Easy guide to production
Brock Cooper is a professional writer interested in all things horror. His short story "The Devil is in the Details" made it to the preliminary ballot of the Bram Stoker Awards and production will soon begin on the movie version. When he isn't glued to the computer writing the next masterpiece, he spends time with his wife and three children.
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) I have talked about how the way a screenplay is written is rather formulaic. It’s the nature of the industry, and it’s difficult to get something made that breaks that formula, especially for a new writer. However, your plot can come from anywhere. The idea … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) If you haven’t heard of “The Avengers,” then you must be living on another planet...in which case you could have probably been in “The Avengers.” It’s no secret that superheroes are big money and there will be no shortage of movies coming out in the … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) When a show is popular, networks have a hard time letting go of a good thing. Many times they would rather see a show slowly burn into oblivion rather than end it at the height of its popularity. It’s like all the networks are run by Brett Favre. When a show … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) Whenever there is narration on screen, but the character is not in the scene, this is commonly referred to as a voice over (V.O). It’s a widely used device in many screenplays, but sadly it’s often not used correctly. There are other more mundane reasons that … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) It’s been a big month for “Dark Shadows” with the proliferation of movie trailers on television and Internet as well as the passing of beloved actor Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins, on April 13. As I read the many tributes to the actor, it made me … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) People joked that Dick Clark never aged and he looked no different in 2000 than he did in 1960. He may be gone, but the legacy of programming he helped to usher in will last forever in reruns and syndication on channels like The Game Show Network and his network, ABC. … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) Veteran actress Betty White was inducted into the National Association of Broadcaster Hall of Fame for her decades of work in the entertainment industry. White has had a resurgence in popularity over the a past few years, but her cast of memorable characters goes back … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) Many people are anxiously awaiting the return of Matt Smith’s Dr. Who and beloved companions Amy Pond and, the man we all hate, but wish to be, Rory. This season is expected to be a heartfelt and tragic goodbye for the couple, but that’s nothing new to Dr. Who … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) The Beatles aren’t the only British import that has helped shape American entertainment. While most people realize that many American shows are remade in other countries, you may not realize that your favorite show on network television or cable may have actually … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNews) When it comes to screenwriting software, there are two primary powerhouses that most people think about: Final Draft and Celtx. For writers with something of a disposable income, you can shell out the money for Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, the Cadillacs of … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNews) It’s been a rough year for Netflix. What was supposed to be a major step forward in their business plan ended in a disastrous public backlash. A streaming site known for movies lost a significant portion of them because of the departure of Starz, and the cost of … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) When you write a story or screenplay that involves some heavy duty science, it’s usually a good idea to do a little research before you just start putting words onto a page. Audiences don’t expect you to get everything right, in fact, there is a term for this: … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNews) I’ve been knocking the Twilight Saga for years because of its teeny bopper mentality and turning a staple of the horror movie genre into a sappy soap opera of whiny teens and sparkles. It was one of those situations where I watched the first, and therefore have … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) In a world where we can have a thousand Halloween movies, followed by a reboot and then more Halloween movies, it seems Hollywood has gone more than a little sequel crazy. If a movie makes any kind of profit, odds are you're going to see a sequel to it. Heck, even … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) My start in screenwriting was a thrown in the pool kind of situation. A story I had wrote was optioned for a movie and they wondered if I could take a crack at the screenplay. I bought a few books, did a lot of research and was off to the races. My first few … [Read more...]
By Brock Cooper (doddleNEWS) It can be rough writing a script for the first time. Odds are your script isn’t perfect because you haven’t done this before or really bounced it off someone. There are numerous people out there that are willing to take a look at your script and suggest changes, … [Read more...]
