimes, you grasp a fragment, while other ideas land fully formed from out of nowhere. However, theContinue reading “Week 3 – Where do ideas come from?”

Week 2 – What does a screenwriter do?

In the Hollywood of the past, the screenwriter’s job mostly consisted of sitting at a typewriter, chain-smoking, and producing script after script for the studios. Mostly, they were guns-for-hire, churning out whatever assignment they were handed; auterism was reserved for writer-directors, many of whom remained fascinated with the same stories, characters, and aesthetics throughout theirContinue reading “Week 2 – What does a screenwriter do?”

Week 1 – Why I Tell Stories

This week, I have written a 40 word premise for a short film and rewritten ten pages of a one-act play. Before the week is over, I aim to have also worked on developing a feature idea, and may possibly be developing a film treatment for a freelance client. As I work on different projects,Continue reading “Week 1 – Why I Tell Stories”