Scott Myers

R.I.P.: Blake Edwards (1922–2010)

Blake Edwards has died. Here is the Variety obituary notice. We may tend to think of him primarily as a director, but on IMDB he has 62 writing credits, TV and film, including The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, The Party, The Return of the Pink Panther, The

“Why The Social Network shouldn’t work (and why it does)”

Found this interesting commentary on The Social Network from U.K-based writer Allen Palmer. Here is a list of reasons [conventional wisdom] why Palmer asserts TSN should not have worked: “Your protagonist should be likable” “Scenes shouldn’t be longer than 3 pages” “Don’t use voiceover” “Don’t

The Business of Screenwriting: The art of stacking projects

The Business of Screenwriting: The Art of Stacking Projects Here’s something interesting to do if you subscribe to IMDBpro.com: Check out some of the top screenwriters and see what projects they have in development. I just looked in on three of them: Ron Bass, Steve Zaillian, and Guillermo

Daily Dialogue — December 16, 2010

JOHN DOE: Here he comes. MILLS (shouts to Somerset): What the fuck is going on? JOHN DOE (to Mills): I want you to know, I wish I could have lived like you do. SOMERSET: Mills… put down your gun! Throw it away! MILLS: What? SOMERSET: Throw your gun down now!

Spec Script Sale: “Boy Scouts vs. Zombies”

Paramount buys 2010 Black List horror comedy script “Boy Scouts vs. Zombies” from writers Carrie Evans & Emi Mochizuki. Via Deadline: The script is in the vein of Goonies, and is about a local boy scout troop that must save the local girl scout troop from a zombie outbreak on

Spec Script Sale: “What Happened to Monday”

2010 Black List futuristic thriller script “What Happened to Mondy” from writer Max Botkin sells to Vendome Pictures. Via Variety: Project follows the story of identical septuplet brothers who struggle to stay alive in an overpopulated world where a “one child” policy dictates that siblings are against the law. Script

Are sequels killing Hollywood?

That’s the question that film critics Eric Kohn, Leonard Maltin and Anne Thompson asked in this conversation. Some excerpts: Eric Kohn: With the two-part ‘Harry Potter’ finale looming large, I’ve got sequels on my mind. In theory, they aren’t a bad phenomenon. Some stories are worth

“Black Swan” / “Showgirls” mash-up

You know you wanted it: No matter how many times I see something related to Showgirls, I continue to be amazed how awful that movie was. So bad, it’s… uh… good?  Comment Archive

New film division: Syfy Films

All you sci-fi writers, there’s a new gang in town: Syfy Films: Syfy Ventures and Universal Pictures have teamed to create Syfy Films, a film company that will generate theatrical films that will be branded by the Syfy label and will be distributed by Universal. The hope is

The Art of the Elevator Pitch

H/T to Tom Peterson for this Wired article: Got a sec? Then I’ve got one blockbuster of a column for you: It’s about how the “elevator pitch” evolved from sweaty-palmed business ritual — a form of white-collar panhandling perpetrated by pushy salespeople and desperate screenwriters — into

Screenwriting 101: Harold Ramis

“For me, a screenplay starts with something I can tell other people in five minutes. If you’re pitching a movie and it takes longer than five minutes, there’s something wrong. That economy seems to have really worked for me. The more detail I include in my pitch, the

Daily Dialogue — December 15, 2010

Jake Gittes: How much are you worth? Noah Cross: I have no idea. How much do you want? Jake Gittes: I just wanna know what you’re worth. More than 10 million? Noah Cross: Oh my, yes! Jake Gittes: Why are you doing it? How much better can you eat?

Reader Question: When is the most appropriate time in a script to handle a character’s backstory?

Reader Question: When is the best time to reveal a character’s backstory? Key character revelations. When? Where? How? AlBaraa asked: Is there a name for this sort of dialog where the character reveals a personal story of themselves.  The effect/impact reminds me of the moment in saving private

Filmography 2010

Terrific video compilation: Comment Archive

“Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan, Part 2

The short story by Jonathan Nolan that is the basis for the movie Memento is included on many versions of the movie’s screenplay. Given the fact the script is widely available and this is strictly for educational purposes, I thought I’d post the story in excerpts each day

2010 Golden Globe nominations

Here they are: Best screenplay — motion picture Danny Boyle, 127 Hours Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg, Kids are All Right Christopher Nolan, Inception David Seidler, King’s Speech Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network Best motion picture, drama Black Swan The Fighter Inception The King’s Speech The Social Network Best

Hollywood Tales

“This is the shot I’ve been given to communicate as a writer,” he said. “This is my shot. This was the door that opened, and if I take it for granted then it’s ridiculous.” He went on, “When I started out writing, in the late eighties, I hear

Daily Dialogue — December 14, 2010

Batman: Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? [punches him] Batman: I’m going to kill you! The Joker: You IDIOT! You made me. Remember? You dropped me into that vat of chemicals. That wasn’t easy to get over, and don’t think that I

Reader Question: Does a writer need permission to use public figures in a story?

Question from januaryfire: Scott —  I’ve recently stumbled upon an interesting story idea that would rely heavily on news reports/articles for research. When working on an historical fiction, how is that classified as “original” or “based on a true story/facts”? Is it okay to proceed with creating characters

“Imagine And Reliance Big Launch Writers Lab”

From Deadline: Imagine Entertainment partners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have started the Imagine/Reliance Writers Lab, an enterprising venture that pools a group of 10 screenwriters. Those writers are being paid a set annual salary to generate scripts in a variety of genres, and they are financially incentivized to

“This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It)”

H/T to Atlanta for post this link. It’s a NYT’s article on storytelling, narrative, psychology… just about everything that interests me. Excerpts: Every American may be working on a screenplay, but we are also continually updating a treatment of our own life — and the way in which

The 2010 Black List

The full list: THE BLACK LIST was compiled from the suggestions of over 290 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of their favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2010 and will not be released in theaters during this

“Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan, Part 1

The short story by Jonathan Nolan that is the basis for the movie Memento is included on many versions of the movie’s screenplay. Given the fact the script is widely available and this is strictly for educational purposes, I thought I’d post the story in excerpts each day

Update: The Black List — Top 10

Via 24 Frames: 49 votes: “College Republicans” by Wes Jones. Aspiring politician Karl Rove leads a dirty campaign for College Republican chairman under the guidance of Lee Atwater. Anonymous Content producing. 47 votes: “Jackie” by Noah Oppenheim. Jacqueline Kennedy’s life immediately after her husband’s assassination. Darren Aronofsky directing

Popcorn Fiction: “The Impossibility of a Diaphanous History Machine” by Charlie Huston

The latest from screenwriter Derek Haas and his short fiction website PopcornFiction which publishes a new story every Monday morning: I love this week’s story. The best part of this new partnership with Mulholland Books has been getting acquainted with excellent crime authors I didn’t know. Charlie Huston