117. Taking Scenes to 11

A lot of screenwriters get confused when rewriting their screenplays. What constitutes an actual rewrite? Listen and find out. Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

It's probably the most overlooked element in a scene. Understand the power of choosing the right location for your scene to take place. Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Diane Drake is a screenwriter who is best known for writing Only You (1994) and What Women Want (2000).She is also the author of the screenwriting book, Get Your Story Straight. Click the link to get it on Amazon.Diane will be a mentor at the Rocaberti Writers Retreat in Figueres, Spain, March 2026To find press and podcasts featuring Diane, click here.To read an extended interview with Diane, click here.Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Oftentimes, screenwriters miss writing half of their movie because they never ask the question and, as a result, they never answer it. Listen to find out if you're asking the right question.Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

What are the layers of information that an audience receives when they are watching a scene? It's a lot more data than you think. Listen to learn more!Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

As a former script reader, I've seen it all. There are so many things that make a reader, producer, financier or distributor pass on your film. If it's the story, that's one thing but if it's any of these mistakes, you're cutting your legs off before you even begin walking through your screenwriting career. Make sure you avoid all of these mistakes before you send your screenplay to anyone!Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Sabrina Dhawan's debut feature as screenwriter, Monsoon Wedding, won the ‘Leon D’Oro’ at the Venice Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination. Sabrina’s other produced screenplay credits include Kaminey, directed by Vishal Bharadwaj for UTV; Ishqiya, directed by Abhishek Chaubey for Shemaroo Entertainment. 11.9.01, directed by Nair for Canal Plus; Cosmopolitan for PBS; Rangoon, directed by Vishal Bharadwaj.  She served as co-producer on Bollywood Hero, a mini-series for IFC and as story consultant on Bharadwaj’s Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola and wrote a documentary Greatest Love Story Ever Told to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema for UTV and Shekhar Kapoor.Sabrina has been commissioned to write for include UTV, 20th Century Fox, HBO, Disney, Fox-Star, Killer Films, ABC Family and Fox Searchlight.Her student short Saanjh – As Night Falls won ‘Best of the Festival’ at the Palm Springs Film Festival; ‘Most Original Film’ from New Line Cinema, ‘Audience Impact’ Award at Angelus Awards, and was nominated for a Student Academy Award.Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Sometimes I get confused. I stick to structure to such an extent it keeps me from maximizing my scenes. Though I still believe you need a solid foundation structure to make your screenplay work, I now also believe that you can sway from it on a scene-by-scene basis to maximize your scenes, to take them to 11.Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Ever wonder what it's like to have your film nominated for an Academy Award? Krushan Naik walks us through his experience as a producer/editor of the Oscar-nominated short film Anuja.Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.

Do you ever get bogged down while writing your screenplay wondering what you should focus on? Do I need to work on the protagonist, the antagonist, the concept, the visuals, the action, the dialogue, the sub plots or what? I know that happens to me and I finally figured out a way to look at it that helps me clearly see what I need to focus on - The Primary Objective!Support the showFor more information on Lovinder Gill's best-selling book "Scriptcake Secrets" or his public speaking schedule, please check out www.lovinder.com.