Okay, great list of titles, but every one of them leads to "Bulletproof Screenwriting" website, which ALSO lists all those titles, but no way to download or access them.
WTF?
This is a satire, right? "Story is important": Oh, glad you reminded me. "Do preproduction planning": Never thought of that--good idea. "Be passionate": Yeah, I really didn't want to make a movie, anyway. What a fucking waste of time--unless you were addressing Kindergarten filmmakers.
I've done production design for theatre, dance, video, print, and narrative film (including for a major studio) for years. I used to have a business card that said "Your living room is not a set. But it could be, with a little work." Few new filmmakers appreciate or understand production design's vital role in communicating just about everything: mood, character, time of day, and (yes) emotion. Color alone can make or break a scene, but B&W also communicates those things whether intentionally or not. In the rush of (often low-budget) preproduction, most filmmakers and their crew or assistants are usually aware--or ought to be--of costuming, lighting, furniture placement, etc., but seldom is there a PD onboard to orchestrate all of these things into a LOOK, a point-of-view for the scene. Don't ignore or overlook the power of the entire mise-en-scene--the best definition of which is "the whole visual presentation." Everything that's visible, even out of focus or far in the background, sends a message.
I once was asked to do a very minimal (as in no-budget) short film. The director knew her stuff, the sole actress was more than adequate, and I knew the cinematographer, so it felt like a good project. The entire script (based on a semi-famous short story) revolved around an isolated woman observing the world outside her apartment window. I asked for a little money to "dress" that window, so I could layer it with (1) blinds she could adjust for light and privacy, (2) sheer curtains she could see through without being seen, (3) heavy drapes for "total darkness." The director said "no way," the existing curtains in the apartment would do just fine. Well, all sorts of problems occurred when actual daylight wasn't available or was too available for nighttime shots. The curtains were full of dust and cat dander to which the actress was terribly allergic. The production became a continuous struggle and went way over schedule and of course the performance wasn't the best and the look of the apartment suffered from lack of continuity and clumsy lighting choices. An extreme example, perhaps, but pertinent.
What a refreshing read! Strongly opinionated, well researched, unafraid to challenge the current shibboleths. Would there were more pieces like this, but that would require a very different website, one dedicated to critical thinking rather than gushy fandom.
"Roughly 1,000 people." In what universe is that a serious sampling? Across what ages/ demographics/locations/income levels? Non-story.
What a refreshing interview! How good to hear talk of nuance, emotion, heart, rhythm, feelings, when it comes to editing dramatic content. The books written by the top editors in the business speak emphatically to this, and it's still evident in high-end dramas.