Why do animated movies have so many talking animals? Screenwriter Phil Parker explores anthropomorphism, animal characters and what makes them work.

Explore time travel paradoxes in movies, from the Grandfather and Bootstrap Paradoxes to time loops, alternate realities and reversed cause and effect.

How the Best Films Change the Past If Doc Brown taught us anything, it's that messing with the past is a bad idea. Of course, if Marty McFly had listened to him, Back to the Future would've been a very short movie. That's the fun of time travel movies. Send somebody into the past, let them change one little thing, then stand back and watch the trouble begin. Except that's not how every time travel movie works. Some movies let their characters rewrite history. Others insist th

When most people picture a World War II movie, the central characters are probably soldiers. Infantrymen storming beaches. Bomber crews flying over Germany. Submarine crews beneath the Atlantic. Prisoners attempting to escape. Generals planning battles. But millions of women also found their lives transformed by the war, and movies have gradually explored a much wider range of their experiences. Women in WWII films have been spies, Resistance fighters, codebreakers, factory w

How Women Pilots Broke Aviation's Barriers Women have been flying almost as long as airplanes have existed. But being able to fly and being accepted as a pilot were two very different things. From aviation's earliest years, female pilots had to overcome assumptions about whether women were physically capable of controlling aircraft, whether they should be trained at all, whether passengers would trust them, and eventually whether they could be entrusted with the same powerful

Which World War II movies are historical fiction? Was Saving Private Ryan WWII historical fiction? Casablanca? Fury?

Movies about the atomic bomb have approached the subject from remarkably different directions. Some take us inside the secret

How do you choose the right screenwriter for your story? Learn what to look for, what matters most, and how to find the right fit for your project.

The real cost of hiring a screenwriter is not the price tag; it's the value you get from that screenwriter.

Wondering what happens when you hire a screenwriter? Learn the step-by-step development process, from concept shaping and outlining to the final script polish.

Have an idea for a movie? Discover the best next steps to turn your concept into a professional screenplay.

Download scripts and learn from the best screenwriters in the business, past and present. For educational purposes only.

Download scripts from famous screenwriters. Learn from insights into the styles of famous screenwriters. Read loglines for their most successful films.

Make your story stronger by understanding the thematic argument in a classic movie! By Phil Parker Phil is a professional screenwriter who writes for independent producers and directors, and holds an M.A. from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. CASABLANCA: Love, Sacrifice, and All Those Gin Joints! Casablanca isn't just famous for Humphrey Bogart’s fedora or that "play it again" misquote. It’s legendary because it knows exactly what it’s arguing about. Before you write your n

The thematic argument in ALIENS (1986) screenplay by James Cameron. A look at how a unique view of the thematic argument makes each character stand out from the rest.

Thematic arguments in movies. How the A-story and B-story can thematically reflect and intertwine with one another to make a story stronger.

CATSAWAY, the animated feature film I was hired to develop, is finally a GO now that Image Nation Abu Dhabi has joined the team! “The...

Logline examples and tons of tips to help you attract managers and producers.

In this final installment of my scene-writing tips and hacks series (see Part 1 and Part 2 ), let's talk goals , and the strategies and...

Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine, has put together an incredible video to give us a deep-dive look...