Don Franke
@donfranke.bsky.social
Writer and editor of fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays.
Gratuity
Wrote a short to recover from burnout over a feature-length I probably spent too much time trying to polish. Gratuity is a 9 page low-budget action/drama I wrote as an exercise to help get going again:
www.scriptrevolution.com/scripts/grat...
#scriptsky
Wrote a short to recover from burnout over a feature-length I probably spent too much time trying to polish. Gratuity is a 9 page low-budget action/drama I wrote as an exercise to help get going again:
www.scriptrevolution.com/scripts/grat...
#scriptsky
Gratuity
A protective big sister turns to crime to cover her brother's gambling debt, forcing him to act.
www.scriptrevolution.com
June 26, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Gratuity
Wrote a short to recover from burnout over a feature-length I probably spent too much time trying to polish. Gratuity is a 9 page low-budget action/drama I wrote as an exercise to help get going again:
www.scriptrevolution.com/scripts/grat...
#scriptsky
Wrote a short to recover from burnout over a feature-length I probably spent too much time trying to polish. Gratuity is a 9 page low-budget action/drama I wrote as an exercise to help get going again:
www.scriptrevolution.com/scripts/grat...
#scriptsky
With Casino's 30 year anniversary, I re-watched the "Waiting on Carmine" scene about 20 times. Obsessed. Just incredible writing because there is no Carmine. #scriptsky
June 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
With Casino's 30 year anniversary, I re-watched the "Waiting on Carmine" scene about 20 times. Obsessed. Just incredible writing because there is no Carmine. #scriptsky
Enjoyed the Scream (2022) script -- casual writing style, entertaining read.
May 24, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Enjoyed the Scream (2022) script -- casual writing style, entertaining read.
Saw Blade Runner (1982), director's cut (no narration, unicorns) in the theater this weekend. Still awesome. Helped me fix something that was bugging me with the script I'm working on, too.
May 19, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Saw Blade Runner (1982), director's cut (no narration, unicorns) in the theater this weekend. Still awesome. Helped me fix something that was bugging me with the script I'm working on, too.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Comparison by Deepsleeper.
April 26, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Comparison by Deepsleeper.
Been working on a new script for past few weeks, got through rewrite this weekend, bringing it up to 85 pages. Realized the main character doesn't have any real stakes, leading to a meh third act. Should have spent more time upfront making sure I actually had a story before starting to write it.
April 15, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Been working on a new script for past few weeks, got through rewrite this weekend, bringing it up to 85 pages. Realized the main character doesn't have any real stakes, leading to a meh third act. Should have spent more time upfront making sure I actually had a story before starting to write it.
Great quote from scriptnotes.net 681: "If you can forget that you're waiting, you win." #scriptsky
Scriptnotes
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scriptnotes.net
April 6, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Great quote from scriptnotes.net 681: "If you can forget that you're waiting, you win." #scriptsky
Writing is cutting a favorite scene because it no longer works in the latest draft
March 30, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Writing is cutting a favorite scene because it no longer works in the latest draft
Rewatching season 1 of Andor, getting ready for season 2. Luthen's speech about the empire in episode 3 ... gold.
March 29, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Rewatching season 1 of Andor, getting ready for season 2. Luthen's speech about the empire in episode 3 ... gold.
Just got a 7 on BL, some good notes. Going to polish it up a bit.
March 29, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Just got a 7 on BL, some good notes. Going to polish it up a bit.
Learning to resist my own personal need to describe every detail. I think explaining everything prevents the reader from getting engaged in the material. I'm practicing leaving common-sense gaps for the reader to fill in. Also, sparse descriptions forces me to focus on story.
March 23, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Learning to resist my own personal need to describe every detail. I think explaining everything prevents the reader from getting engaged in the material. I'm practicing leaving common-sense gaps for the reader to fill in. Also, sparse descriptions forces me to focus on story.
The writing style of the script Up (2009) is a great example of "less is more."
March 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The writing style of the script Up (2009) is a great example of "less is more."
The feedback you need the most is often that which is hardest to hear.
March 15, 2025 at 2:52 AM
The feedback you need the most is often that which is hardest to hear.
Finished first draft of low-budget sci-fi. Time to edit.
March 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Finished first draft of low-budget sci-fi. Time to edit.
I enjoyed this article, thought I'd reshare: pipelineartists.com/the-calling-... #scriptsky
The Calling Card Script
Did I ever expect it to get made? Nope. Not from the minute I wrote it.
pipelineartists.com
March 6, 2025 at 8:05 PM
I enjoyed this article, thought I'd reshare: pipelineartists.com/the-calling-... #scriptsky
Day 5 of #ZD30SCRIPT, 30 pages down. Gonna need a lot of editing though.
March 6, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Day 5 of #ZD30SCRIPT, 30 pages down. Gonna need a lot of editing though.
Day 4 of #ZD30SCRIPT, 23 pages in, spending some time on the outline today.
March 5, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Day 4 of #ZD30SCRIPT, 23 pages in, spending some time on the outline today.
Day 1 done for Zero Draft Thirty challenge, wrote a little over 10 pages today.
March 2, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Day 1 done for Zero Draft Thirty challenge, wrote a little over 10 pages today.
It's March 1st! Time to start the 2025 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge #ZD30SCRIPT
March 1, 2025 at 7:07 PM
It's March 1st! Time to start the 2025 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge #ZD30SCRIPT
Just watched Frost/Nixon (2008) finally after seeing a mention in a book. Don't know why I waited so long, really enjoyed it. Still relevant too.
February 23, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Just watched Frost/Nixon (2008) finally after seeing a mention in a book. Don't know why I waited so long, really enjoyed it. Still relevant too.
I've been on a roll with reading and providing feedback for other people's scripts, there's some really good stuff out there
... but my streak ended today.
... but my streak ended today.
February 20, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I've been on a roll with reading and providing feedback for other people's scripts, there's some really good stuff out there
... but my streak ended today.
... but my streak ended today.
Just read the screenplay Alien: Engineers by Jon Spaihts. Liked it more than Prometheus. Interesting how far some movies are unnecessarily "xenomorphed" from a solid script.
February 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Just read the screenplay Alien: Engineers by Jon Spaihts. Liked it more than Prometheus. Interesting how far some movies are unnecessarily "xenomorphed" from a solid script.
Just watched Hitchcock classic North by Northwest. Found something odd so double-checked the script. In the first half he's close with his mother, but in the second half (which includes him getting "killed" very publicly) she's only mentioned jokingly. Not a loose thread in the 1950s I guess.
February 18, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Just watched Hitchcock classic North by Northwest. Found something odd so double-checked the script. In the first half he's close with his mother, but in the second half (which includes him getting "killed" very publicly) she's only mentioned jokingly. Not a loose thread in the 1950s I guess.
Ever get excited about a script you've been working on, then when someone asks for the logline, you send it to them, then read it from their perspective and think "oooh, this is really not good..."
February 15, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Ever get excited about a script you've been working on, then when someone asks for the logline, you send it to them, then read it from their perspective and think "oooh, this is really not good..."