Scott Myers

Reunion videos: “LOTR,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Back to the Future”

Via MovieFone: Pop culture science: after you see a movie you absolutely love, a memory is formed and it lurks under the surface for years and years, shifting and changing, morphing and growing, until one day — it could be a year, or a few decades — something comes along that drills

“Why I write”

A manifesto from author Terry Tempest Williams: I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create fabric in a world that often appears black and white. I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts. I write to begin

Aaron Sorkin responds to charges of misogony in “Social Network”

Did you catch this news the other day? When Ken Levine wrote his review of ‘The Social Network,’ he might not have expected Aaron Sorkin, the writer of the movie, would be one of his commenters. More importantly (and strangely), Sorkin chose this outlet to respond to the complaints about

Great Characters: Jack Sparrow (“Pirates of the Caribbean”)

One of the most memorable Trickster characters in recent memory is Jack Sparrow, played brilliantly by Johnny Depp in three Pirates of the Caribbean movies (screenplays by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio). Here is how the character is introduced in the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the

Daily Dialogue — October 15, 2010

“General Kenobi, years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars; now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person; but my ship has fallen under attack and I’

Reader Question: Where should a character be in their development when we, as writers, first get to know them?

A reader question from Tracy M: Whether by interviewing their characters or taking a walk with their characters on the beach, many writers harp on the importance of getting to know their characters before they type Fade In. It’s clear how this can help create 3 dimensional story people.

“Why I write”

More reflections on why we write from author Joan Didion: Why I Write Of course I stole the title from this talk, from George Orwell. One reason I stole it was that I like the sound of the words: Why I Write. There you have three short unambiguous words that

“Wes Anderson’s Undergraduate Writing Precocious, Whimsical “

HuffPo with a nifty find for all you Wes Anderson fans: Everyone’s gotta start somewhere. For Wes Anderson, it was at the University of Texas’ literary magazine, Analecta. His short story “The Ballad of Reading Milton” was published in the journal’s 1989 edition, when Anderson was just shy

The Business of Screenwriting: Never send out a script before it’s ready

Or how I almost managed to kill my screenwriting career before it started. After K-9 sold, obviously people around town were curious about what we’d do next. Had I known any better at the time, we would have had several strong story concepts to develop and pitch. But

Daily Dialogue — October 14, 2010

“Rosebud.”  — Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), Citizen Kane (1941), original screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is exposition, suggested by The Unknown Lyricist.  Trivia: Screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz wrote the balance of the screenplay for this film from a hospital bed

Reader Question: Do Hollywood studios set out to make horrible movies?

A reader question from Mahmoud: Do Studios set out to make horrible movies? We are all here in your great forum take lessons everyday that inspires us to write better and to set the bar up high. Read scripts, write pages. Rewrite, get feedback. The only way out is through,

“Why I write?”

Here is a 1947 essay from George Orwell: From a very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did

Screenwriting 101 — Alex Garland

“I love stories. Stories are my primary concern because I think they are a very tried and tested vehicle for themes. I think that if you’ve got an agenda, the best way to get it across is via a story, because with a lecture, people either agree with you

Daily Dialogue — October 13, 2010

Pilcher: What do you do when you’re not detecting, Officer Starling? Clarice: I try to be a student, Dr. Pilcher. Pilcher: Ever get out for cheeseburgers and beer? The amusing house wine…? Clarice: Not lately. But maybe someday. Roden: Sphingid ceratonia, maybe. [cuts open cocoon] Roden: Agent Starling, meet

Reader Question: What is the best way to learn screenwriting?

A reader question from Marina: Hello, my name is Marina and I found you in a post that appeared on my twitter. I am writing to you to ask a advice. I want to make writing my profession, but I’m still working on it hehe I just published a

The Kid In The Front Row: Screenwriting Competition

I don’t normally promote screenwriting competitions, but I’m a fan of The Kid In The Front Row and it seems like a fun conceit: It’s time to do some writing! Yes, it means we have to get off Facebook, stop flicking through blogs, and stop telling everyone

“Why I write?”

Yesterday I featured the reflections of author Orhan Pamuk. On the other end of the spectrum, I found this post about a Muhammed Sallem, a “social media consultant and a top-ranked community member on many social sites” about why he writes. I thought his logic was every bit as

Spe Script Sale: “The Organ Grinder’s Monkey”

Per Variety, British company Warp Films has bought dark comedy spec “The Organ Grinder’s Monkey” from writers Jake Chapman & Dinos Chapman: “The Organ Grinder’s Monkey” stars Rhys Ifans as a wannabe artist whose talents are outshone by the paintings of a talking chimpanzee. Daniel Craig, Kevin Spacey

Coincidence: The Sequel

Yesterday I posted this response to a reader question about the use of coincidence in stories: Let me draw a distinction between a coincidence and a conceit. Think of the former from inside the perspective of your story world: there a coincidence is much like it is in our world,

Update: “Awesome Infographic: Music Metaphors, Simplified” — Redux!

It’s fascinating that I still keep getting hits on this post originally going live in July: So a few weeks back, I posted this from FlavorWire: “Awesome Infographic: Music Metaphors, Simplified.” Here’s the graph: I asked “How about something similar for movies? Suggestions?” We got a lot. Here

Hollywood Tales

“I attribute success to having the background of just loving the great stories of the world — and that’s what makes the most successful films — combined with my trashy, vulgar appreciation of all that is modern Hollywood.”  — Leslie Dixon

Daily Dialogue — October 12, 2010

Narrator: Tyler was a night person. While the rest of us were sleeping, he worked. He had one part time job as a projectionist. See, a movie doesn’t come all on one big reel. It comes on a few. So someone has to be there to switch the projectors

Reader Question: What about the use of coincidence in a comedy?

A reader question from James Tillery: What are your thoughts on coincidence in comedy? It feels cheap when characters are constantly bumping into each other, but how about using coincidence to get into the second act? A good example might be Date Night since the plot hinges on the Main

“Why I write”

From author Orhan Pamuk’s speech accepting the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006: I write because I have to write. I write because I am in love with the world. I write because my tongue is too wet and sloppy a tool for the elegance of language and because

Analysis: “The Town”

The Town is an excellent movie, one that uses the five primary character archetypes. My analysis below. SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW KEY PLOT ELEMENTS! I see the character archetype breakdown this way: Protagonist: Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) Nemesis: F.B.I. Special