Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue — January 24, 2013

Olive: Do you think there’s a Heaven? Frank: Well, it’s hard to say, Olive. I don’t think anyone knows for sure. Olive: I know, but what do *you* think? Frank: Well… um… uh… Olive: I think there is. Frank: Think I’ll get in? Olive: Yeah. Frank:

Update: Go On Your Own Quest

There have been a number of wonderful stories arising from The Quest, some of which I will be sharing over the next few weeks. Here is one of them. Timothy Visentin is a long-time GITS reader. Check this out: I’m a young filmmaker (24) based out of Toronto.

Interview (Part 3): Adam Kolbrenner, Madhouse Entertainment

This week, we are fortunate to have as our guest manager-producer Adam Kolbrenner from Madhouse Entertainment, an L.A.-based production and literary management company that works with screenwriters and writer/directors in the areas of film, television and new media. I will be posting the whole interview over

Happy Birthday, “Casablanca”

Casablanca was released 70 years ago today: January 23, 1943. [It had its world premiere on November 26, 1942 in New York City.] It is one of the most iconic movies of all time, voted the #1 screenplay of all time by the WGA which is ironic because apparently there

Movie Trailer: “Halley”

Alberto forms an unusual friendship with Luly, the manager of the 24-hour gym where he works as a night guard. Written by Sebastian Hofmann, Julio Chavezmontes IMDB site. Comment Archive

2012 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Agents & Managers

On Monday, we broke down the 2012 spec script sales by genre. Yesterday by studios. Today by representatives. Note: A majority of projects were repped by both an agency and a manager / management company, so the total numbers of reps listed will be significantly higher than the number of scripts

Script To Screen: “Rebel Without A Cause”

Perhaps the most memorable scene from the 1955 movie Rebel Without A Cause, screenplay by Stewart Stern, adaptation by Irving Shulman, story by Nicholas Ray Setup: A game of “chicken” between two rivals, Jim and Buzz. The script version of the scene: Here is the movie version of the scene:

Daily Dialogue — January 23, 2013

CHARLOTTE: Who’s he? BEN: I’m Ben Stone. ALISON: He’s my boyfriend. PETE: That’s nice. SADIE: I never met him before. ALISON: He’s a new boyfriend. BEN: But a boyfriend. SADIE: So he came over for breakfast because he’s your new boyfriend? DEBBIE: He came

Introduction to Screenwriting with Tom Benedek

Tom Benedek is a long-time screenwriter who has worked on 40+ film and TV projects, including his screenplay Cocoon. He has worked with such Hollywood luminaries as Robert Zemeckis, Ron Howard, Martin Scorcese, Sydney Pollack, and Harold Ramis. He is also a friend, colleague and co-founder of Screenwriting

Interview: Adam Kolbrenner (Madhouse Entertainment) — Part 2

This week, we are fortunate to have as our guest manager-producer Adam Kolbrenner from Madhouse Entertainment, an L.A.-based production and literary management company that works with screenwriters and writer/directors in the areas of film, television and new media. I will be posting the whole interview over

“All he could do was say no, right?”

I saw this NYT article the other day: PARK CITY, Utah — David Sedaris has never allowed Hollywood to get its paws on his writing. — — How, then, did a 29-year-old director named Kyle Patrick Alvarez, with a tiny budget and only one movie under his belt (a phone sex

Movie Trailer: “Best Friends Forever”

Two best friends decide to take a road trip in the midst of an impending nuclear apocalypse. Written by Brea Grant IMDB Site Comment Archive

2012 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Studios

Yesterday we looked at 2012 spec script sales by genre. Today we break down the numbers per studios and production companies to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. The totals: 12 Paramount 9 Sony Universal 7 Warner Bros. 6 Millennium 4 QED International

Screenwriting 101: Lucy Alibar

“Writing that scene … I had to run a lot that day. I would write a little bit, go for a run, and come back. It helped me get rid of that extra stuff: those extra voices, those extra judgments. If you have a perfectionist streak — and who doesn’t? — running

Daily Dialogue — January 22, 2013

Miles: Where do you live? Buck: In the city. Miles: You have a house? Buck: Apartment. Miles: Own or rent? Buck: Rent. Miles: What do you do for a living? Buck: Lots of things. Miles: Where’s your office? Buck: I don’t have one. Miles: How come? Buck: I

“It is the perfect canvas”

I was just sitting down to pound out a post for this time slot when I received a tweet: @GoIntoTheStory you might like this “@LettersOfNote: A letter of advice from Michael Winner to his younger self. — @njjohn33 Today it was announced that Michael Winner, the British writer-director most noted

Interview (Part 1): Adam Kolbrenner, Madhouse Entertainment

This week, we are fortunate to have as our guest manager-producer Adam Kolbrenner from Madhouse Entertainment, an L.A.-based production and literary management company that works with screenwriters and writer/directors in the areas of film, television and new media. I will be posting the whole interview over

Writers beware: Sitting is the smoking of our generation!

Lately I have spent a surprising amount of time thinking about the subject of sitting. My wife Rebecca, who is senior editor at The Creativity Post and a research maven, has sent me several articles about the dangers — yes, dangers! — of sitting. Like a recent piece from the Harvard Business

Movie Trailer: “42”

The life story of Jackie Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey. Written by Brian Helgeland IMDB site Release Date: 12 April 2013 (USA) Comment Archive

2012 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Genres

By my count, Hwood studios and production groups acquired 99 spec scripts in 2012. During this week, I’ll be breaking down those numbers. Today we look at sales by genre. Some scripts are categorized as cross genres or sub-genres, so those are noted where relevant under their primary

On Writing

“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” — Ray Bradbury HT to @JennaAvery for the quote. Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — January 21, 2013

JIM LOVELL: … Something bad might happen. Stars will fall down on you or something. JEFFREY LOVELL: That’s silly. Stars can’t fall on us. JIM LOVELL: Oh, you are a smarter kid than I was. JEFFREY LOVELL: How long will it take you to get to the Moon? JIM

Final Tally: The Official 2013 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest!

All the selections are in and here is the final tally: 75: Teddy Pasternak 77: mbgsfv 83: Joe_Giomboni 84: John Geraci, William Mandell 85: Sean Z P Harris 86: cnvwriter, ChrisB 87: @EricTruy 88: Dean Scott, Mike Wire, William-Michael Taylor 89: Brendon Bouzard 90: David Proenza, Brandi nighteyes18jp@

Interview: Allan Durand (2012 Nicholl Winner)

Allan Durand’s original screenplay “Willie Francis Must Die Again” is an amazing real-life story and a script that won Allan a 2012 Nicholl fellowship. However the story behind the story is also quite remarkable, one I’m happy to share with you through this interview. Here are links

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: How To Begin [Part 2]

If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early stages of American cinema, associated with 136 film projects per IMDB. Married to writer John Emerson, the pair wrote one of the first books on screenwriting in 1920: