K-Tock's Korner - Thoughts on screenwriting and the movies

Is the Script Helgeland’s? Naturally

January 31, 2013March 26, 2021learning, Mystic River

Spoiler Alert: Although this post does not go into a detailed analysis of the movie Mystic River, it does look at a crucial clue which could spoil the movie, if you haven’t watched it. ******* Not only is L.A.

Movies That Matter

January 21, 2013March 26, 2021ASSET, change, Julia Ormond, movies

A week or so ago, I was shown a video featuring Julia Ormond‘s Advocacy NGO, ASSET (The Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking). In the video, Ormond outlined the plight of the many millions

The Little Things

December 28, 2012March 26, 2021attention-repetition-variation, Stranger Than Fiction, symbols

Brushing your teeth is not an action ordinarily associated with dramatic character growth, but in watching Stranger Than Fiction recently, it was enlightening to see how the filmmakers endowed this seemingly mundane action with symbolic significance. Stranger Than Fiction, written by

Free Production Documentation

December 17, 2012March 26, 2021Filmsourcing, production documentation, short films

There’s nothing like seeing your story up on screen. And there’s nothing like a short-film to help make that a reality. So why not become a screenwriter-hyphenate over the holiday break and make a short

Worth a Read

November 26, 2012March 26, 2021industry, Jeffrey Katzenberg memo, story theory

I did something very unusual on Sunday. No, it’s not unusual for me to be listening to a filmmaking podcast. But it is unusual for me to be listening to a filmmaking podcast WHILE WASHING

SpongeBob is Dead, Apparently

November 14, 2012November 14, 2012Off-topic, SpongeBob

This is off-topic as far as screenwriting, but I couldn’t help but notice that advertising is getting really out of hand. Gotta love Photoshop 🙂

True Grit

October 31, 2012October 31, 2012screenplays, True Grit

Based off a comment by Aline Brosh McKenna in Scriptnotes Episode 60, I decided to read the screenplay for True Grit. Written by Joel and Ethan Coen, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best

Screenwriting Then and Now

October 21, 2012October 21, 2012history, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, screenplays

I don’t get too much of a chance to indulge in reading screenplays, if indulge is even the right term. Next to actually writing, reading screenplays is one of the best things I find that

Learning From L.A. Confidential: Understatement

September 30, 2012September 30, 2012L.A. Confidential, learning, understatement

SPOILER ALERT: This series of posts is spoiler-heavy. But, seriously, the movie is from 1997!!! If you haven’t watched it by now… Some of the best lines in L.A. Confidential are understatements. Rather than an

Learning From L.A. Confidential: To Arc or Not to Arc

September 22, 2012September 22, 2012arcs, character, L.A. Confidential, learning

SPOILER ALERT: This series of posts is spoiler-heavy. But, seriously, the movie is from 1997!!! If you haven’t watched it by now… I was doing some work on my script the other night, compiling a list of characters, major