The One Person Movie Studio: An 8-Step AI Filmmaking Workflow Straight From a Working Creator

The One Person Movie Studio: An 8-Step AI Filmmaking Workflow Straight From a Working Creator

by | Feb 18, 2026 | Business of writing, Movies

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Let’s Talk about the AI Disruption

Using or even talking about AI freaks a lot of creatives out. It’s time to get real. The genie is out of the bottle. Things are not going back to Peak TV of 2017 or the movie theaters of 1993. Ever since 1904, when fiction films became popular with audiences, entertainment has been evolving with technology.

Movies did not kill live theater, and they survived the arrival of television. Movies made by and starring humans will not go away. But the business will change. There will be fewer traditional films made every year. Their releases will feel more like an event.

Yes, some jobs and even whole professions will disappear. This evolution has always happened in entertainment. I was working at Disney Feature Animation when the studio made the last hand-drawn feature film. Those artists and skill sets are gone. The same thing happened to special effects with the advent of CGI. The model artists that made the Death Star for Star Wars are extinct.

But with disruption comes opportunity. New jobs and new creative and production pipelines will emerge.

Even if you choose to be a traditional filmmaker, you need to know what the AI tools are and what they can do. They are going to continue to improve and become more ubiquitous.

As the creator profiled here, Jeff Rivera, says, “even the people that say they aren’t using AI are.”

The Good News

While things are changing at the speed of light, you, your creativity, and stories are valuable. The entertainment industry will always need creators and storytellers. What is coming is good news. The center of gravity is moving away from Hollywood. Just like what happened to publishing with the introduction of the Kindle in 2009. Suddenly authors could easily publish their books and get them to readers. The gatekeepers of the New York publishers became immaterial. Now indie publishing is flourishing while traditional publishers are struggling. 

The same thing is going to happen to the entertainment industry. Without the roadblock of hundred-million-dollar production and marketing budgets, creators, directors, and writers will make their movie and television projects themselves. Both animation and photrealistic stories are possible. Now ideas that were too expensive are within reach. This seismic shift means more stories. More kinds of stories. And more fans. This is exciting news for storytellers and audiences.

Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans Theory is still relevant. As a creator, the focus will be on nicheing down and finding your audience. Want to make your gay vampire TV show? There are people out there who will love it! You just have to find them. The key to this new creator-driven Hollywood will be finding, building, and selling to your audience.

That movie in your head that you’ve been waiting to sell to tell? Now you can make it! No more pounding the pavement. No more waiting for that elusive yes. No more development hell. You can make  it all - your movie, pilot, proof of concept, or trailer!

Meet A Creator Who is Making His Feature Film

I interviewed Jeff Rivera, who is making an animated musical fantasy called Kingdoms of the Last Tribes (he describes it as “Disneyesque”). He is the writer, director, designer, and composer! Right now, a single creator can move from script to animated scenes without a full studio.

Jeff graciously shared his workflow and tools with me so I could share them with you. While he is making an animated feature, these steps also will work for creating photorealistic projects. Here is a trailer for one of his live action movies.

AI Habits to get the Best Results

How to Prompt

The key to using generative AI tools is knowing how to prompt. The output is only as good as the input. The more specific and creative you are, the better the result. I know one creator who uses complicated prompts, sometimes as long as 200 words.

While there is a learning curve to prompting, you can use the AI tools to help you. Very meta, right?  ChatGPT  or Gemini or Claude can help you write prompts. They are all great. Experiment to find your preference.

Example: Create a Midjourney prompt for a photorealistic  blonde 1920s flapper age 23 dressed in an evening gown. Use the aspect ratio 16:9.

Hint: When creating images, be sure to include the aspect ratio. Otherwise, you will get a default square image. The movie aspect ratio (rectangle) is 16:9, TikTok and Instagram Reels are 9:16. If you are not sure what aspect ratio to use, ask your AI prompt partner.

Hint: Remember this is a conversation. Start by telling the AI about your story. Include the genre, style, premise, emotional journey, and background of your characters. What are their looks and personalities? Go back and forth, reiterating until you like the result.

Use Paid Versions

You get what you pay for. The paid versions of AI tools are light years better than the free ones. To save money, pay by the month and unsubscribe when you are not using them regularly.

You Are the Director

Start thinking like a director. When you watch movies and TV, notice how the director uses different shots in a scene to tell the story and elicit emotion.  

Jeff’s 8-Step AI Filmmaking Workflow

Think of this workflow like a film set made of apps. Each one has a job. You’re the director, writer, and producer, running the whole circus.

Step 0: The Script

Before anything else, you need a strong script. Everything starts with the story.

Step 1: Create Characters

Jeff’s first official step is character creation, and he recommends Midjourney.

How he uses it:

  • Midjourney has a specific lingo. If you’re new to Midjourney prompting, Jeff suggests using your favorite AI to help you write prompts.
  • If you want a free option, he points to Meta AI.

Output: Character images you can use consistently.

Step 2: Create backgrounds and locations

Next: Build your world, going through locations scene by scene. Jeff uses Midjourney again for backgrounds and locations.

Hint: Decide your design and lighting style. Are you telling a romance in sun-soaked tropical locales? A neon-fueled action movie mostly at night? A bright modern comedy?

Output: location images (your sets.)

Step 3: Break the script into shots

Now you put on your cinematographer hat. Here is an explanation of the different kinds of camera angles and shot terminology.

Mini Glossary: Camera Shots, Angles, and Movements

Remember: you are the director now. The AI tools speak fluent cinematographer, so the more precisely you name your shots, the better your results. Use these terms in your prompts exactly as written — “low angle close-up, slow push-in” will get you something far better than “make it dramatic.” Watch a favorite movie scene with this list in hand and you'll start seeing the choices behind every frame.

Shot Sizes (How Close Are We?)

Establishing shot — A wide view that opens a scene and tells the audience where we are — the town, the building, the tearoom at dawn. Use one at the start of each new location.

Wide shot (or long shot) — The full character and their surroundings. Good for action, geography, and showing a character alone in a big world.

Full shot — The character from head to toe. Useful for entrances, costumes, and physical comedy.

Medium shot — The character from the waist up — the workhorse of conversation scenes. When in doubt, this is your shot.

Close-up — The face fills the frame. This is where emotion lives. Use it for reactions, realizations, and any moment you want the audience to feel.

Extreme close-up — One detail fills the frame — the eyes, the trembling hand, the monogrammed cake fork. Use sparingly, for maximum drama.

Two-shot — Two characters in one frame. The staple of dialogue and romance — it shows the relationship, not just the people.

Over-the-shoulder (OTS) — The camera looks past one character's shoulder at the other. The standard back-and-forth pattern for conversations; alternate OTS shots between speakers.

Insert shot — A quick cut to an object that matters — the letter, the phone screen, the key in the lock. Inserts say, “pay attention to this.”

Reaction shot — A shot of a character responding to what just happened. Never forget reaction shots. The audience learns how to feel by watching your characters feel.

Camera Angles (Where Are We Looking From?)

Eye level — The camera at the character's eye height. Neutral, natural, and invisible — your default.

Low angle — The camera looks up at the subject, making them powerful, heroic, or threatening. Villain entrances love a low angle.

High angle — The camera looks down, making the subject seem small, vulnerable, or overwhelmed. Perfect for a heroine at her lowest moment.

Bird's-eye view (overhead) — Looking straight down from above. Great for reveals, patterns, and showing a character surrounded — or a body in a garden.

Dutch angle (canted angle) — The camera tilts sideways so the horizon sits crooked. Instant unease — something is wrong here. Use it for tension and disorientation.

POV (point of view) — The camera becomes a character's eyes, showing exactly what they see. Powerful for discovery moments — we find the clue when they do.

Camera Movements (How Does the Frame Move?)

Static (locked-off) — The camera doesn't move. Calm, composed, and often the right choice — constant movement exhausts an audience.

Pan — The camera pivots left or right from a fixed spot, like turning your head. Use it to follow action or reveal what's beside the frame.

Tilt — The camera pivots up or down from a fixed spot. A slow tilt up a character is a classic dramatic introduction.

Push-in (dolly in) — The camera physically moves toward the subject. A slow push-in on a face during a realization is one of the most powerful tools in filmmaking.

Pull-back (dolly out) — The camera moves away from the subject, revealing context or leaving a character alone in the frame. A classic scene-ender.

Tracking shot — The camera travels alongside the action — walking with characters down a street or through a crowded room. Adds energy and immersion.

Zoom — The lens magnifies the image without the camera moving. Feels slightly more artificial than a push-in; a fast zoom (“crash zoom”) reads as comedic or shocking.

Crane (or drone) shot — The camera rises or descends through the air — sweeping over the town, lifting away from the final scene.

Handheld — The camera moves with a human wobble. Adds urgency, realism, or nerves.

Slow motion /speed ramp — Time slows for emphasis, or shifts speed mid-shot. Use for impact moments.

💡 Prompt formula to steal: [shot size] + [angle] + [movement] + [subject and emotion] + [lighting]. For example: “Medium close-up, low angle, slow push-in on a determined woman in a tearoom doorway at golden hour, warm light.”

Hint: Use these shots, camera angles, and movements in your prompts to get the best results.

Jeff uses ChatGPT to get shot breakdowns with a very specific prompt:

“You are a cinematographer for Steven Spielberg. Read this script and break it down into shots. Make sure each story point has coverage for action and reactions.”

Hint: Don’t forget reaction shots. For storytelling and emotion, the audience needs to see what the characters are feeling.

Output: A shot list (wide, medium, close-up, angles, movement ideas.)

This step gives your film a professional structure. Your shot list is the blueprint. Think visually here. You are the director.

Step 4: Compositing: Combine character + location into actual frames

This is where you create something you can animate.

Jeff takes the characters, backgrounds, and shot list into Gemini, and uses Nano Banana to “bridge” them together, meaning you are putting the character in the location with a specific shot. The outcome looks like a film still, a frozen moment from your story.

What that means in practice: Tell Gemini something like: “Put Character A in Location B at a low angle, 35mm lens vibe, dramatic lighting, looking screen left,” and it outputs a composited image that matches your shot plan.

Hint: Remember to use your AI prompting partner. Tell it who is in the scene, where it is, what is happening, the emotional feeling of the scene, the pacing, and lighting.

Jeff also recommends Higgsfield and Freepik as alternatives for this compositing step.

Output: Still frames that look like real shots (characters placed in locations at planned angles.)

Step 5: Upscale your images

Once you have frames, Jeff upscales them for speed and quality.

Upscaling is the step where you take an image (or video frame) that’s too small or a little crunchy and increases its resolution so it looks sharper and holds up in editing, animation, and export.

AI-generated images often start at a modest size. That’s fine for brainstorming, but when you try to animate them, zoom in, crop, or cut them into a polished scene, you can get softness, pixilation, and weird, mushy details. Upscaling uses software to rebuild more pixels and add believable detail, so the image looks cleaner at a higher resolution.

In Jeff’s workflow, upscaling happens after he composites the character into the location before animation. That way, the animation tool is working with a higher-quality source frame, and the final scene looks more like a film and less like a test render.

His go to: Let’s Enhance because it’s fast.

Other options he mentions:

Output: high-resolution frames ready for animation

Step 6: Animate

Jeff’s top pick right now is Veo3, Google’s video generator. He likes it because it handles lip-sync and acting.

How he uses it:

  • Upload the image.
  • Add a prompt like: “Zoom in as she says: ‘Jeff, what are you talking about?’”
  • It animates mouth movements and camera motion.

If Veo3 isn’t cooperating, he lists backups:

Output: Animated clips per shot

Quick fix: If your video looks slow-motion-ish, speed it up about 30% in an editor.

Step 7: Edit and assemble

Time to stitch your shots into a scene.

Jeff prefers Adobe Premiere, but he points out DaVinci Resolve is free and just as good. CapCut is another option.

Output: A finished scene edit

Step 8: Music and sound design

Sound is where your film stops feeling like a test and starts feeling like a movie.

Jeff’s sources:

  • Motion Array for royalty-free music and sound effects.
  • Suno for original music generation. You can hum a melody and ask for variations like “cinematic” or “scary”.
  • Veo3 adds sound design automatically when you include sound in your prompt.

Output: music and sound effects that support emotion and tone

For a downloadable clickable cheat sheet of these tools go here.

AI Filmmaking Tool Cheat Sheet (using Jeff Rivera’s process)

Filmmaking Prompt Hints

  • The more specific and creative you are, the better the result.
  • Use ChatGPT  or Gemini or Claude to help you write prompts. Experiment to find your preference.
  • Remember this is a conversation. Go back and forth, reiterating until you like the result.
  • Include the aspect ratio. Otherwise, you will get the default square image.
  • Use the paid versions.
  • Think like a director. Movies are a visual storytelling medium.
  • Cinematographer prompt: “You are a cinematographer for Steven Spielberg. Read this script and break it down into shots. Make sure each story point has coverage for action and reactions.”
  • Give the AI a job. “You are a director.”
  • Use camera shot and movement terms.
  • Don’t forget reaction shots. For storytelling and emotion, the audience needs to see what the characters are feeling.
  • Include who is in the scene, where it is, what is happening, the emotional feeling of the scene, the pacing, and lighting.

Use This Work Flow

You don’t need to make a feature film tomorrow. Start with proof-of-concept steps that help sell your story:

  • Make a 20–40 second scene teaser to pitch tone and genre.
  • Create a musical number to showcase a song.
  • Build an animated pitch-deck.
  • Prototype hard-to-explain moments: creatures, worlds, or action.

Go Get ‘Em

If you’ve got a project that was labeled too big and expensive, this workflow will help you make it one shot at a time. I can’t wait to see what you create!

Note: This article was written in February 2026. While tools continue to evolve, the workflow described here will stay relevant.

More About AI

The Neuron – A free daily newsletter covering all things AI

The Nerdy Novelist – YouTube channel

​​Author Update​ - Weekly YouTube show covering AI, entertainment, and publishing. Great for screenwriters too.

The Creative Penn Podcast – Joanna Penn covers AI in her weekly news round up and her Patreon.

Roger Avary Announces Three AI Films in Active Production

AI Studio Primordial Soup Debuts Revolutionary War Series

Check it Out!

Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? ​Watch ​me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!

Want more content like this? Click here to subscribe to my newsletter.

If this blog adds a little spark to your writing week, would you consider buying me a coffee? Your support helps me keep creating practical, joyful resources for writers.

Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!

How to Write a Hallmark Christmas Movie

How to Write a Hallmark Christmas Movie

by | Dec 23, 2025 | Movies, writing

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Today is Christmas Movie Marathon Day! For me, December is Christmas Movie Month. I love Christmas and I love Christmas movies! Christmas movies are forever. They are broadcast, streamed, and watched every year. I love old Christmas movies (White Christmas), new Christmas classics (Love Actually), Christmas action movies (Lethal Weapon), every version of A Christmas Carol (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), and Hallmark Christmas movies.

It’s the holiday season, and that means 24 hours a day Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel! People make fun of these movies, but audiences love them. In fact, the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies’ ratings are so high that Lifetime and UpTV have copied their 24 hours programming strategy. Netflix and Prime Video have their own original Christmas films too. These channels have an insatiable need for new movie ideas, which is good news for creators.

These movies are warm, comforting, and just what people need during the holiday season. People love Christmas. It’s a magical time of year when anything is possible, especially finding true love.

Let's unwrap why these festive flicks are the cinematic equivalent of a mug of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows!

They’re Like a Holiday Hug

Predictable? Sure, but in the best way possible. Hallmark movies are the friends we know will never let us down. They promise ​happy endings​ and deliver them with a bow on top. Watching these films is like coming home to a familiar, joyful place where everything turns out. They remind us that love is the most amazing magic of all.

The Christmas We Wish We Had

These movies are a nostalgic sleigh ride into a fantasy past. They're packed with everything we love about the holidays — snowball fights, twinkling lights, and heartwarming family moments. They are the perfect cinematic Christmas we dream about, filled with romance, laughter, and sometimes a sprinkle of holiday magic. It's hard not to get swept up in the festive spirit when love and miracles are in the air!

The Coziest Community Ever

These films show us quirky small towns where everyone knows your name and has your back. These are places we wish we could visit.

A Feast for the Eyes

Hallmark movies are a visual treat. The festive decor, twinkling lights, and picturesque winter scenes are the perfect backdrop to their heartwarming stories. It's like stepping into a Christmas card!

Christmas Movie Genres

All Hallmark Christmas movies are romances. After all, love is the greatest Christmas gift. Each genre within the Hallmark Christmas movie universe adds its own sprinkle of yuletide cheer. Let's jingle our way through the different genres as broken down in ​It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Hallmark: Writing a Made-for-TV Christmas Movie​ by Heather Hughes and Kate Wharton.

1. Hometown Christmas – A successful city girl must go to or return to a picturesque small town and accomplish some Christmas related task.

2. The Fake Boyfriend – A fake relationship transforms into genuine love. People take a fake boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet their family, or they need an attractive date for a work function.

3. Christmas Magic – This covers Santa, time travel, angels, and magic wishes. New versions of ​A Christmas Carol​ fall into this category.

4. Christmas Royalty – This is the classic Cinderella story where a young woman, usually from the middle class, meets a prince or minor royalty. Complete with ball gowns, grand palaces, and a touch of royal intrigue, these movies are a fairy-tale lover’s dream come true.

5. Snowstorms Ahead – Winter weather provides a perfect stage for cozy conflict with couples confined together because of snowstorms.

6. The Christmas Cynic – A person who dislikes Christmas must learn to love it, or at least convince someone like a boss or a TV audience, that she does. Or the cynic must shut down some beloved Christmas related business like the town's ornament factory.

7. The Musical Christmas – A melody-filled genre where music plays a central role. It could be about a struggling musician finding his muse, a Christmas pageant, or a caroling competition.

8. The Christmas Switcheroo – Two women decide to switch places to see how the other half lives. While living another person's life, they each fall in love.

Wrapping Up

Hallmark Christmas movies are the ultimate holiday treat. They're a blend of comfort, cheer, and a bit of holiday magic. Do you have an idea for a Christmas romance? Watch as many as you can for inspiration. Grab your favorite holiday snack, snuggle up, and let the merry marathons begin!

If you need a palate cleanser from all the sugary Christmas romance, try ​the Christmas action triple​ feature of Diehard, Lethal Weapon, and Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.

For story inspiration check out Deck the Halls with Story Beats.

Check It Out!

Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? ​Watch ​me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!

Want more content like this? Click here to subscribe to my newsletter.

Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!

If this blog adds a little spark to your writing week, would you consider buying me a coffee? Your support helps me keep creating practical, joyful resources for writers and start earning money today!

My Favorite Movies About Writing

My Favorite Movies About Writing

by | Dec 9, 2023 | Movies, writing

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Writing is, as all of you know, a solitary, cerebral occupation. Even when you’re actually pounding on your keyboard, you’re in your head. The process of writing, the blood, sweat, and tears of it, is difficult to dramatize. Lots of characters in movies are writers, but very few films are about writing itself. Here are my favorites that capture what a writer goes through as he tries to get the story in his head down on paper.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994) comedy written by Woody Allen – A wunderkind playwright (John Cusak) is interested in creating deep Art, but he doesn’t care about entertaining an audience. The backer of the play, a gangster, wants to give his mistress a part. John is having to compromise his art to get his project made. Meanwhile, the gangster’s henchman (Chazz Palmentari) has a flare for story and starts making suggestions. It turns out he’s the real talent, and he’s willing to kill a bad actress save his play. This movie points out two creative truths. 1) Writers can be pretentious and untalented. 2) Anyone can have good ideas.

See How They Run (2020) comedic mystery written by Mark Chappell – a fictional murder mystery set around the real Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap involving all the drama around turning a hit play into a movie, including the writer fighting with the director about the script. Even more fun, the murder mystery is full of Agatha Christie tropes that connect to the play. Fun fact: The Mousetrap has been playing in the West End of London without interruption (with the exception of the lockdowns) since 1953.

Robert Downey Jr., Michael Douglas, Toby McGuire in Wonder Boys

Wonder Boys (2000) comedy written by Steve Kloves, based on the book by Michael Chabon – Once promising novelist Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) doesn’t do a lot of writing in this movie, but he captures perfectly the mania of trying to live up to the reputation of your own book, and the despair and fear at being eclipsed by a younger, more talented writer.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) comedy written by Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard – Shakespeare falls in love with Viola, who is pretending to be a man so she can act. This relationship gives him inspiration to revise his latest play and turn it into Romeo & Juliet. It’s fun to see the fictional story of how he came up with one of his most famous plays.

Sweet Liberty (1986) comedy written by Alan Alda – Follows the experience of an author (Alan Alda) whose book is being made into a movie. Even though it’s non-fiction, the Hollywood folks are changing it left and right. Alan Alda struggles to keep the integrity of his book and make the screenplay good. This is an overlooked gem of a movie with great performances from Michael Cain and Michelle Pfeiffer as temperamental movie stars.

Adaption (2002) black comedy written by Charlie Kaufman – Writer Charlie Kaufman had such a difficult time figuring out how to turn the book The Orchid Thief into a movie that he wrote the screenplay about his struggle. This movie perfectly captures the turmoil when you just can’t crack the story and everyone else you know seems to be sailing along.

The Muse (1999) comedy written by Albert Brooks & Monica Johnson – Blocked screenwriter Albert Brooks hires kooky professional muse Sharon Stone to help him. She may be crazy, but there’s a method to her madness. She helps him come up with a new idea and gives his wife the confidence to start a business. If only we could all have a muse for hire on call.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) film noir written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, & D.M. Marshman Jr. – Desperate and destitute screenwriter meets desperate and unhinged movie star while a sweet assistant writes her first screenplay. Sometimes being a writer is deadly.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006) comedy written by Zach Helm – IRS Agent Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) suddenly starts hearing narration and realizes he is a character in someone’s novel. What will happen if he tries to break out of the plot and falls in love?

Author’s Anonymous (2014) comedy written by David Congalton – When several dysfunctional and unpublished writers accept inexperienced Hannah (Kaley Cuoco) into their writers group, they don’t expect her overnight success. A comedy about competition and creativity.

Something’s Gotta Give (2003) romantic comedy written by Nancy Myers – Diane Keaton is a playwright who uses the heartbreak of falling in love with her daughter’s boyfriend (who is her age) to write her next hit play. The scenes of her crying her eyes out as she types are hysterical and relatable.

Paris When It Sizzles (1964) comedy written by George Axelrod – This is a mediocre movie. The fun is seeing secretary Audrey Hepburn act out all of screenwriter William Holden’s different scenarios as he tries to figure out what kind of movie to write.

Bonus: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) romance written by Woody Allen – is not about writing, but the fantasy of living your favorite movie. Downtrodden Depression era waitress Mia Farrow’s life is turned upside down when the romantic lead from her favorite movie steps out of the screen.

What does it say about the writing life that most of these are comedies? Comment to let me know if I left one of your favorite writing movies off the list!

Check it Out!

Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? ​Watch ​me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!

Want more content like this? Click here to subscribe to my newsletter.

If this blog adds a little spark to your writing week, would you consider buying me a coffee? Your support helps me keep creating practical, joyful resources for writers.

Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!

Embrace Your Genre: Lessons from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Embrace Your Genre: Lessons from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

by | Jul 6, 2023 | Creativity, Movies, writing

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Over the weekend, I saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. I went in with low expectations because the Indiana Jones movies have been, to put it politely, erratic in quality. It was amazing! A solid, entertaining, old-fashioned in a good way movie.

What made me so excited and nostalgic about The Dial of Destiny was the writers and director let Indy do what he does best, fight Nazis for a powerful historical artifact while he's grappling with his own emotional journey. It's full of callbacks to Raiders and The Last Crusade and yet stands on its own for viewers who have never seen those films. I left the theater jazzed and hopeful. Maybe the movie industry can recover. Maybe the old traditions that made movies so great are finally back. Go Indy!

No matter what genre you are working in, The Dial of Destiny is a great reminder to keep in mind your audience’s expectations. Give them what they want in an entertaining way. Hit your tropes. Give your protagonist a juicy emotional ark. And keep the pace humming and the cliff hangers coming. 

Take a look at your story. Are you hitting all the right beats? Are you using your genre to give the audience what they want? What classic films should you watch for inspiration?

Check it Out!

Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? ​Watch ​me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!

Want more content like this? Click here to subscribe to my newsletter.

If this blog adds a little spark to your writing week, would you consider buying me a coffee? Your support helps me keep creating practical, joyful resources for writers.

Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!