Scott Myers

Spec Script Sale: “Evidence”

Bold Films acquires spec crime thriller “Evidence” from screenwriter John Swetnam. Per Deadline: Police arrive at an abandoned gas station following a brutal massacre. The only evidence at the crime scene is the victims’ personal electronic devices, including a camcorder, flip Cam, and two cell phones. With nothing else to

Great Characters: Charles Foster Kane (“Citizen Kane”)

Citizen Kane is one of the great cinematic achievements of all time and at its center is its Protagonist: Charles Foster Kane. Played by Orson Welles, who also directed and co-wrote the movie (along with Herman J. Mankiewicz, uncredited writers Roger Q. Denny, John Houseman, Mollie Kent), Kane is

Daily Dialogue — January 21, 2011

Jordy: Guys like us, we’re a different breed. We live our lives. We figured out what we wanted to do early on in life, and we kept doing it in the exact same way, no matter what. Jason: Yeah. Jordy: Yeah, little me, yeah. It’s like, think about

How They Write A Script: George Axelrod

For about a decade during the 50s and 60s, screenwriter and playwright George Axelrod was one of the hottest and most prolific writers in Hollywood. His movie credits include The Seven Year Itch (1955), Bus Stop (1956), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Paris — When It Sizzles

‘Lethal Weapon,’ ‘Wild Bunch’ Reboots Revived After Warner Bros. Exec Shuffle

Per THR: Are you ready for a Lethal Weapon reboot? How about a remake of The Wild Bunch? Those are some of the few high-profile titles now getting a new lease on life at Warner Bros. due to the year-end departure of longtime studio executive Jessica Goodman. During

A more literary approach to screenplay style

In response to my Trimming Tricks of the Trade post yesterday, I received this email from Erik: Scott: I’d be interested in reading an elaboration on something you posted recently: “…the shift the last two decades has been away from using directing / editing lingo in screenplays toward more of

Trimming Tricks of the Trade, Part 4: Psuedo-Slugs

This is the fourth and final post about little things you can do to save lines (and pages) in your script. #4: PSEUDO-SLUGS Technically when you use a Secondary Slugline (or Shot), you need to provide a line-space, then go to scene description. For example: OUTSIDE THE DOOR

The Business of Screenwriting: The power of “no”

In the event you break into the business as a screenwriter, you need to be prepared to say this word: “No.” The simple fact is if you say yes, you can make a lot of money as a screenwriter. You can also end up writing a lot of crap. And

Daily Dialogue — January 20, 2011

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had ever happened. Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is

How They Write A Script: Paul Schrader

In a previous post, I noted two radically different approaches to writing as represented by Neil Simon, who doesn’t “make outlines at all” and Paul Schrader, who not only creates an outline, he re-outlines it. Let’s look more closely at how Schrader writes a script: “I know

“Sam Peckinpah’s Long-Lost Script for ‘The Texans’ Unearthed”

Thanks to @eacion for Tweeting me this link: How’s this for true grit? Famously combative, alcoholic, and drug-addled filmmaker Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs) is, as Chevy Chase might joke, “still dead” (he passed away in 1984 at the age of 59) — but that doesn’t

Trimming Tricks of the Trade, Part 3: Cut Transitions

Back today with another Trimming Trick of the Trade. #3: CUT TRANSITIONS CUT TO: / DISSOLVE TO: / SMASH CUT TO: These are common transitions, signifying a cut from one scene to another. There are two reasons not to use them. (1) They read ‘scripty’ and since the shift the last two

Screenwriting 101: Francis Ford Coppola

“If you don’t take a risk then how are you going to make something really beautiful, that hasn’t been seen before?”  — Francis Ford Coppola

Daily Dialogue — January 19, 2011

Blake: What’s the problem, pal? Dave Moss: You - [correcting him] Dave Moss: Moss. You’re such a hero, you’re so rich, how come you’re coming down here wasting your time with such a bunch of bums? Blake: You see this watch? You see this watch? Dave Moss:

How They Write A Script: Jay Presson Allen

“She is one of a handful of first-rank screenwriters of the post-1960s who also happens to be female. This has figured into her trademark of flamboyant female characters, stories that often focus on divorce and marriage or explosive relationships, family matters (including the pilot episode of the prestigious

Billy Murray’s NBR speech: Awesome!

The other night Bill Murray gave a speech to honor screenwriter-director Sophia Coppola at the National Board of Review awards. The Vulture has a transcript of the whole speech. In typical Murray fashion, it is hysterical. Here are some excerpts: “They told me I have two minutes. I’m

Update: Your questions answered by Jeremiah Friedman & Nick Palmer

Last week I featured an exclusive Q&A with screenwriters Jeremiah Friedman & Nick Palmer who last September sold their spec script “Family Adventure” to Warner Bros. They kindly offered to answer follow-up questions. You responded with some excellent inquiries. Here are those questions and their responses: What

Trimming Tricks of the Trade, Part 2: Minimize Parentheticals

Here is another way to help with your page count. #2: MINIMIZE PARENTHETICALS Any of you who have taken my screenwriting classes know I urge writers to use parentheticals sparingly. Not only because they’re typically one or two words — what a waste of a line! — but also because far

Hollywood Tales

“I couldn’t believe we were willing to go out and shoot the script that we were gonna shoot. I believe they felt the script worked because I was in it, and Anthony Quinn was in it, and Madeline Stowe was in it, and Tony Scott had two hits. But

Daily Dialogue — January 18, 2011

[Gil has been complaining about his complicated life; Grandma wanders into the room] Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster. Gil: Oh? Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride! Gil: What a great story. Grandma: I always wanted to go again.

How They Write A Script: Robert Towne

The screenplay for Chinatown is considered one of the greatest of all time (it was named the #3 best script in the WGA’s 101 Best Screenplays list). The script was written by Robert Towne, who also received writing credit for a slew of other movies including Shampoo, Tequila Sunrise

Popcorn Fiction: “Not a Poe Fan” by Brian Koppelman

The latest from screenwriter Derek Haas and his short story site Popcorn Fiction: Great story here for you this week. You might not know the name Brian Koppelman, but you know his movies…and the one thing his movies all have in common, rich, well-drawn characters with a dark

Trimming Tricks of the Trade, Part 1: Lose the orphans

One way to cut pages while not messing with the integrity of the story. Page count. A screenwriter must be cognizant of it. Even if you don’t subscribe to the theories of screenwriting gurus like Syd Field, who asserts that the typical Act I ending plot point falls between

On writing

“Only the hand that erases can write the true thing.”  — Meister Eckhart

Daily Dialogue — January 17, 2010

“How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life… you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff.