Writing on Assignment In Hollywood, it’s known as an O.W.A.. In the film school at DePaul University, it’s called SCWR 305 405.
Interview (Part 4): Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing My interview with the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winners.
Great Scene: “Shakespeare In Love” A revelation scene from the Academy Award winning screenplay and movie Shakespeare In Love (1998), written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard.
The Business of Screenwriting: Chilled Whine On March 7, 1988, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. It lasted 155 days and is the longest work stoppage in Guild history…
Page One: “28 Weeks Later” (2007) Screenplay by Rowan Joffe & Juan Carlos Fresnadillo & Enrique López Lavigne & Jesús Olmo
High Concept vs. Strong Story Concept What should you be looking for when generating story ideas? A conversation I had in one of my recent online classes.
Interview (Part 3): Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing My interview with the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winners.
Character Type: Addict “The struggle between self-control and the pull of the addiction. It represents conflict on a fundamental level, powerful physical needs…
Great Scene: “Schindler’s List” There are many scenes from the 1993 film Schindler’s List that are seared into my memory, but perhaps the most haunting one involves the…
Spec Script Deal: “Undo” New Line Cinema acquires the action thriller spec script “Undo” written by Will Simmons. Via Deadline:
Interview (Part 2): Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing My interview with the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winners.
Great Scene: “Saving Private Ryan” Captain Miller finally reveals what his job is back home. Some interesting changes from script to screen.
Screenwriting 101: David Hare “The hardest thing in film is distinguishing between good and bad input. The whole point of writing screenplays is to provide a platform…
Page One: “21 Jump Street” (2012) Screenplay by Michael Bacall, story by Michael Bacall & Jonah Hill, television series by Patrick Hasburgh & Stephen J. Cannell
Spec Script Deal: “Weapons” New Line Cinema acquires horror thriller spec script “Weapons” written by Zack Cregger. Via Deadline:
Interview (Part 1): Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing My interview with the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winners.
Great Scene: “Rushmore” What a terrific movie Rushmore (1998) is. Co-written by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson, who also directed the film, it’s a stellar follow-up…
On Writing “I think there is a tremendous amount of avoidance that goes on while writing. People used to ask me if I got writers block and I’d always…
Character Type: Loner “The thing is, we’ve all experienced loneliness and almost all of us are, by our human nature, social creatures. So when we happen upon a…
Go Into The Story Interview: Sam Boyer My interview with the 2022 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.
Great Scene: “Rounders” A scene from the 1998 movie Rounders, written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman. IMDb plot summary:
