Scott Myers

On writing

“Like stones, words are laborious and unforgiving, and the fitting of them together, like the fitting of stones, demands great patience and strength of purpose and particular skill.”  — Edmund Morrison

The Black List comes out today!

And in anticipation, here’s an LAT article on its importance: One day a year, Franklin Leonard transforms from midlevel studio executive mired in development meetings, script readings and note-taking into Hollywood’s most important soothsayer. The 32-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, is the mastermind and compiler

Daily Dialogue — December 13, 2010

Little Bill Daggett: I don’t deserve this… to die like this. I was building a house. Will Munny: Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it. Little Bill Daggett: I’ll see you in hell, William Munny. Will Munny: Yeah. [fires gun]  — Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman), Willy Munny

AFI’s Films of 2010

From AFI: Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in the moving image arts within the context of a Year in Review. This is the next chapter in AFI’s national mandate — specifically, the creation of an annual almanac that records and preserves the evolution of the moving image arts in

Producer Profile: Who Made What

Excellent feature in Variety about some of the producers of this year’s top movies. A few excerpts: “127 Hours” Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson ORIGINS: “It’s a true-life story based on Aron Ralston’s book ‘Between a Rock and a Hard Place,’?” explains Christian Colson. “Danny

Schwartzy & Pagana return!

First Schwartzy and Pagana reviewed Harry Potter 7. Now they’re back with this: Schwartzy and Pagana pay tribute to (and offer up defense for) one of our greatest living actors (no, it’s not Peter O’Toole!)… the one and only Mel Gibson! Enjoy! Just in time for The

Michael Bay admits failure on “Transformers 2”

Via Collider: “We tried to learn from the second movie. On the second movie we got burned. We had a writers strike, we had to agree on a story in three weeks, and then we knew they were going on strike. It was a f***ed scenario all the way

The Sitcom

For all you writers interested in comedy TV, there’s a great article in the 12/6/2010 issue of New Yorker on veteran show runner Chuck Lorre. Here’s a summary of the article: ANNALS OF ENTERTAINMENT about television writer and producer Chuck Lorre. “Mike & Molly” is the

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Protagonist-Nemesis showdowns

Okay, next week we’re going to run with the theme of Protagonist-Nemesis showdowns! It was suggested by Jonathan and we already have one great example from Sean Z P Harris: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. What can be interesting with this theme is in a classic

Video Interview: Christopher Hampton

Terrific new video series at BAFTA.org: 6 lectures on screenwriting by notable screenwriters. I’ll be featuring each over the next six weeks. Today: Playwright, TV and screenwriter Christopher Hampton. Hampton’s screenwriting credits include Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly, and Atonement. Here is an excerpt from the lecture: For

Daily Dialogue — December 12, 2010

“Why so serious?”  — The Joker (Heath Ledger), The Dark Knight (2008), screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer, characters by Bob Kane For the video clip with the actual dialogue, go here.  The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or

Riding a bus and storytelling

Ever since I got an office on campus at UNC in Chapel Hill, I’ve taken the bus. Three reasons: (1) I’m trying to be as Earth-conscious as possible. (2) It’s super convenient. (3) There’s no parking on campus. Okay, the last one is the real

Neil Blomkamp’s next movie project (it’s not “District 10”)

So you may remember this weird unexplained video from District 9 director Neil Blomkamp: Apparently it does not have anything to do with his next project which is called Elysium. Per Deadline: I’ve just learned that Neill Blomkamp is reteaming with his District 9 star Sharlto Copley on his

Saturday Hot Links

Here are today’s hot links! Did you know that Goldfinger became the template for James Bond movies? Just in time for the holidays: 18 weirdest Christmas movies. Some dude changed his name to “Captain Awesome.” Which character name would you choose? This is fantastic: 14 actors acting. Classic moments.

Written Interview: Christopher Nolan (with Jonathan Nolan)

Today’s written interview is a unique one: One screenwriter Jonathan Nolan interviewing another screenwriter (and director) Christopher Nolan. They are not only brothers, they co-wrote The Dark Knight. An introduction: When you think about it, there’s really no way that “Inception” should have worked. A film of

Daily Dialogue — December 11, 2010

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”  — Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Casablanca (1942), screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch, based on a play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words — suggested

Reader Question: What exactly do you mean by “story conceit”?

From Marc: My question is, what is your exact definition of “story-conceit”? Is it the premise, how the plot plays out, what the story is all about or a special, unique approach to tell the story? One definition of conceit is an “idea.” So when I use the term

Thoughts about GITS from a working screenwriter

Recently I received an email from a working screenwriter who has been doing quite well for himself of late in Hollywood. I asked if I could excerpt some of his comments and he agreed: With regards to your blog, what sells it for me: This is an industry and an

“My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead”

I have been fascinated by the dual (and dueling) popularity of vampire and zombie franchises. So it was with great interest I read this article in the NYT. Some excerpts: Zombies are a value stock. They are wordless and oozing and brain dead, but they’re an ever-expanding market

Great Characters: Dr. Strangelove (“Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Loved the Bomb”)

Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Loved the Bomb is one of my top five favorite movies, a brilliant satire on the Cold War. Living as a boy for four years on a SAC Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota, home to the country’s

Daily Dialogue — December 10, 2010

“Khan!”  — Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), screenplay by Jack B. Sowards and Nicholas Meyer, story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards, television series by Gene Roddenberry The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum

Writing question: Is there an author writing the novel of your life?

Bumping around the web, I found this: In his later years, [Joseph Campbell] was fond of recalling how Schopenhauer, in his essay On the Apparent Intention in the Fate of the Individual, wrote of the curious feeling one can have, of there being an author somewhere writing the novel of

The importance of prep-writing

I have pontificated about prep-writing on many occasions — as in here and here. I’ve also noted how almost all professional TV and screenwriters break their story before they type FADE IN — as in the email approach of Judd Apatow here.  So there’s a pretty good chance you

The Business of Screenwriting: I don’t have to smell it to sell it

The Business of Screenwriting: “I don’t have to smell it to sell it” An object lesson in Agent Talk. We are sitting in a Beverly Hills restaurant. It’s a lunch meeting with our new agent. We haven’t officially signed with the agency — one of the Big Four

Daily Dialogue — December 9, 2010

“Lets both be girls.”  — Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), screenplay by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall, based on the graphic novel series “Scott Pilgrim” by Bryan Lee O’Malley The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words