Phil Clarke's Reel

The Christmas edition of my Bulletin - a screenwriting newsletter with hundreds of subscribers - has now launched! Philmscribers: it should be in your inbox. If not, check your spam. Not yet a Philmscriber? Sign up for free at the bottom of any site page: http://philmscribe.com Season's greetings! Phil

Seeing as the world is celebrating 20 years since the cinematic release of the first Harry Potter film, I thought I'd re-post this trip down memory lane of us corralling those wizarding kids from the Philosopher's Stone. And the keener-eyed among you may spot a gum-chewing, beardless me looking stern in the background! #harrypotter #hogwarts #film #filmmaking #behindthescenes #bts #danielradcliffe #rupertgrint #emmawatson #onset #throwbackthursday #movies #moviemaking #harrypotter20thanniversary #harrypotter20 #philosophersstone

Don't overdo your dialogue. Bear in mind when you're writing a film script, the onus should be on the visuals, the action. It's a visual medium. Or as Bruce Lee puts it:

Giving the reader/audience a sense of setting right from the get-go is key, but make sure your opening scene does more than just establish location. The Thing (1982) is a great example of conveying setting while still providing plot detail. This beats a boring aerial shot of the landscape. This is intrinsically part of the story. It matters. Take it away and the story suffers. Your opening scenes should have more than one purpose. They need to both orientate and hook the reader into your tale.

Someone recently sent me some Harry Potter video I've not seen before. So seeing as it's ThrowbackThursday across social media here's some hastily-trimmed behind-the-scenes footage for all you Potterheads, film fans or just those curious to see a much younger gum-chewing me on set coralling the Hogwarts kids! A magical time! Can't believe it was almost 20 years ago...