Scott Myers

Screenwriting 101: Dale Launer

“Over the next six or seven years I honed my writing skills to a point where I actually sold a screenplay: Ruthless People. It was made and became a bona fide box-office hit, and it got pretty good reviews. The reviews would often mention a scene or a moment

Daily Dialogue — February 21, 2012

“Hello? Hello, Dimitri? Listen, I can’t hear too well, do you suppose you could turn the music down just a little? Oh, that’s much better. Yes. Fine, I can hear you now, Dimitri. Clear and plain and coming through fine. I’m coming through fine too, eh? Good,

How to Handle Exposition

Let’s say the story you’re writing involves a complicated bit of science requiring you to convey a bunch of technical data to the reader in order for the plot to make sense. Maybe you’re facing a scene where a character is supposed to lay out a lengthy

Live-Blogging the Academy Awards!

A GITS first! During this Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, I will be here the entire time live-blogging the event. So if you want a screenwriting-centric slant on things, share the interminable show with others in the GITS community, or maybe just want to drop by to say

The 10 Steps: How I Write A Script

For those of you who may have missed this series or if you’re looking to do one bookmark featuring links to all the posts, here is The 10 Steps: How I Write A Script. Part 1: Story Concept Part 2: Brainstorming Part 3: Research Part 4: Character Development Part

Remembering Kurt Cobain

[This was originally posted on April 5, 2011 on the 17th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death. I post it again to honor Cobain who would have been 45 years old today.] April 5, 1994. The day Kurt Cobain shot and killed himself. Like many millions of people, I was

Opening Sequence: “Once Upon a Time in the West”

Last week, I posted this question: What are the best opening scenes in movie history? I was having this discussion with a writer the other day. So many fantastic opening scenes of all sorts. Some of them bombastic, some subtle, some of them funny, some brutal, all of them great.

Q&A: Screenwriter Chris McCoy, Part 1

Chris McCoy is pretty unique among screenwriters in that he has three scripts that have made the Black List: “Get Back” (2007), “Good Looking” (2009), and “Good Kids” (2011). That alone is enough to warrant significant curiosity about this young writer. The fact his screenplays are highly entertaining, distinctive, and

On Writing

“[Writing is] like spelunking, with a light on your hat. You keep going into different chambers until you find a chamber that seems to you to be the right one; you’re descending into dark and unknown territory and you can never see very far ahead.” — Tobias Wolf

Daily Dialogue — February 20, 2012

President Kennedy: Goddamn it! How the goddamn hell could this happen? I’m gonna have Powell’s head on a platter — next to LeMay’s. Kenny, you hear me give the order to go to DEFCON 2? ’Cause I remember giving the order to go to DEFCON 3 but, y’

2012 WGA Screenplay Winners

MOTION PICTURE WINNERS ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen (Sony Pictures Classics) ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings (Fox Searchlight) TELEVISION WINNERS DRAMA SERIES Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince

Daily Dialogue theme for the week: American Presidents

Since it is President’s Day weekend here in the U.S., Phil suggested why not a week’s worth of movie homages to American presidents? Thinking terms of dialogue, of course there are notable speeches, but other moments as well. Private moments of doubt and fear. Interactions with someone

A tribute to 10 rom-com tropes that will not go away

While Valentine’s Day is still not too far away in our rear view mirror, I thought it would be a good idea to review some common rom-com tropes… or at least those accumulated by Jen Chaney, who writes the WAPO “Celebritology” blog. Here are a few choice ones:

“Awake”: Full pilot online for screening now!

You can watch the entire pilot for the new NBC 1-hour drama “Awake” here. Created by Kyle Killen, whose screenplay “The Beaver” topped the Black List in 2009. IMDB site Official NBC site Series premise: After a car accident takes the life of a family member, a police detective

2012 Santa Barbara Film Festival screenwriters roundtable

Longtime Hollywood film critic and writer Anne Thompson from IndieWire: Per usual, this year’s batch of screenwriters delivered at the annual “It Starts with the Script” panel that I moderate at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Both Writers Guild nominee Will Reiser (“50/50”) and Indie Spirit nominee

Everything is a Remix

I’ve been following this series of videos from Kirby Ferguson since his first of four entries. He just finished up the whole thing. Here are all four videos: Part 1: The Song Remains the Same Part 2: Remix Inc. Part 3: Elements of Creativity Part 4: System Failure http:

Screenwriting News

Adam Mason and Simon Boyes set up micro-budget thriller “NSFW” at Universal with Joe Johnston set to direct. Comedy writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer (Eurotrip land a gig adapting the YouTube hit “Ultimate Dog Tease” for Paramount. Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones Diary) tapped to pen a new take

Video Interview: Beau Willimon (“Ides of March”)

38 minute interview with Ides of March screenwriter Beau Willimon: HT to @webacion for the link.

Daily Dialogue — February 19, 2012

MED. SHOT — HAROLD Harold sits attentively. VOICE (o.s.): Psst! Harold, startled, looks over his right shoulder and sees Maude kneeling in the pew behind him. She speaks with a slight British/European accent. MAUDE: Like some licorice? She offers some. HAROLD: Eh, no. Thank you. MAUDE: You’re welcome.

Daily Dialogue theme for next week???

As we wrap up a week filled with dialogue about meet-ups [thanks for that suggestion, Teddy Pasternak!] we move onto a new week. And with it, a new theme! What shall it be? The floor is open for your suggestions. The ground rules, for those who haven’t figured

“22 Bonds for One Minute”

From the site: The first minute of all the James Bond films at once. This is a section of a larger project (i.e. all the Bond films at once) designed to give a feeling for the entire experience. HT to SlashFilm for the link. Comment Archive

Site Notice: Google+

I’ve mentioned this before, but the time is now upon us. Google is dropping Friends Connect which is how GITS and countless other blogs have managed membership, comments and so on. We will be following their lead and transition over to Google+, perhaps as early as tomorrow. What does

Peter Sellers sings “She Loves You”

Considering Peter Sellers is my favorite comic actor, this is a nice find, bringing back some nice memories. From FilmmakerIQ: In the mid 60s, Peter Sellers recorded The Beatles’ “She Loves You” in the voice of Dr. Strangelove along with other voices. Here is the Dr. Strangelove version: For other

How to Be a Motion Picture Director?

And you thought you had to go to film school to become a movie director! Apparently it’s as easy as this: What’s your favorite piece of advice offered here? For more on Mr. Neilan, go here. Comment Archive

Saturday Hot Links

Time for another week’s worth of Saturday Hot Links! This week: The Amazing Soccer Goal Edition! We start with Thierry Henry, Arsenal v Man Utd: Finally! Mattel to release the Back to the Future Hover Board! Only without the hover! Just when we were scooping dirt onto the Hollywood