Scott Myers

Interview (Written): Drew Goddard (“The Martian”)

A THR interview with Drew Goddard whose TV writing credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost, and whose screenplay credits include Cloverfield, The Cabin in the Woods, World War Z, and The Martian, based on a novel by Andy Weir: How much did you work with Andy

Daily Dialogue — November 28, 2015

Martin Scorsese: I want to do a remake of “Raging Bull” with a really thin guy. Not just thin, but REALLY thin. Thin and angry, thin and angry, thin and angry. Can you see it? Can you see it? Steven Phillips: Kind of. Martin Scorsese: Is there a Starbucks near

Update: Award season screenplay downloads — 2 new scripts / 29 total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season. As in years past, we will be tracking them and posting links as they become available. A special note of thanks to Big Talk Pictures and Saban Films for

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 27

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 27. November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go

Spec Script Deal: “Claire”

Scott Free and Black Bicycle Media preemptively acquire drama spec script “Claire” written by Brad Ingelsby. Via Tracking Board: Ingelsby’s latest drama is in the vein of Cape Fear, but centers around a female protagonist living on a rural farm who must defend her daughter when she falls in

How They Write A Script: John Michael Hayes

Alfred Hitchcock worked with several great writers, one of them being John Michael Hayes, who wrote the screenplays for Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955), and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). After he and Hitchcock had a falling out, Hayes went

Great Scene: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”

Fight scenes. Whether swords or knives, guns or fists, lasers or kung fu, fight scenes are a staple of the movies. One problem: They’re so common, what can a screenwriter do to distinguish theirs from all the previous examples? William Goldman came up with an unexpected twist with this

Daily Dialogue — November 27, 2015

HENSLOWE: Will! Where is my play? Tell me you have it nearly done! Tell me you have it started. WILL: (struggling with his boots) Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move. HENSLOWE: No, no, we haven’t the time. Talk prose. Where is my play?

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 26

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 26. November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go

“What makes every Pixar movie tick, in one chart”

As loyal GITS readers know, I have an obsession with all things Pixar as they have proven themselves to be master storytellers. So I thought this infographic put together by some folks at Vox was worth highlighting: There are some insights to be gleaned here, but it’s a pretty

How They Write A Script: Leigh Brackett

“I don’t think there’s anything better than screenwriting to teach you the construction of a story.” “She wrote that [The Big Sleep] like a man. She writes good.” — Howard Hawks, quoted in “Hawks on Hawks”. The “she” to whom Hawks was referring was screenwriter Leigh Brackett. Brackett, whose

Writing and the Creative Life: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling (Part 1)

The Harvard Business Review had an interesting article recently with a series of links I thought would make for a good sets of posts in the Writing and Creative Life series. The article is entitled: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling. Two key excerpts. Here is the first: As social

Daily Dialogue — November 26, 2015

SOPHIE: Well, anyway, I… Since then, every time I pick up a pen…I’m haunted by those words that he wrote, you know? “She was a brilliant mimic.” You know. “She could ape Dorothy Parker or Emily Dickinson but stripped of someone else’s literary clothes… she was a

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 25

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 25. November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go

2014 Screenwriters Roundtable (12 Part Series): Chris Borrelli, Brian Duffield, F.

2014 Screenwriters Roundtable My conversation with Chris Borrelli, Brian Duffield, F. Scott Frazier, Chris McCoy, Justin Rhodes, and Greg Russo. Between them, they have sold more than a dozen spec scripts and have multiple original screenplays on the Black List. Here is the 2014 conversation featuring Chris Borrelli, Brian Duffield,

How They Write A Script: Nancy Meyers

Nancy Meyers was for many years part of the Meyers & Shyer writing team that produced numerous hit movies including Private Benjamin (1980), Baby Boom (1987), and Father of the Bride (1991). She directed her first solo writing effort Something’s Gotta Give (2003), which was a hit with critics

Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch (2015)

Out yesterday. Here’s the list with links: Emma Donahue Josh Golden Jonathan Herman Mike Le Meg LeFauve John Pollono John Scott III Bryan Sipe Alice Winocour Yared Zeleke I encourage you to check out each writer’s page in the Variety article. Nice background on each and some insight

2 Upcoming Writers Guild Foundation Events!

The good folks at the Writers Guild Foundation have two excellent upcoming events and I’ve got 10 free tickets to one of them. So those of you who live in Southern California or will be visiting the first week of December, read on! WRITERS ON DIRECTING WITH JAMES VANDERBILT

Daily Dialogue — November 25, 2015

HOMELESS POET (in English): I’d like to make a deal with you guys. Instead of just asking for money, I’ll ask you for a word. I will then write a poem in which that word will be used. I’ll write it in English. If you like it,

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 24

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 24. November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go

Update: Award season screenplay downloads — 2 new scripts / 27 total

It’s that time of year again when studios and production companies make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season. As in years past, we will be tracking them and posting links as they become available. UPDATE: Current total of 2015 scripts for download: 27. Newly added scripts (2)

How They Write a Script: Horton Foote

One of the most beloved American movies — and also one of my personal favorites — is To Kill a Mockingbird, the cinematic version of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel. The writer who adapted the novel into a screenplay is Horton Foote. A noted playwright as well as screenwriter, Foote’s movie

Screenwriting 101: Mike Sweeney

“There seems to be a lot of ‘if only’ floating around the amateur screenwriting world. If only I can get a rep. If only I can get on a list. If only I can sell a spec. If only I can find a shortcut to breaking in. The only one

Daily Dialogue — November 24, 2015

“It’s these card and these movies and these pop songs. They’re to blame for all the lies and the heartache, everything! We’re responsible! I‘m responsible! I think we do a bad thing here. People should be able to say how they feel, how they really feel,

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 23

Zero Draft Thirty: Day 23. November 1: Type FADE IN / The Beginning. November 30: Type FADE OUT / The End. 30 days. 1 script. Movie script. TV script. First draft. Rewrite. Whatever. I’m doing it. You’re invited. To learn everything you need to know about the ZDT Challenge, go