Screenwriting News (February 18 — February 24, 2019) Script sales, pitch deals, greenlit projects, talent attachments, and more.
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Theme “Found your story on an original truth of such universal interest that when your climax comes everybody in the audience from stenographer…
Interview: Anna Bowden & Ryan Fleck A video featuring the co-writers and directors of the new Marvel movie Captain Marvel.
Spec Script Deal: Untitled Chris Borrelli Action Thriller Universal Pictures acquires action thriller untitled spec script written by Chris Borrelli. Via Deadline:
Daily Dialogue — February 24, 2019 “You’ve been formally charged with three counts of murder, the bombing of government property, conspiracy to commit terrorism, treason…
Two keys to long talking head scenes: (1) You, as a writer, have to ABSOLUTELY justify the scene’s… The actual content of the dialogue can be fascinating as with the U.S.S. Indianapolis monologue in Jaws. But you can also lean into the…
Saturday Hot Links Time for the 380th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Situation If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early stages of American…
Daily Dialogue theme next week: Barber Shop Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,936 consecutive days and counting.
Spec Script Deal: “Distant” Amblin Partners acquires science fiction spec script “Distant” written by Spenser Cohen. Via Deadline:
Daily Dialogue — February 23, 2019 “Let me get right to the point. I’m smarter than you. And I’m gonna find out what I wanna know. And I’m gonna get it from you whether you…
Character Type: Angel “Angels come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Their presence in movies and culture reflect a desire on our part to believe in an…
Reader Question: Are there movies where the Protagonist is the Nemesis? Is it possible for the Protagonist to also be the story’s Nemesis? A deep dive into Fight Club, The Shawshank Redemption, and Carl Jung.
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Crisis and Conflict If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. Loos was one of the most influential writers in the early stages of American…
Writing and the Creative Life: “Believing is seeing” A twist on the old saying, “Seeing is believing.”
Daily Dialogue — February 22, 2019 Col. Hans Landa: [to Aldo] So you’re “Aldo the Apache.” Lt. Aldo Raine: So you’re “the Jew Hunter.” Col. Hans Landa: A detective. A damn…
Reader Question: Could you explain how writing credits work? A deep dive into the mysteries of screenwriting credits.
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Getting Ideas If you are a screenwriter, you should know about Anita Loos. She was one of the most influential writers in the early history of American…
Daily Dialogue — February 21, 2019 Miles: Where do you live? Buck: In the city. Miles: You have a house? Buck: Apartment. Miles: Own or rent? Buck: Rent. Miles: What do you…
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…
The Hero’s Journey meets Molly Tuttle Or if you will the singer-songwriter meets the Hero’s Journey in her new song “Take the Journey” featuring her distinctive claw hammer…
Screenwriting Advice From The Past: Loos & Emerson (1920) In my ongoing research into screenwriting, I discovered the book “How to Write Photoplays,” written in 1920 by Anita Loos and her husband…
Script To Screen: “Pan’s Labyrinth” The scene in the 2006 movie Pan’s Labyrinth, written by Guillermo del Toro, wherein the Protagonist (Ofelia) moves out of the Ordinary…
