Scott Myers

John Lennon: 30 years ago today…

…he was killed. Some of you may know I’m a big John Lennon fan. I posted this tribute to him on October 8 which would have been his 70th birthday. I aggregated some great videos, including from all his movie appearances, so if you need something uplifting on this

Update: David Milch

So it all started with me posting excerpts from five lectures given by David Milch on “The Writer’s Voice”: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Then David McMillan made this comment: Thanks for posting these, Scott. I’ve seen Milch at work in the writers

Yet more reasons why Pixar are the best storytellers today

A nice LAT article yesterday featuring the director and co-story writer of Toy Story 3 Lee Unkrich. You should read it all including the front part which describes how Pixar approached doing a sequel to a movie (Toy Story 2) which they felt already had a perfect ending. What

Copyright vs. WGA registry

I received an email from Larry Zerner, a copyright and entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles. He posted this recent article on his blog with a rather provocative title: “IT’S TIME FOR THE WRITER’S GUILD TO SHUT DOWN THE WGA REGISTRY.” Here’s how the article starts: Since 1927,

Screenwriting 101: Shawn Lawrence Otto

“I took a class in screenwriting because I wanted to strengthen my sense of structure. To me a good novel delves deep into a character’s spiritual and emotional drives, and then compels them to act in life-changing ways. I didn’t want to be one of those meandering

Daily Dialogue — December 8, 2010

“Mr. Campbell, who cares?”  — Betram Cooper (Robert Morse), “Mad Men,” Season 1, Episode 12, series created by Matthew Weiner The actual scene can be found here. The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words — suggested by CWillGoWrite. Mad Men suggested via Twittery by

Sale (Adaptation): “Serial Killer Days”

Sometimes the stories behind the sales are as good, if not better than the story itself. From THR: Mark Carter was browsing at a Barnes & Noble in L.A. when his eye caught an intriguing title in the bargain bin: Serial Killer Days. Carter, who had made an award-

Local screenwriting groups?

I found something interesting while bumping around the web: Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum: The WSF is a not-for-profit writers support group, organized to provide educational, networking, and marketing support for individuals interested in learning the craft and business of screenwriting. WSF has members throughout the world. We actively network

John August coverage of “Natural Born Killers”

Something fun from screenwriter John August: Reader Jason writes: [My boss] was giving our poor assistant the grueling duty of digitizing boxes and boxes of her old scripts. In the mire, he came across something we all found amusing -– coverage you did back in 1992. He attaches coverage I wrote

Ways To Write, Part 2: The Pomodoro Technique

This way of writing is courtesy of one of my current Screenwriting Master Class students Matt Sinclair-Foreman who along with his fellow writers is just wrapping up a successful 6-week Prep course. Matt emailed our group a few weeks back with this: Via a writer’s blog I

Hollywood Tales

“Well paid though they were, screenwriters suffered the frustration of sharing a script with several other writers and never knowing what would come out in the end. Screenplays went through numerous revisions by one team after another, so that it was sometimes difficult to determine who contributed what. Producer Walter

Daily Dialogue — December 7, 2010

“I’m walkin’ here!”  — Ratso (Dustin Hoffman), Midnight Cowbody (1969), screenplay by Waldo Salt, based on a novel by James Leo Herlihy For the actual scene, go here. The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words — suggested by CWillGoWrite. Midnight Cowboy suggested by

A studio executive speaks

Actually he’s now an executive at Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, but Franklin Leonard used to be a director of development at Universal. Also the originator of “The Black List,” in this presentation Leonard gives you an insight into how a Hollywood buyer thinks. An excerpt: The pitch: An

Spec Script Sale: “The Rabbit”

Warner Bros. buys spec comedy “The Rabbit” from writer Micah Barrett. Per Deadline: “think Midnight Run”, I’m told — written by Micah Barnett. Chris Tucker is starring and Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes ) is producing. The sale was handled by WME. By my count, that is the 46th spec script sale

Update: Credit Sequences

A follow-up on this post. In response to this question from Gregaria: First, you said it’s generally the mark of an amateur if a script includes an opening credit sequence. With my script, there’s an entire montage-y scene at the beginning that begins introducing the numerous

Ways To Write, Part 1: Email

“How do you find time to write?” I hear this question constantly from GITS readers and writers who take my online screenwriting classes. It’s a challenge. You know it. I know it. We are busy people. We have lots of responsibilities. If writing is our vocation or even our

Popcorn Fiction: “Hot Water” by Stacy Chariton

Here’s screenwriter Derek Haas with the announcement of this week’s short fiction at his site PopcornFiction: This week’s offering is from screenwriter Stacy Chariton and it’s a bit of a departure from our usual fare. Every now and then I get a hold of an interesting

On writing

“If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me.”  — William Shakespeare

Daily Dialogue — December 6, 2010

“You had me at hello.”  — Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) Jerry Maguire (1996), written and directed by Cameron Crowe The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum impact, minimum words — suggested by CWillGoWrite. Jerry Maguire suggested by Ferdinand. Trivia: Two lines from the film, “Show me the

“An open letter to Oscar voters: Stop ignoring the magic of ‘Harry Potter’”

From LA Times TV Critic Mary McNamara: There is something touching about the fact that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1” opened in mid-November. It’s the unofficial beginning of Oscar season, after all. Whether Warner Bros. is thumbing its nose at the Academy of Motion Picture

Profile: Francis Ford Coppola (Part 5)

Our friend Trevor Hogg is back at FlickeringMyth with the final installment in a 5-part profile of Francis Ford Coppola. An excerpt: Shot over a course of eighty-six days, Youth Without Youth (2007) is a cinematic adaptation of the novella by Mircea Eliade. Struck by lightning, a timid

The truth about villains and heroes

This is awesome: “If I win, I get to be a king. If I lose, I get to be a legend.” If you have any interest in understanding the dynamics between villains and heroes — from the villain’s perspective — you simply must stop what you’re doing and read this

Live at the WGA: Ben Affleck (12/10/10)

For all of you who are going to be wandering around Fairfax & Third in L.A. later this week, check it out: The Writers Guild Foundation presents: WRITERS ON WRITING HOLIDAY EDITION 2: BEN AFFLECK Friday, 12/10, 6:30 p.m. (note special time) — WGAW Second Floor. Info/

Video Interview: Peter Morgan

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 Peter Morgan. Morgan’s screenwriting credits include The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, Frost/Nixon, and Hereafter. Here is an

Daily Dialogue — December 5, 2010

“There’s no place like home.”  — Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), The Wizard of Oz (1939), screenplay by Noel Langley & Florence Ryerson & Edgar Allan Woolf, adaptation by Noel Langley, based on the book by L. Frank Baum The Daily Dialogue theme this week is five words or less — maximum