Start Dancing in the Rain
More filmmaking insights from Elliot at Raindance. Check out the Raindance website for more real world filmmaking and screenwriting knowledge. What is a film story engine? A film story engine is a repeatable cinematic structure designed to generate: Endless episodes Predictable emotional screenplay beats Fast film audience attachment Low-cost film production cycles Expandable IP It’s not a screenplay. It’s a framework. Think less “feature arc.” Think more narrative factory.
Dancing Rain
The quality and insight of Raindance founder Elliot Grove's Substack film finance blog made me republish it here, with Elliot's kind permission. If you want to get real about film making, you need to understand the film finance funnel, rich in detail as it is, and red in tooth and claw as it may seem. You can do worse than joining Raindance if you are an aspiring screenwriter or film maker who wants to skip the usual film making bull and make your mark as a film maker or scre
One to Watch: A House of Dynamite
Releases October 24, 2025 Dir: Kathryn Bigelow Screenwriter: Noah Oppenheim Stars: Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, Idris Elba Log: White...
K PAX
K PAX (2001 Iain Softley) is a film about a man so badly traumatised that he believes he is an alien who takes the name ‘Prot’ (Kevin...
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING
Film making is so complex and involves so many people that it’s a wonder any good films ever get made. This gives us an idea of why...
The Structure of Mortality
Increasingly, I come across screenwriters who treat the acts in their screenplay as separate things. Some screenwriters even feel that...
Adaptation: welcome to your story
The process of adapting a book to the screen is something I enjoy doing. It’s a unique screenwriting skill – quite unlike writing a...
Defiance
In 1958, Natalie Wood passed Frank Sinatra’s table at Romanoff’s in Beverly Hills when he made a loud, crude comment aimed at her....
"Schindler's List"
When Liam Neeson stepped into the role of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s "Schindler's List" (1993), few could predict the...
Anora
Should you wish to read the screenplay of this year's Academy Award, or Oscar, for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, ANORA, you...
