Spec Script Deal: “Done It All” Cliff Hollingsworth sets up spec biopic “Done It All” to GMH Productions. From Deadline: Merle Haggard’s life may be made into a feature film. GMH Productions has optioned the script “Done It All”, about the life of the legendary country singer/songwriter/musician, written by Cinderella Man scribe Cliff
Daily Dialogue — April 13, 2016 SYNDROME: Huh? Huh? Oh, come on, you gotta admit this is cool! Just like a movie! The robot will emerge dramatically, do some damage, throw some screaming people, and just when all hope is lost, Syndrome will save the day! I’ll be a bigger hero than you ever were.
Reader Question: What are three good ‘how to’ scripts to read? Three scripts essential for learning the craft. Lee, I assume by “how to” scripts, you mean screenplays which are not only great stories, but also examples of strong screenwriting practices. I am tempted to name the very first three I ever read because in addition to Syd Field’s book
Announcing: 2016 Black List Screenwriters Lab When: October 16–22, 2016 Where: Los Angeles Cost: All expenses paid I have participated in all eight Black List screenwriting labs and each has been a tremendous experience. You can read testimonials from participating writers below: Athena Film Festival Chicago Las Vegas Los Angeles New York San Francisco Toronto
Character Archetypes: “The Wizard of Oz” Over the years, I’ve analyzed dozens of movies through the lens of five primary character archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster. This is my theory, that most movies have these five narrative dynamics at work in them: A character or characters with a conscious goal toward which they are
A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 12 This is the seventh year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
Screenwriting 101: William Goldman “Screenplays don’t have to read like an instruction manual for a refrigerator. You can write them as a pleasurable read.” — William Goldman Comment Archive
Daily Dialogue — April 12, 2016 “Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?” — Speed (1994), written by Graham Yost The Daily Dialogue theme for the
Learn a Proven Approach to Story Prep Have you ever started a script and not finished it? Has it ever taken you 6 months, 1 year, or more to finish a script? Have you ever gotten so lost when writing a story, you became incredibly frustrated, and gave up? Chances are you did not do enough story
Reader Question: How would you define “inner motivation” and “outer motivation” From my email: Subject: inner motivation / outer motivation Message: brief definition please. A short email requiring a long answer. Inner motivation. Outer motivation. This sounds like the jargon of a screenwriting ‘guru’. Let me try to put a human face on these concepts. You are a person. You have a
Character Archetypes: “True Grit” Over the years, I’ve analyzed dozens of movies through the lens of five primary character archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster. This is my theory, that most movies have these five narrative dynamics at work in them: A character or characters with a conscious goal toward which they are
A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 11 This is the seventh year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
On Writing “Before I write the lead of a piece, I think the hardest part is how to begin. Then, once I have that done, I think the hardest part is the section that comes right after the lead. Then, of course, the ending. In other words, it’s all hard, just
Daily Dialogue — April 11, 2016 G’MORK: Don’t you know anything about Fantasia? It’s the world of human fantasy. Every part, every creature of it is a piece of the dreams and hopes of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundary. ATREYU: But why is Fantasia dying, then? G’MORK: Because people have begun
Reflections on Scripted Introductions of Female Characters By now I’m sure many of you have seen something about this Twitter feed: @femscriptintros. Here is its description from movie producer Ross Putnam who hosts the site: These are intros for female leads in actual scripts I read. Names changed to JANE, otherwise verbatim. Update as I go.
Interview: Andrew Friedhof (2015 Nicholl Winner) Andrew Friedhof wrote the original screenplay “Great Falls” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Andy from his home in Australia about his background as a writer and his award-winning screenplay. Here are links to the six installments of the
Screenwriting News (April 4-April 10, 2016) This week’s writing deals and movie project news. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski sell adaptation pitch “Great Men” to Amazon Studios. Diablo Cody sets up untitled project for Right of Way Films with Jason Reitman to direct, Charlize Theron to star. Vineet Dewan and Samantha Taylor Pickett “Be Here
A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 10 This is the seventh year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
Interview (Audio): Scott Frank with Brian Koppelman A February 2, 2016 interview on Brian Koppelman’s excellent podcast “The Moment” with screenwriter and now novelist Scott Frank. For more of “The Moment,” go here.
Daily Dialogue — April 10, 2016 “Really? Well, guess fucking what? I don’t really fucking care. You wanna know fucking why? Because I don’t fucking live in the fucking world! I live in fucking New York City! So go fuck yourself!” — The Paper (1994), written by David Koepp and Stephen Koepp The Daily Dialogue
Daily Dialogue theme next week: Villain The Daily Dialogue theme next week: Villain. No Country for Old Men (2007) Okay, this should be a slam dunk! Seven suggestions for movie villains. Pick your favorite bad guy or gal and their most memorable dialogue, and head to comments to make this next week rock and roll! The
Interview (Part 6): Andrew Friedhof (2015 Nicholl Winner) Andy Friedhof wrote the original screenplay “Great Falls” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Andy about his background as a writer and his award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 6, Andy shares some thoughts for aspiring screenwriters: Scott: I know
Script Analysis: “The End of the Tour” — Part 6: Takeaways Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Plot Wednesday: Characters Thursday: Themes Friday: Dialogue Saturday: Takeaways Today: Takeaways. This week,
Saturday Hot Links Time for the 233rd installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest. Biggest Studio Gambles of the Summer, From ‘Ghostbusters’ to ‘Ben-Hur’. Why Film Franchises Could Change Cinema Forever. Will Sean Parker’s Screening Room hurt
A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 9 This is the seventh year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
