Scott Myers

Reader Question: What is it like to work with a partner on a script?

From Gregaria: Hi Scott, First off, I really enjoy your blog. I just got into screenwriting, and I’ve learned much, if not most, of what I know now thanks to your very knowledgeable and generous posting. I had a couple of “reader questions.” First, can you talk about what

“Kurt Vonnegut at the Blackboard”

My students in the Writing for Screen & Stage program at the University of North Carolina are great. Smart, interested, motivated, and bubbling with talent. And sometimes, they go above and beyond. Like this email from rising senior Sam Morgan: Hey Scott, I knew how much you liked Kurt Vonnegut

“Scott Pilgrim” reviews

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opened nationwide at midnight last night. Here are some reviews: Los Angeles Times (Betsy Sharkey): In “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” the inventive, free-floating ode to nerdville, the comic-book geek stays in the picture. Whether it’s Scott’s everyday loser life or

Great Scene: A Clockwork Orange, Part 2

Last week, we looked at this scene in A Clockwork Orange. It sets up the scene below, very much a replay of the previous one only with some stark differences. Note especially how Alex and Mr. Alexander realize who the other is and the violent intersection their past. INT. “HOME”

Daily Dialogue — August 13, 2010

“I’m Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor, from now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and the last word out of your filthy sewers will be “Sir”. Do you maggots understand that?”   — Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Lee Ermey), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Stanley Kubrick

Daily Dialogue theme for next week!

How about musicals? Songs by characters are dialogue set to music. So how about your favorite cinematic songs which feature notable dialogue? Again much appreciated if you can copy/paste the dialogue from IMDB.  And if you have the time, always helpful if you can source an accompanying YouTube clip.

Reader Question: How to develop a sense of ‘rhythm’ in my writing?

From Adam: I am a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin’s writing. And I feel like part of acquiring your own voice is to emulate the writing you admire (to an extent), but at some point I think it’s important to understand the nature of the tools you’re

“30 Ways To Improve The Movies”

From TotalFilm. Five of the suggestions: Silence is Golden Not to make cinemas like a church (we still want to laugh, scream or reserve the right to hurl abuse at Michael Bay films) but stronger silence policies would make things much more pleasant, wouldn’t they? So kick out anybody

Scene Description Spotlight: “American Beauty”

You’ve probably heard or read some screenwriting guru say something like this: “You simply can’t write anything that can’t be shown on the screen or heard in dialogue.” Or this: “Actors don’t like to be told how to act, so don’t tell them how to

Daily Dialogue — August 12, 2010

“I never knew the old Vienna before the war with its Strauss music, its glamor and easy charm. Constantinople suited me better. I really got to know it in the classic period of the black market. We’d run anything if people wanted it enough and had the money to

Reader Question: How much detail should I go into re my story with industry insiders?

From Anuj: Hi Scott, I am not sure how much to (verbally) describe my story to people of the industry when they ask me what I am working on. I haven’t really jumped-in into Bollywood yet (I live in Mumbai) but I do have some contacts and ‘lifting’

Opening this weekend: “Animal Kingdom”

I’ve gotten a few emails from GITS readers asking me to promote the movie Animal Kingdom. Here’s one comment from Elizabeth: David Michod’s “Animal Kingdom” is coming out this Friday in NYC and LA and I would like it if you advertised it to the readers. I

Spec Script Sale: “Chronicle”

Per HeatWave, Twentieth Century Fox buys “Chronicle,” a sci-fi script from Max Landis: According to the studio, the story focuses on the lives of three Portland teens that become exposed to a mysterious substance in the woods, and, as a result, begin to develop incredible powers. They work together

Screenwriting 101 — Alvin Sargent

Do you begin with the emotions of the characters rather than the dynamics of the plot? Well, I think about what this story means to me, how I am affected by it, how I want to project that on paper. Paper is the great enemy. Getting something from your head

Daily Dialogue — August 11, 2010

“Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and

Awesome “Scott Pilgrim” trailer

From the Mrblonde2010: This is a recreation of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Theatrical Trailer. I used images from the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel and matched the trailer as best I could. Also you may see things here that differ from the trailer and that is because there are

Reader question: How much money is my script worth?

From an anonymous GITS reader: I’ve been asked to name a price for a feature script of mine and I’ve very vague ideas about what to say. I want him to like the price but don’t sell to cheap, you know what I mean. It’s a

“Are men or women more obsessive about movies?”

Steve Zeitchik at the L.A. Times’ “24 Frames” blog comes up with a fun question: It’s usually impossible to get a real-world snapshot of men vs. women at the box office — most movies appeal at least a little bit to both genders — and there are usually other

Info: Graphic Novels and Comic Books

Some fantastic perspectives and insight in these two posts yesterday — here and here. Some posters provided links for more information. Tom Murphy provided these: Scott McCloud Will Eisner Comic: The Most Versatile Art Form Atlanta posted these: Story length in comics, 60s to present day Wally Wood’s 22 frames

Q&A with Scripped.com COO Ryan Buckley

In January 2008, I started teaching my first screenwriting course at UNC and immediately hit on a problem: While I could suggest to my students that they use a screenwriting software, I couldn’t require it because some members of the class simply couldn’t afford to buy it. Fortunately

Hollywood Tales

“John [Ford], dressed only in a bathrobe and chomping on endless cigars, dictated the script scene by scene. [Dudley] Nichols often found himself standing up and shouting to make himself heard. John’s typical response if they didn’t agree was that Nichols didn’t ‘understand the Irish temperment,’ or

Daily Dialogue — August 10, 2010

“I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being.”  — Stand by Me (1986), screenplay by Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans, based on a novella by Stephen King The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is notable opening lines. Trivia: The movie is based

Reader Question: Should I write my story as a screenplay or graphic novel?

From RonC: Hi guys. Looking for some advice here. This isn’t a pitch, but let me just describe my situation: My script is very graphic novel-friendly. It’s a gritty, urban, paranormal mystery thriller with a NYC homicide detective protagonist, homeless kids, violent Miami street gangs and… well,

“Concepts, not actors, are now the real stars at the movies”

Perhaps you tire of all the harping I do about the importance of coming up with a strong story concept as the basis for an original screenplay, as I do here, here, here, and here. If you do get tired of my harping, you’d best read this: LOS ANGELES

“Mid-Summer Box Office Report: Top Ten Chart, Studio Report Card”

From Thompson on Hollywood: Picky audiences yield flat ticket sales this summer. With spending money tight, moviegoers are being careful with their choices at the multiplex. “People are waiting to hear from friends whether certain movies are worth their money,” says Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane. “When discretionary income wasn’