Scott Myers

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 10

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 10. January 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. January 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. Whatever. Goal: Rewrite an existing draft. I’m doing it with a Zero Draft I knocked out in November. You’re invited

Video: “Pixar’s Tribute to Cinema”

Arguably the most successful movie studio of all time, Pixar finds its storytelling inspiration from many sources… including cinema itself. Via Jorge Luengo Ruiz. That reminds me my popular 1 week Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling class returns starting Monday, January 25! Learn key storytelling themes and dynamics common

Screenwriting News (January 4-January 10, 2016)

Joel Eisenberg and Steve Snyder scripted drama “January Rain” moving forward at Pacific Shore FIlms. Emma Forrest adapting novel “The Chocolate Money” for Olympus Pictures. F. Scott Frazer scripting “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage”. Peter Glanz writing untitled Byron Janis project at Paramount Pictures. Jason Mantzoukas adapting graphic novel

Writing Reflections on Carl Jung (5 part series)

Writing Reflections on Carl Jung A 5-part series on Jung, psychology, and the the writing craft. The more I study Carl Jung, the more I discover his ideas about psychology have a direct relevance to screenwriting (specifically) and stories (generally). This week, a 5-part series focusing on Jung’

BAFTA Screenwriter’s Lecture: Andrew Bovell

Thought of as Australia’s greatest living playwright, Andrew Bovell has written such plays as When The Rain Stops Falling, The Secret River, and the multi-award-winning Lantana. His screenwriting credits include Strictly Ballroom, the film version of Edge of Darkness, and his adaptation of A Most Wanted Man.

Daily Dialogue — January 10, 2016

DUCHESS: Gentlemen! Gentlemen! (Asks Buckley to intercede.) BUCKLEY: Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please, silence! DUCHESS: Gentlemen, you made me drop a stitch. BENTER: Your pardon, Your Grace. Has the Prime Minister never thought of sending a protest to the United States about this California fellow and his imitation wine? RUPERT: My dear

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Surprise

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Surprise. American Pie (1999) Surprise! One of the best ways to create an entertaining scene. Good surprises. Bad surprises. Shocking surprises. Surely, we should be able to come up with 7 great surprise movie moments. The usual drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDb

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 9

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 9. January 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. January 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. Whatever. Goal: Rewrite an existing draft. I’m doing it with a Zero Draft I knocked out in November. You’re invited

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 220th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest. 2016 Writers Guild Awards Screenplay Nominations Announced. ‘Brooklyn,’ ‘Hateful Eight,’ ‘Room’ Among Films Not Eligible for WGA Awards. ‘The Big Short,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ Land

Script Analysis: “Ex Machina” — 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,

Interview (Written): Ryan Coogler (“Creed”)

A Variety interview with Creed co-writer and director Ryan Coogler: So I understand the “Rocky” movies meant a great deal to your father and grandmother. Yes. It’s complicated. So my father had me when he was young. He got married to my mom — they were married for a

Daily Dialogue — January 9, 2016

STEWART MENZIES: Six minutes? Is that even possible? ALAN TURING: No. It takes me eight. But this isn’t about crossword puzzles — it’s about how one approaches solving an impossible problem. Do you tackle the whole thing at once or divide it into small… You’ve finished? JOAN CLARKE:

Go Into The Story Movie Analysis: Creed

Starting Monday, we begin our next installment of the Go Into The Story Movie Analysis series: Creed, screenplay c-written by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington, story by Ryan Coogler, based on characters by Sylvester Stallone. Creed is a hit having grossed over $116M in box office revenues worldwide, still

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 8

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 8. January 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. January 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. Whatever. Goal: Rewrite an existing draft. I’m doing it with a Zero Draft I knocked out in November. You’re invited

Script Analysis: “Ex Machina” — Part 5: Dialogue

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: Dialogue For Part

Reflections on Carl Jung (Part 5): Become Who You Truly Are

The more I study Carl Jung, the more I discover his ideas about psychology have a direct relevance to screenwriting (specifically) and stories (generally). This week, a 5 part series focusing on Jung’s notion of individuation, the achievement of one’s self-actualization through a process of integrating the

BAFTA David Lean Lecture: David O. Russell

From an event in London on December 19, 2015: For more BAFTA lectures and interviews, go here.

Daily Dialogue — January 8, 2016

DANNY: Gentlemen, the 3000 block of Las Vegas Boulevard, otherwise known as the Bellagio, Mirage and MGM Grand. Together, they’re three of the most profitable casinos in Las Vegas. This is the vault at the Bellagio, it’s located below the strip, beneath 200 feet of solid earth. It

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 7

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 7. January 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. January 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. Whatever. Goal: Rewrite an existing draft. I’m doing it with a Zero Draft I knocked out in November. You’re invited

Script Analysis: “Ex Machina” — Part 4: Themes

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: Themes. I have

Reflections on Carl Jung (Part 4): Psychological Rule as ‘Fate’

The more I study Carl Jung, the more I discover his ideas about psychology have a direct relevance to screenwriting (specifically) and stories (generally). This week, a 5 part series focusing on Jung’s notion of individuation, the achievement of one’s self-actualization through a process of integrating the

Writing and the Creative Life: “Get a mentor”

I recently interviewed Jason Mark Hellerman, a young screenwriter who had a major breakthrough when his original screenplay “Shovel Buddies” placed high on the 2013 Black List. As a result of that, Jason has signed with a major agency and management company, and been busy with meetings across Hollywood. My

Daily Dialogue — January 7, 2016

FLETCH: Aha! I got one. See that? These little buggers are the piranhas of the insect world. The only thing they like better than wood is human flesh. COP: Really? FLETCH: You bet. COP: Well, if you can’t see it, how do you know you got one? FLETCH: Well,

Reader Question: What pitfalls to avoid when writing a script?

Question from Anonymous: When writing a script, what are some pitfalls one should avoid? Here is a list off the top of my head: A Quick Top 10 List of Screenwriting Pitfalls to Avoid 1. Don’t get caught up in supposed screenwriting ‘rules’. 2. Don’t commit to a

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 6

Re-Write-O-Rama: Day 6. January 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. January 31: Type FADE OUT / The End. 31 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. Whatever. Goal: Rewrite an existing draft. I’m doing it with a Zero Draft I knocked out in November. You’re invited