Scriptcake

In this episode, we continue our series on Protagonist's Problems. This is a big one! Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Lukas Hassel is an award-winning actor, screenwriter and filmmaker whose credits include The Blacklist , Blue Bloods and The Night Agent . He wrote and stars in the psychological horror-thriller House of Abraham alongside Natasha Henstridge and Lin Shaye. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule,...

How well do you really know your protagonist? The odds are, not well enough.  Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Your protagonist wants something. You've made that perfectly clear. But what if they want the wrong thing?  In this episode, we look at the difference between having a goal and having a goal powerful enough to drive an entire screenplay. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check...

You want the audience to like your protagonist. Of course you do. But sometimes trying too hard to make a character likable does exactly the opposite.  In this episode, we look at why being "nice" might be one of the things keeping your protagonist from coming alive. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his publ...

Welcome to our new series on issues with Protagonists in your screenplay. In this series, we will look at a number of issues with protagonists and help you try to solve them.  Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode in this series. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please...

It happens to us on a regular basis. We deny something that is inevitable. We deny our hopes and dreams. We deny so many things that we know we shouldn't. Once you figure out why, then you've figured out a massive plot point for a screenplay. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, ple...

It is imperative that you do and don't write about your life. Is that confusing? If so, listen to this weeks podcast and get a little clarity. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Don't do it. Overexplaining is an epidemic in screenwriting. Find out why and how to avoid it in this episode.  Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Sometimes we get lost during the screenwriting process. It's hard to stay clear on what we're writing about. External factors influence us. We research things that impact our original ideas. How do we keep it all clear? Well, we go back to the beginning, to our Focus Point.  Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or...

Alvaro Rodriguez is a writer, producer, and composer. He began his career by working as a composer on El Mariachi in 1992.  He has since expanded into film and television writing and producing. He has written on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series , Machete , Seis Manos , American Rust , Chicago Fire and Florida Man . Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book &quo...

Have you completed a feature film and people love the idea of it but when they read it, it doesn't resonate with them? That's probably because there's no story behind your story. Listen to find out what the issue is. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lo...

Paul Chitlik is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, director, and internationally respected educator who has written for major studios and networks in both English and Spanish. He served as story editor for MGM/UA’s The New Twilight Zone and staff writer for Showtime’s Brothers , and has developed features for numerous production companies. He earned a Writers Guild of America nomination for...

Are you having a hard time adapting a real life experience to a screenplay. It's probably because of the personal story problem. Listen and see if fixing this can help you write a better screenplay. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

As a new year is upon us, it's time to think about what we want to accomplish this year as screenwriters. What are your screenwriting resolutions? Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

A lot of screenwriters get confused when rewriting their screenplays. What constitutes an actual rewrite? Listen and find out.  Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

It's probably the most overlooked element in a scene. Understand the power of choosing the right location for your scene to take place.  Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Diane Drake is a screenwriter who is best known for writing Only You (1994) and What Women Want (2000). She is also the author of the screenwriting book, Get Your Story Straight . Click the link to get it on Amazon. Diane will be a mentor at the Rocaberti Writers Retreat in Figueres, Spain, March 2026 To find press and podcasts featuring Diane, click here . To read an extended interview with Diane...

Oftentimes, screenwriters miss writing half of their movie because they never ask the question and, as a result, they never answer it. Listen to find out if you're asking the right question. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

What are the layers of information that an audience receives when they are watching a scene?  It's a lot more data than you think. Listen to learn more! Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

As a former script reader, I've seen it all. There are so many things that make a reader, producer, financier or distributor pass on your film. If it's the story, that's one thing but if it's any of these mistakes, you're cutting your legs off before you even begin walking through your screenwriting career.  Make sure you avoid all of these mistakes before you send your sc...

Sabrina Dhawan's debut feature as screenwriter, Monsoon Wedding, won the ‘Leon D’Oro’ at the Venice Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.  Sabrina’s other produced screenplay credits include Kaminey , directed by Vishal Bharadwaj for UTV; Ishqiya , directed by Abhishek Chaubey for Shemaroo Entertainment. 11.9.01 , directed by Nair for Canal Plus; Cosmopolitan for PBS; Rangoon , directe...

Sometimes I get confused. I stick to structure to such an extent it keeps me from maximizing my scenes. Though I still believe you need a solid foundation structure to make your screenplay work, I now also believe that you can sway from it on a scene-by-scene basis to maximize your scenes, to take them to 11. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scr...

Ever wonder what it's like to have your film nominated for an Academy Award? Krushan Naik walks us through his experience as a producer/editor of the Oscar-nominated short film Anuja. Support the show For more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out  www.lovinder.com .

Do you ever get bogged down while writing your screenplay wondering what you should focus on? Do I need to work on the protagonist, the antagonist, the concept, the visuals, the action, the dialogue, the sub plots or what? I know that happens to me and I finally figured out a way to look at it that helps me clearly see what I need to focus on - The Primary Objective! Support the show For more info...