Film Courage: What has to happen in the first 10 minutes of a horror screenplay?
Joston Ramon Theney, Screenwriter, Author, Director, Producer: I think it depends on the genre and what you’re trying to accomplish but I think certainly there should be something that happens in that first 10 minutes that makes an audience realize Holy crap, I’m in for a ride! Something has to happen in that first 10 minutes that gives you that feeling and if that doesn’t happen, I will oftentimes wonder what we’re waiting on? That’s just like a friend of mine, he gets on me because he’s way bigger film and TV buff than I am and he always says to me like Oh you stopped watching the tv show too soon. It got really good in the fifth episode and I’m like Then why did they wait into the fifth episode?
Do it from the beginning. I do this for a living, you can do it from the beginning. I think it works the same way with horror films if in the first 10 minutes you’ve not told the audience what kind of ride they’re on, then in my book you haven’t…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BIO:
Screenwriter, author, producer, director Joston Ramon Theney grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for films such as Wanton Want (2021), Axeman at Cutters Creek (2020) and Jurassic Hunt (2021).
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