Latest Blogs

When I wrote my first book, it was an adventure. Not only was it my first major project, it was the moment I realized just how little I knew about the craft of writing. I was two years into my professional writing career when I shifted from short stories to my first book. Sure, I’d written “books” before. But trust me, those will NEVER see the light of day. That already made this one different. I was not writing it for fun or because writing is my passion (though both of those statements are...

Most of you will know me from previous blogs on this site, and most of the time those blogs tend towards contentious subject matter. If this is your first time reading me, welcome. My name is Tennyson E. Stead and I’m a writer and director who has worked in disciplines ranging from film finance to gaffing and grip. As a screenwriter, script doctor, and ghostwriter, I’ve written more than 50 screenplays and I’ve been paid for a sizable percentage of those. My directing and editing have won awa...

My name is David Banks and I’ve booked over 100 national commercials. I was a featured guest at Film Con LA and was asked how it’s seemed so easy for me to book spot after spot and what’s my magic touch. How it’s easy? That’s quite funny. Although it may appear like I have some kind of “magic touch,” my current method never fell into my lap. It was derived from MANY years of hearing no after no after no and having no clue how to remedy the situation. Rather, it came from studying the situati...

I’m Adrienne Arno. You can define me a lotta way— I’m the daughter of a hero-cop. I’m that neighborhood kid who befriended animals and always had her head in a book. I’m that weird but brilliant creative chick you went to high school with. I’m a criminal psychologist that spent my early twenties cutting my professional teeth on serial killers and rapists in New York’s largest maximum-security prison. I’m a woman whose been to dark places. I’m a heretic and a troublemaker and whistle blower and “...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, TheThings shares an epic behind the scenes video featuring the making of Jurassic World Dominion. This video shows how the most recent film in the Jurassic Park franchise honored the films original animatronic dinosaurs, while bringing modern day CGI technology to the dinosaur game.  Next up, I...

Sometimes, someone comes along who suddenly propels you into an inspirational state that you never felt before. I worked with someone called, Shibu Thomas, who wrote a screenplay and asked me if I would become script consultant and editor. I read the script and edited it for him, but the story was so intriguing and so clever, I was happy to continue to help him work on it. He then made pitches to producers and received great feedback, he had very good written critiques from professionals in...

Want Success? Stop Listening to the Hollywood Narrative! Is it just me, or does it feel like Hollywood is set up to make you fail? Obstacle, after obstacle… Rejection, after rejection… It’s *almost* not even worth trying. and I can say ‘almost’ because those of us who still believe in the magic of our dreams, have a passion so strong that we are going to go for it, despite all of the hardships we hear about. If you are one of those people, like me, I want you to really listen to what...

So you landed a job as a composer for a Film. Congratulations! But now where do you start? I think a good point is to build a positive relationship with your Director. That could definitely contribute to the success of your gig. Like any other kind of human relationship, there are no rules to make it work and there is always room for improvement, but here you’ll find some tips and thoughts, based on my experience, that I think might be helpful. Let’s suppose you have negotiated the deal, the...

Trying to monitor multiple things at once is challenging in your acting career: Casting directors, agents, casting calls, release dates, project greenlights, series renewals & cancellations, the list goes on and on. Even if you are an avid reader of the industry trades- Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, etc- you can miss some things that might be of interest. There have been many times when I saw a submission notice, or an opportunity, only to have missed a deadline, or know that hundreds of o...

There are so many different aspects to your screenplay that will guarantee its success. A compelling story is one such aspect, but without interesting characters, the story will just fall flat. Here are some tips to help you write the best characters possible, and bring that story to life. 1. Make The Lead A Likable Person You may want to avoid this, as trying to make a character likable can often make the story dull and uninteresting. After all, if there's no one creating conflict, then the...