Celebrate cinema in Portland, Oregon. Watch over 200 independent films, attend over 75 workshops, networking events, parties, classes and more. Spread across 12+ venues. Buy tickets, merchandise and more at our Festival HQ located at 1139 NW Couch Street—just a block from Powells Books. September 1-7. #PDXFF15
How to write thrillers with amazing plot twists and edge of your seat suspense, using examples from films by Alfred Hitchcock. From isolating your protagonist to the 20 most iconic suspense scenes and how to use them in *your* screenplay. Though aimed at thrillers, these techniques work in *any* genre (oddly, comedy and thrillers are very close to each other), and are great for novelists as well!
Instructor: William Martell
About the Instructor: William C. Martell has written 19 films: three for HBO, two for Showtime, two for USA Network, and a whole bunch for Cinemax. He has been on some film festival juries, including five times at Raindance in London (once with Mike Figgis and Saffron Burrows, once with Lennie James and Edgar Wright, and once with Julian Assange).
The late Roger Ebert discussed Martell’s work with Gene Siskel on his 1997 Oscar show, "If We Picked The Winners.” Martell is also quoted a few times in Bordwell's great book, "The Way Hollywood Tells It." His USA Network film, “Hard Evidence,” was released on video the same day as the Julia Roberts' film, “Something To Talk About,” and out-rented it in the U.S. In 2009 Martell had two films released on DVD on the same day and both made the top 10 rentals. Recently, he wrote the remake of a hit 1980s horror flick for a mini-major studio, and later this year should have a family film shooting in the U.S.
