Scott Myers

Movie Trailer: “Beautiful Creatures”

A supernatural drama centered on a local teenager and the mysterious new girl in town who uncover dark secrets about their respective families. Screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, novel by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl IMDB site Release Date: 13 February 2013 (USA)

The Theology of Screenwriting, Part 5: Doubt

This week, I am exploring theological themes in relation to screenwriting, considering them metaphorically because in my view, we see these themes in movies all the time. By understanding them, we can use these theological themes to enhance the meaning and depth of our stories. For background on the general

Great Character: Michael Corleone (“The Godfather”)

This month, the focus is on anti-heroes. A guest post by Jason Cuthbert: Francis Ford Coppola, the co-screenwriter and director of the 1972 epic mafia masterpiece The Godfather, had already won his first of three screenwriting Academy Awards a year before with the World War II biographical drama

Daily Dialogue — September 21, 2012

John: I can’t talk to you. What am I doing? I’m just gonna mess this up. Molly: Why not? John: ‘Coz you’re a really hot girl and I’m just… I’m sorry. Molly: You’re not messing it up. John: Are you flirting with me? This

GITS Script Reading & Analysis: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

I am going all-out this month to compel you to read a script. The September screenplay is Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981 action-adventure movie [screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, story by George Lucas & Philip Kaufman]. If the possibility of reading this script isn’t motivation enough, I

Spec Script Sale: “Vanish Man

Lionsgate acquires thriller spec script “Vanish Man” from first-timer Denison Hatch. From Variety: Lionsgate has bought international thriller spec “Vanish Man” from the scribe, who most recently worked as an assistant at Original Film. Before that, he tapped away on screenplays in his spare time while working as a

Dispatch from The Quest: Emma Millions

Last week as we did here on GITS, the Quest writers focused on the first week of Prep. Today’s dispatch: Emma Millions on the origin of stories: Where do stories come from? Scott Myers recently tweeted this: “Jules Renard: “The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect

“When Words Fail”

You know, there are many different components to a screenplay. Scene description. Dialogue. Transitions. Parentheticals. But nothing seems to conjure up more disaffection among than voiceover narration. Like this: SCOTT (V.O.) Reading the article in the New York Times, the realization washed over me with startling clarity… I had

Go On Your Own Quest, Week 10: Prep

“The Quest” has entered Week 10! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s

Movie Trailer: “Great Expectations”

Screenplay by David Nichols, novel by Charles Dickens IMDB site Release Date: 30 November 2012 (U.K.)

The Theology of Screenwriting, Part 4: Salvation

The Theology of Screenwriting: Salvation On the one hand, salvation is directed toward saving someone else. On the other hand, it is a gift, not an achievement. As some of you may know, I have a background in the academic study of theology, a B.A. in religious studies from

The Business of Screenwriting: What to do on the day your movie premieres

On average, a human being will experience about 30,000 days in their life. I don’t know how many of those days are truly special, but here’s one that is: The day your movie premieres. While the life of a Hollywood screenwriter would seem to be pretty exciting,

Daily Dialogue — September 20, 2012

Ryan Bingham: Are you satisfied with Maestro? Alex Goran: Yeah, I am. Ryan Bingham: A little stingy with their miles. I like Hertz. Alex Goran: No, Hertz keeps its vehicles too long. If a car has over 20,000 miles, I won’t drive it. Ryan Bingham: Maestro doesn’t

Do you know how to write good dialogue?

Nothing catches the eye of a manager, agent, actor, or any Hollywood script reader more than good dialogue. Effective dialogue. Entertaining dialogue. Dialogue that leaps off the page. Beginning Monday, September 24, I will be teaching Core V: Dialogue, a 1-week online screenwriting course that teaches you key principles

Dispatch from The Quest: Brandon Cohen

Last week as we did here on GITS, the Quest writers focused on the first week of Prep. Today’s dispatch: Brandon Cohen reflects on the importance of character depth: I was at a point recently where I decided I could no longer write my characters as “types.” I was

Go On Your Own Quest, Week 10: Prep

“The Quest” has entered Week 10! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s

Movie Trailer: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug. Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro, novel by J.R.R. Tolkien IMDB site Release Date: 14

The Theology of Screenwriting, Part 3: Predestination

The Theology of Screenwriting: Predestination The religious concept of the individual having a predetermined fate manifests itself in movies as the character’s Narrative Imperative. As some of you may know, I have a background in the academic study of theology, a B.A. in religious studies from the University

Script To Screen: “Blood Simple”

Script To Screen: “Blood Simple.” The Coen brothers first feature-length film Blood Simple. (1984) is arguably one of their best. Setup: Ray has been having an affair with Abby which hasn’t made her husband Julian too happy. But the tables get reversed as Ray has set about to

Daily Dialogue — September 19, 2012

PETER: Oh, forgive me. (indicating JEAN-LOUIS) Is this yours? REGGIE: (indicating SYLVIE) It’s hers. Where’d you find him, robbing a bank? PETER: He was throwing snowballs at Baron Rothschild. (a pause) We don’t know each other, do we? REGGIE: Why, do you think we’re going

Reader Question: How do I stay on top of spec script sales?

An email from Dawn: I trolled through your question archive and didn’t see this one anywhere. I’d like to stay on top of which scripts are being optioned and purchased by the studios. Where would I find that information? Is there a single resource, a series of resources,

Dispatch from The Quest: Rob Pilkington

Last week as we did here on GITS, the Quest writers focused on the first week of Prep. Today’s dispatch: Rob Pilkington confronts a harsh truth. He hates “prewriting”: Welp, that was fun. Eight weeks of Core is done. Finito. I dove into the Quest materials, met and interacted

Go On Your Own Quest, Week 10: Prep

“The Quest” has entered Week 10! And so did Go On Your Own Quest, an opportunity for anyone to follow the structure of “The Quest” to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write a first draft [Pages — 10 weeks]. It’s

Movie Trailer: “Wreck-It Ralph”

Yahoo! Video PlayerEdit descriptiond.yimg.com A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives. Written by Jennifer Lee and Phil Johnston IMDB site Release Date: 2 November 2012 (USA) Comment

The Theology of Screenwriting, Part 2: Conversion

This week, I am exploring theological themes in relation to screenwriting, considering them metaphorically because in my view, we see these themes in movies all the time. By understanding them, we can use these theological themes to enhance the meaning and depth of our stories. For background on the general