The Script Lab

Early Deadline for ScreenCraft's Family competition is Jan 31, 2025. ScreenCraft's industry leading Family-friendly Screenplay Competition has led to winners signing with literary managers and optioning their scripts. Enter now here:

Real-life politics can seem stranger than fiction and even when we see movies based on true stories surrounding a politician, we often find it unbelievable. For nearly 100 years, there have been movies made about the political machine. Read more here:

1994 was a turning point in film history. It showcased up-and-coming writing and directing talent, created movie stars, proved that animation could sell, and even introduced the world to a new type of filmmaker. Click here to see those lists of movies:

Does that scream sound familiar? It's probably the Wilhelm Scream, the most popular sound effect in Hollywood:

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards early entry is January 15th. Through all five rounds of competition, the PAGE Awards contest is judged entirely by film and television industry professionals. Enter while you can here:

In a new series for Script Lab, Martin Keady, our resident cinema historian, examines The Greatest Screenplays: scripts that every screenwriter should read and learn from. Read more here:

Family-friendly, four-quadrant movies and TV are the engine of Hollywood! ScreenCraft is celebrating great emerging writers with our Family-Friendly Screenplay Competition. Regular Deadline Feb 28, 2025! Enter here:

There are a lot of fantastic screenwriters that span over the century of cinema, but these are our picks for 50 greatest screenwriters ever. Who's your favorite screenwriter?

Embrace the discomfort. Download the screenplay 'HER' from our script library:

Late Deadline January 31st for ScreenCraft Fellowship! With the support of ScreenCraft, former fellows have been hired to write film and television for Netflix, Apple TV+, ABC, The CW, Amazon, FX, NBC, Hulu, and more. Enter here now:

What is film noir? Let's unpack the genre and our favorite films that encapsulate the genre and its tropes. What's your favorite film noir?

From 1895 to now, no other art form has ever undergone the technological and creative revolution that cinema has. Let's check out its evolution over the past century and a half:

The term mumblecore started as a joke but has since defined not just a new designated 21st-century genre of film but also a generation of filmmakers. Discover the defining characteristics of the mumblecore genre, and the 10 films that define them:

Welcome to a continuation of The Hero’s Journey Breakdown where we explore Joseph Campbell’s mythological storytelling structure and how iconic films fit into that mold. Read more to find out here:

In a new series for The Script Lab, Martin Keady, our resident cinema historian, examines The Greatest Screenplays—those that every screenwriter should read and learn from. Check out our scripts on The Script Lab's website. Read more in the article here:

Need to laugh at something taboo? Here are ten of our top picks for dark comedy movies that make us grin and scripts to check out!

Have a story based on true events? Put that research to good use! Now’s your chance to get your screenplay in front of a jury who are looking for new voices. Early deadline for ScreenCraft's True Story & Public Domain is January 31st. Enter here now:

Take your pick: psychological thriller, crime thriller, supernatural thriller, political thriller, erotic thriller... the 1990's were a hotbed of films that kept us on the edges of our seats. Here are ten of the decade’s best:

Your story has the potential to captivate audiences and redefine genres. The Launch Pad Prose Competition offers mentorship, partnerships, and a path to success. Regular deadline Feb 20, 2025. Enter here:

Ah, plot holes. Every movie nerd’s favorite treasure to find while watching a flick. Whether they're harmless inconsistencies or complete plot bombs, let's go over 20 of the biggest plot holes in cinema: