FrankenScript :: Lee Gabel's Screenwriting Journal/Blog

I was stuck trying to figure out what kinds of characteristics to give a couple of my characters, in order to make them feel distinct from one another. I tried brainstorming but I was locked. It was a beautiful day, and I decided to take a walk. Some fresh air, and some exercise was exactly [...]

After a week long bidding war, Lion’s Gate reportedly paid just under $1 million dollars for Shawn Christensen’s high concept screenplay “Abduction”. I read it last night to see what all the fuss was about. The script is a page turner, I’ll give it that, and if the momentum in the script ends up on [...]

After reading and enjoying “Buried”, which recently premiered at Sundance this year, I jumped at the chance to read “ATM”, another script written by Chris Sparling. It is clear why this script was acquired so quickly. It is a page turner to be sure, and not surprisingly it follows the same formula as “Buried”. “ATM” [...]

If I answer my office line and am met with three seconds of silence before someone speaks: strike one. If you then mispronounce my name: strike two. If you insist on telling me about that special offer you are not trying to sell me for only $19.95/month, after I state politely that I am not [...]

Right now, the work I do that pays the bills is visual effects work. I specialize as a 3D matchmover, and also do some compositing. Looking forward to the day when I can do a little less visual effects and more writing. Yeah. Imagining and writing the visual effects instead of creating someone else’s vision. [...]

Honesty in Hollywood? Don’t call me, I’ll call you. My people will call your people. Indeed, getting an honest opinion about your script can be like pulling teeth. Of course, everyone is busy and doesn’t want to wade through a sea of crappy scripts. But what if it was simply because people were afraid of [...]