What goes into writing a great movie script?

Cut everything that is not a payoff, or a setup for a specific payoff. “Omit needless words.” Think about the sparseness of joke telling, or Grimm Brothers.

A scene should change valence from beginning to end. Up to down, down to up.

Conflict is your power source; without it you have no drama and hence no script.

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Audiences are smarter than you think. Something about turning down the house lights makes their IQs go up.

Get up there yourself. Be in a movie. Take some acting (not writing) classes. Learn how a trained actor approaches a text. Learn why actors take roles. They do as much if not more than the writer does.

Actors give better feedback than writers do.

What I have noticed is nearly every girl I try to connect with whom reject me are in their early 20s why is that the case?

All rules are made to be broken, but you damn well better know WHY you’re breaking them.

Make sure to pack enough explosives into the rocket.

Use status to help drive conflict. King Lear/fool. Upstairs/downstairs.

What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in life, and how has it impacted your journey so far?

A critical function of storytelling is wish fulfillment. This is why video games are so popular. “That protagonist is JUST LIKE ME.”

Don’t direct from the page. Everyone, from the director on down, wants to be part of the process of making movies. Let them do their work.

Write in reverse time. Major characters need to change polarity; minor characters may remain the same at the end.

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Only God gets it right the first time. Rewrite everything.

Learn to tell a story orally and not through writing. Try telling your story to a friend.

Maintain a slush pile/idea file. When you are ready to write, choose the best seeds to plant.

Why do people believe that global warming is man made?

To develop a unique voice for each character, try interviewing your characters.

The DSM 5 is a wonderful character compendium.

People choose what to see based on the high concept. Make sure to deliver an ending consistent with the high concept -- it is what the audience paid for.

What are the strangest parts of The Bible?

Primary characters must change polarities. Secondary characters can change less.

What you leave unwritten is as important as what you write. SUBTEXT.

Your primary job is to create situations. Modern actors will fuck up your dialogue, despite whatever your contract says.

Recently, I cleared my JP Morgan coding round. Next, I received mail for a video interview. What kind of questions are asked in this round? How do I prepare myself?

Research the facts and then throw away the research.

Leave holes. Write and unwrite. Put it in, take it out.

Outline everything. Use story beats. Keep character’s mouths taped up, until they absolutely MUST speak. Write the script and the dialogue at the last minute, after you’ve revised the hell out of the outline.

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