Scott Myers

Video: Taiki Waititi breaks down a scene from ‘Jojo Rabbit’

The writer, director, and actor takes us inside a scene from his new movie.

Writing and the Creative Life: Structure and Freedom

Words of creative wisdom the great 20th century composer Igor Stravinsky.

Daily Dialogue — November 8, 2019

“So, that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in…

What do ‘Wall-E’ and ‘Logan’ have in common?

Both movies use a simple gesture to pack an emotional wallop.

Reader Question: How do you know when your script is ready to send out?

Tough question, especially for writers who may NEVER think a story is ‘done’.

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything You Wanted to Know About Specs [Part 6]

“We’d like to have something that works for both the studios and the financiers, a script that could be a big blown-out studio movie as…

Daily Dialogue — November 7, 2019

“Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you’ll marry a music man Ballerina, you must have seen her…

Reader Question: Is any exposition scene a “crock of shit”?

“Exposition is critically important. However, poor handling of exposition can be lethal to creating drama and sustaining a story’s pace.”

Update: 2019 Award Season Screenplay Downloads — 1 New Script, 8 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

Screenwriting 101: Akiva Goldsman

“Adaptation is always the same process for me, which is some version of throwing the book at the wall and seeing what pages fall out. It…

Daily Dialogue — November 6, 2019

Sally Albright: Amanda mentioned you had a dark side. Harry Burns: That’s what drew her to me. Sally Albright: Your dark side? Harry Burns…

Movie analysis: “Up”

When Up was about to be released, Wall Street experts actually downgraded Disney stock. Their thinking: Who would go see a movie featuring…

Difference Between Scene Heading and Shot

What they are and when each should be used.

Script To Screen: “The Devil Wears Prada”

Miranda arrives in the office in this scene from the 2006 comedy, screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna, novel by Lauren Weisberger.

Daily Dialogue — November 5, 2019

Taxi Driver: So what’re we doing? Michael Clayton: [hands driver cash] Give me fifty dollars worth. Just drive.

“Where am I going?”

A great question for a Protagonist to answer.

How to Decide Which Story to Write

Are you trying to figure out which of one or more stories to write next?

On Writing

“I love that line from E.L. Doctorow: ‘Writing a novel is like driving at night. You can only see as far as your headlights — ” but you…

Daily Dialogue — November 4, 2019

“Boy, getting off the freeway makes you realize how important love is. After that, Dionne’s virginity went from technical to non-existant…

The Theology of Cinema: Chosen

The archetype of the Chosen One is common to movies, echoing the Messiah figure in ancient religions.

Studio Chief Summit: All 7 Top Film Executives, One Room, Nothing Off-Limits (and No Easy Answers)

Earlier this week from The Hollywood Reporter:

Interview (Audio): Edward Norton

The actor turned writer-director talks about his new movie Motherless Brooklyn.

Daily Dialogue — November 3, 2019

“Oh, God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space were it not that I have bad dreams.”

Update: 2019 Award Season Screenplay Downloads —2 New Scripts, 7 Total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season.

Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Midway in the Photoplay [Part 3]

“The plot within the plot is one form of elaboration on the spoken stage.”