Articles written by Julie Gray

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About me - Julie Gray

Julie Gray is the founder and owner of The Script Department, a story notes and analysis service for aspiring and established writers. She also writes daily content for The Rouge Wave, a screenwriting blog with tips, box office analysis and edu-tainment for

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Entertainment > Hollywood & Movie Industry Movie ratings: Should smoking be considered R-rated in films?: 1 of 25

With the new MPAA ratings restriction on the depiction of smoking in movies, screenwriters must take a moment to examine their role. First of all, those not in the movie business have to understand what a movie rating means for a movie. It means money. An R-rating essentially relegates a movie to a much narrower audience whe...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: My pledge to humanity: 12 of 53

Recently, I spent some time with a good friend whom I hadn't seen in awhile. I knew she had cancer, but I hadn't heard the update. You see what's coming, don't you? We're driving down Fairfax Boulevard, in Los Angeles, when she says, rather off-handedly, "It's in my bones. Stage four." A silence engulfed the car - as if all ...
Style & Beauty > Body Image What your appearance says about you: 1 of 3

When I was a child, I inhabited my body joyfully and completely. My plump, ruddy body caused me no shame; it was all I knew. Sledding down icy hills, skipping rope or playing hopscotch, my body served me well. And I swam like a fish. Because for me, nothing was more perfect, more sublime, than swimming. Not in murky lakes, m...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenting (Other) Lessons to learn from children: 15 of 38

"Mommy, know what?" My five-year old daughter Quincy's tiny voice drifted from the backseat of the car. "Summer comes after spring and sometimes it rains in spring. Know what mommy? I like spring." I was taking my daughter to visit her grandparents for the weekend. It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for a road trip. I ha...
Arts & Humanities > Writing (Other) The importance of effective communication skills: 10 of 20

Some months ago, I went to the dentist who solemnly examined my x-rays, bibbed me and got out the novocaine. Several sharp jabs into my tender gums later, he paused. Looked at the x-ray again. Consulted hurriedly with the nurse. Oh dear - seems he numbed the wrong side of my mouth. Whoops. In fact, ah geez, let's look at thi...
Entertainment > Hollywood & Movie Industry Sexual violence in modern cinema: 2 of 3

Semantics is a bitch I live in Los Angeles and work in the movie business. And as much as I'd like to think that women are held in higher regard these days, judging from the gruesome posters and box office stats of movies like CAPTIVITY and SAW, I guess I was wrong. Oh and don't let me leave out the particularly egregious TE...
Entertainment > Movies (Other) The death of movie dialogue: 3 of 4

As a screenwriter, I pay special attention to all elements in movies and television. But particularly to dialogue. My daughter used to watch The Gilmore Girls. And that show drove me nuts. Every character was super witty and smart all the time. And worse ultimately every character had the same voice presumably, creator Amy S...
Arts & Humanities > Art History Attempting to define art: 11 of 14

Defining art is an elusive and sometimes dangerous thing to attempt. Who decides what is beautiful, worthy and valuable? Maxfield Parrish was initially thought of as merely an illustrator, as was John Singer Sargent. In Hollywood every day, thousands of feature film scripts arrive on the desks of agents, managers and executi...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Being a script reader: 2 of 2

I am a dreaded reader. Script reader, that is. Don't hate me. I am one of a rare, misunderstood tribe. Readers are usually writers ourselves, we freelance reading scripts because it helps pay the bills while we wait for our big break. And it keeps us "in the business". That is to say, it's better than shredding paper in some...