Tag Archives: Notes

LUCA and the Missing Stakes

Posted on August 2, 2021 by heidihornbacher

As lovers of all things Italy, we naturally couldn’t wait to see the new Disney Pixar animated feature, Luca, set in a fictionalized version of Cinque Terre’s Riomaggiore on the Ligurian coast. The film is a sort of updated mash-up of The … Continue reading →

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Ford v Ferrari and Character Desperation

Posted on August 24, 2020 by heidihornbacher

I have always been a car girl. In my childhood bedroom there was nary a Barbie or baby doll in sight, but I had a killer collection of Hot Wheels. As an adult, I consider the 1965 AC Shelby Cobra … Continue reading →

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Made In Italy – In Search of Stakes

Posted on August 17, 2020 by heidihornbacher

“You haven’t seen Made in Italy?” one of our Orvieto alums gasped. I know. I’m a cliche. I love Italy to the point I married an Italian; I have my citizenship; and we run our annual screenwriting retreats there. I … Continue reading →

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Character Is Plot

Posted on June 24, 2019 by heidihornbacher

I was recently sent a script by a friend. She was being offered the opportunity to direct it, but she knew something wasn’t quite working. I read it and the issue was immediately clear. The story was flat; the dialog … Continue reading →

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Secondary Characters

Posted on April 8, 2019 by heidihornbacher

I’m working on a script right now, and I have been intently focused on nailing the protagonist and antagonist arcs to perfection. They are best friends who end up as enemies when a difficult coming-of-age event sets them on different … Continue reading →

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Wrong Reasons

Posted on March 25, 2019 by heidihornbacher

I was chatting with a fellow script coach about her new client. She was excited about his project; it was a really cool premise; and he seemed open to feedback—always important to ask even though it seems obvious. She was, … Continue reading →

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Roma and the Passive Protagonist

Posted on March 16, 2019 by heidihornbacher

I’m pleased to turn this space over to my partner in PageCraft (and life), Carlo Cavagna:  We just saw Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant ROMA, which has us thinking about passive protagonists. Every screenwriting resource (including us, we admit) will teach that … Continue reading →

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Coach Notes – The Book Of Henry

Posted on June 29, 2017 by heidihornbacher

So many films would be better films had they gotten coaching and feedback at the script stage. By helping you avoid pitfalls that trip up even the pros, our goal at PageCraft is to help writers craft watertight scripts that … Continue reading →

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Reading Is Sexy

Posted on October 13, 2016 by heidihornbacher

I was very proud to be a returning judge for this year’s Slamdance Screenplay Competition, one of several prestigious competitions I judge for. If you don’t know, Slamdance was set up in response to what filmmakers saw as the over-commercialization … Continue reading →

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Script Notes

Posted on May 30, 2015 by heidihornbacher

As a script contest reader, I see the whole gamut from utter crap to sparks of brilliance. There are some writers I want to grab by the collar and say “please, delete your copy of Final Draft and do the … Continue reading →

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