Storytelling

The Worlds of Wes Anderson

A lovely essay by Michael Chabon on director Wes Anderson.

The world is so big, so complicated, so replete with marvels and surprises that it takes years for most people to begin to notice that it …

Twilight Zone's Rod Serling on Writing for Television

Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone,” speaks with students about writing for television. The discussion covers a range of topics including where ideas come from, writing for an audience, injecting philosophy into one’s work, characterization, …

Hitchcock: Master of Suspense

The master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock explains his process of working with actors, the fundamentals of suspense, humor in his films, the nature of villains, the influence of German expressionism on his work and much, much …

Imagination & Community

From Marilynne Robinson’s When I Was a Child I Read Books

As a fiction writer I do have to deal with the nuts and bolts of temporal reality – from time to time a character has …

TED Talk: How Movies Teach Manhood

When Colin Stokes’ 3-year-old son caught a glimpse of Star Wars, he was instantly obsessed. But what messages did he absorb from the sci-fi classic? Stokes asks for more movies that send positive messages to …

In Defense of “Les Misérables”

Brett McCracken discusses Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables over at Mere Orthodoxy.

Some may be (understandably) skeptical of any movie that can bring so many people–even grown men like Gerson–to tears. Surely a movie like that …