Scott Myers

Interview (Part 2): Amy Tofte (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Amy Tofte wrote the original screenplay “Addis Abeka” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Amy about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 2, Amy talks about what inspired her to write “Addis Abeka”

Script Analysis: “Still Alice” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

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. Today: A scene-by-scene breakdown of the script for the movie Still Alice. Here is my take on this exercise from

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 7

Two weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

Screenwriting 101: John August

“If you have four ideas, all equally viable, I’d recommend writing the one that has the best ending. That’s the one you’ve thought through the most, and the one you’re least likely to abandon midway.” — John August

Daily Dialogue — March 8, 2016

Narrator: Well, what do you want me to do? You just want me to hit you? Tyler Durden: C’mon, do me this one favor. Narrator: Why? Tyler Durden: Why? I don’t know why; I don’t know. Never been in a fight. You? Narrator: No, but that’s

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Spring Challenge: Day 7

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 7. March 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. March 30 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into

Interview (Part 1): Amy Tofte (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Amy Tofte wrote the original screenplay “Addis Abeka” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. Recently I had the opportunity to chat with Amy about her background as a writer and her award-winning screenplay. Today in Part 1, Amy talks about how she got into writing while growing

Script Analysis: “Celeste and Jesse Forever” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

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. Today: A scene-by-scene breakdown of the script for the movie Celeste & Jesse Forever. Here is my take on this

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 6

Two weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

On Writing

“You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are.” — Joss Whedon Via Advice To Writers

Daily Dialogue — March 7, 2016

LILY: You son of a bitch. PICARD: This really isn’t the time. LILY: Okay. I don’t know jack about the twenty-fourth century but everybody out there thinks that staying here and fighting the Borg is suicide. They’re just afraid to come in here and say it.

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Spring Challenge: Day 6

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 6. March 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. March 30 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Argument

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Argument. 12 Angry Men (1957) They say you can’t have good drama without conflict. And arguments are about as conflict-y as you can get! Let’s come up with 7 memorable movie moments with some great argumentative dialogue. The usual drill:

Screenwriting News (February 29-March 6, 2016)

This week’s writing deals and movie project news. Suzanne Allain writing “Running A Thousand Miles For Freedom” for Alloy Entertainment. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby scripted “Blood’s A Rover” moving forward with The Mark Gordon Company and Midnight Road Entertainment. Dante Harper writing spinoff “Venom” for Sony. Eric

Movie Analysis: Spotlight

This week, we have been reading, analyzing, and discussing the movie Spotlight, written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy. You may download. the script here. IMDb plot summary: The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic

Videos: BAFTA “Ask The Screenwriters”

Two videos with screenwriters Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Locke), James Schamus (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) answering questions submitted by writers via Twitter: Three videos with screenwriters Nick Hornby (An Education, Brooklyn), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, The Intern)

Daily Dialogue — March 6, 2016

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: With this chip exchange, we enter the final phase of the game, which means no more buy-ins. The big blind is now one million dollars. DEALER: Four players. It’s your bet. Monsieur Bond? BOND: Check. DEALER: Check. MATHIS: Twenty-four million in the pot already. DEALER:

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Spring Challenge: Day 5

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 5. March 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. March 30 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into

Movie Analysis: “Spotlight” — Takeaways

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 228th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest. Oscars: The List of All the 2016 Winners. Oscars: The Fascinating, Manic Process Behind How the Statuettes Are Made. Oscars: Read Chris Rock’s Opening

Video: “Words” (1987)

Filmmaker IQ featured this video last week and boy, did it bring back memories. Produced by the Writers Guild Foundation in 1987, I remember seeing it as part of my orientation as a new member of the Guild (I sold the spec script K-9 in January of that year)

Interview: Robert Carlock (“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”)

An Indiewire interview with Robert Carlock (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) who wrote the screenplay adaptation for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot which starts Tina Fey: “SNL” does seem to be this strange incubator where people are thrown together and expected to craft something massive. It’s also

Daily Dialogue — March 5, 2016

BETSY: You went in there with $500, right, we had this whole discussion! JACK: I had a straight flush! Do you know what a straight flush is? It’s like … unbeatable. BETSY: “Like unbeatable” is not unbeatable. JACK: Hey, I know that now, okay! — Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), written by

Zero Draft Thirty 2016 Spring Challenge: Day 4

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 4. March 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. March 30 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. For background on how the Zero Draft Challenge came into

Movie Analysis: “Spotlight” — Dialogue

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of