Scott Myers

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Autumn Challenge: Day 16

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 16. September 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. September 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. Get it down. Get it done. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what

Interview (Part 1): Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz (“Miss Stevens”)

Entertainment Weekly calls it a “breezy indie gem”. Bilge Ebiri of the Village Voice calls it a “tight, unnerving and deceptively complex movie”. David Ehrlich of Indiwire writes, “With her directorial debut, The Keeping Room screenwriter Julia Hart proves that she belongs behind the camera.” And the New York Times

Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 10]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Script To Screen: “Carrie”

To me, the most interesting relationship in the 1976 movie Carrie, screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen, novel by Stephen King, is the one between Carrie and her mother Margaret. The latter is one sick, demented soul. IMDb plot summary: Carrie White, a shy, friendless 17 year-old girl who is

Daily Dialogue — September 16, 2016

“I want you to understand something, Jerry. I don’t like people knowing about me, in fact I don’t like it when ANYONE knows about me. So you can take that paper of yours and wipe off your dick with it! You made me mad, Jerry. Now I’m

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Autumn Challenge: Day 15

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 15. September 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. September 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. Get it down. Get it done. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what

Tweetstorm: Daniel Kunka on “Lincoln” and the Value of Reading Scripts

The other day screenwriter Daniel Kunka (@unikunka) posted a series of tweets about the script for the movie Lincoln to make a point about the value of reading scripts. Reprinted here by permission. Years ago, I came up with a screenwriting mantra: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. In general,

Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 9]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Steven Pressfield: “Inciting Incident = Hook”

Steven Pressfield is an author, novelist, and essayist who hosts an excellent website which features weekly posts on the writing craft (Writing Wednesdays). His latest: “Inciting Incident = Hook”. Why do we even have inciting incidents? Who says there has to be one? Can’t we just plunge in with Word

Script To Screen: “The Shining”

This notable scene from the 1980 movie The Shining [screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson, based on a Stephen King novel]: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings

Daily Dialogue — September 15, 2016

“How about you, hero? Had enough?” — The Karate Kid (1984), written by Robert Mark Kamen The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Bullying. Trivia: According to black belt karate instructor William (Bill) J. DeClemente in “Black Belt” magazine dated May 1994, DeClemente believed he was the inspiration for The Karate

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Autumn Challenge: Day 14

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 14. September 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. September 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. Get it down. Get it done. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what

Free Tickets to “The Raconteur: Writing Prose and Television with Jonathan Ames”

The good folks at the Writers Guild Foundation have a special offer for GITS readers for an upcoming event in Los Angeles. Check it out: Tue, September 20, 2016 7:30 PM — 9:00 PM As the creator and showrunner of the Starz Original Series BLUNT TALK (which premieres its

Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 8]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Video: 4 Steps to Getting an Idea (The Remix Method)

I have been tracking Kirby Ferguson and his “Everything is a Remix” videos since the very first one came out in 2010. So when Kirby reached out to me via email about his latest video — “The 4 Steps to Getting an Idea (The Remix Method #1) — I had to check

Great Scene: “When Harry Met Sally”

The movie: When Harry Met Sally, the terrific 1989 romantic comedy written by the late great Nora Ephron. The scene: It’s pretty self-explanatory. Here’s a transcription of some of the key dialogue, but you should watch the entire scene to see how beautifully constructed it is. Harry:

Daily Dialogue — September 14, 2016

“I’ve been looking for you guys. I’ve got someone I want you to meet. Clifford, this is Mike. Ricky, this is Mike. He’s my bodyguard.” — My Bodyguard (1980), written by Alan Ormsby The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Bullying. Trivia: Feature film debut of Adam Baldwin,

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Autumn Challenge: Day 13

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 13. September 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. September 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. Get it down. Get it done. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what

Why do we find conflict entertaining?

I’m sure all of us have heard that bromide: “Drama requires conflict.” As I sit here pondering that thought, the single best reason I can think of for why that is the case is we find conflict entertaining. But why is that? We go through life, at least most

Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 7]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Announcement: 2016 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Short List

Yesterday the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the short list for the 2016 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting: Eleven individual screenwriters and one writing team have been shortlisted for the 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. The Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee will meet later this month to select

Screenwriting 101: Lawrence Kasdan

“I usually start with characters I’m interested in and hope they develop a field of force that starts to be a story. You bring in another character and that character causes sparks and friction and conflict with the one you started with. And you’re on your way.” — Lawrence

Daily Dialogue — September 13, 2016

Holding golf clubs, Otter and Boon watch from atop a hill as Neidermeyer, attired in full military regalia, dismounts from his horse and berates the ROTC students. He stops in front of Flounder. Neidermeyer: You fat, disgusting slob! You’re a goddamned disgrace! Boon: A vicious mother, isn’t he?

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Autumn Challenge: Day 12

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 12. September 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. September 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. Get it down. Get it done. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into being and what

The Mysteries of Writing Dialogue

There are many intangibles about the craft of screenwriting. Much of that derives from the fact that story itself is organic. Stories — good ones, at least — are not formulas. They are not widgets. Rather they are living, breathing entities with a heart, soul, and even will of their own. They