Scott Myers

Script To Screen: “Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

So many great monologues in the 2014 movie Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), but this one may be the best. Setup: Under enormous personal pressure and his Broadway play on the verge of imploding, Riggan (Michael Keaton) busts his daughter Sam (Emma Stone), who has been in rehab,

Daily Dialogue — September 23, 2015

Megan puts the dogs on the porch then closes the door. Then she sits on the couch with Annie. MEGAN: Heel. Heel. ANNIE: How many did you take? MEGAN: Oh. Uh, I took nine. I overcommitted with this whole dog thing. I’d probably be more comfortable with six. It’

Reflections of Black List Toronto Mini-Lab Writers

On the weekend of September 11–13, four writers gathered in Toronto for an exciting event: The second Black List Mini-Lab. The writers — Erin Cardiff, Stephen Davis, Mary Goldman, and Tim Visentin — had been selected on the basis of scripts they had uploaded to the Black List website and

Script Analysis: “Dallas Buyers Club” — Part 2: Major Plot Points

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: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways Today: Major Plot Points.

Classic 40s Movie: “Here Comes Mr. Jordan”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Wayne Kline. Movie Title: Here Comes Mr. Jordan Year: 1941 Writers: Two Oscar wins for Best Writing! Harry Segall won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story based on his play “Heaven Can Wait”. And Sidney Buchman

Screenwriting 101: Christoper McQuarrie

“Screenwriting tip: A mystery is only as good as its conclusion, especially if that conclusion is a monologue explaining the mystery.” — Christopher McQuarrie For 100s more articles in the Screenwriting 101 series, go here. The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling is a #1 Best

Daily Dialogue — September 22, 2015

SERA: I’m from the East. I went to college, did an arts course. I now live in Vegas. I think of it as home. I came here deliberately to carve out a life. I was in LA before, but I’ll come back to that later. (pause) The tough

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

Spec Script Deal: “The Longest Birthday”

Victoria Films acquires the rights to spec script “The Longest Birthday” written by Savion Einstein. Logline: A mother and her son, who is dying from terminal cancer, travel from Israel to Los Angeles to make his last birthday the best, as well as the longest due to their traveling across

Script Analysis: “Dallas Buyers Club” — Part 1: 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. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways Today: Scene-By-Scene

Classic 40s Movie: “To Have and Have Not”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Felicity Flesher. Movie Title: To Have and Have Not Year: 1945 Writers: Jules Furthman and William Faulkner, based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway Lead Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Brennan, Lauren Bacall Director: Howard Hawks IMDb Plot Summary:

Daily Dialogue — September 21, 2015

ARNOLD: …Murray, I can’t watch this. You’ve got to shape up. MURRAY: Shape up? ARNOLD: That’s right, shape up. MURRAY: Arnie, what they hell happened to you? You got sold. I don’t know you any more. Who is it? When you quit Harry the Fur King

Go Into The Story Week In Review: September 14-September 20, 2015

Links to this week’s most notable posts: Blogging Hall of Fame? Classic 40s Movie: Arsenic and Old Lace Classic 40s Movie: Bicycle Thieves Classic 40s Movie: Casablanca Classic 40s Movie: Out of the Past Classic 40s Movie: Laura Classic 40s Movie: The Lost Weekend Classic 40s Movie: The Ox-

Interview: Lori Evans Taylor

In July, Lori Evans Taylor sold the spec script “Bed Rest” to MGM. Deadline reported it this way: Spec is a Hitchcockian thriller in the vein of Rear Window and What Lies Beneath, centering on a pregnant woman who is isolated and confined to bed rest. I reached out to

Screenwriting News (September 14-September 20, 2015)

Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari writing untitled Transformers project for Paramount Animation. John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle adapting action thriller novel “Six Minutes to Freedom” for MadRiver Pictures. Todd Jones and Earl Ritchey Jones sell spec script “Humbug” to Universal Pictures. Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant sell action

Classic 40s Movie: “Bicycle Thieves”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Megaen Kelly. Movie Title: Bicycle Thieves (released in the US as The Bicycle Thief) Year: 1948 Writer: Screenplay by Cesare Zavattini, based on a novel by Luigi Bartolini Lead Actors: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, and Vittorio

Interview (Video): Dalton Trumbo

Here’s a treat: Some interviews with screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. We will be hearing more about this significant figure in American movie history over the next few months as the biopic Trumbo is slated to be released on November 6. Here is some background from Wikipedia on Trumbo: James Dalton

Daily Dialogue — September 20, 2015

SPOCK: The needs of the many outweigh… KIRK: …the needs of the few… SPOCK: …or the one. — Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), screenplay by Jack B. Sowards and Nicholas Meyer; story by Samuel A. Peeples, Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards; based on television series by Gene

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Depression

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Depression. Dr. Crumble: Susanna, four days ago…  you chased a bottle of aspirin,  with a bottle of vodka. Susanna: I had a headache. Girl, Interrupted (1999) The usual drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDb Quotes or some other transcript source. * Copy/paste the

Interview (Part 6): Lori Evans Taylor

In July, Lori Evans Taylor sold the spec script “Bed Rest” to MGM. Deadline reported it this way: Spec is a Hitchcockian thriller in the vein of Rear Window and What Lies Beneath, centering on a pregnant woman who is isolated and confined to bed rest. I reached out to

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 204th installment of Saturday Hot Links! TIFF: Toronto Brings Oscar Schedule Changes, as the Strong Edge Out the Weak. TIFF: THR Critics Rank 15 Films From Best to Worst. TIFF: Spotlight, the Catholic Sex-Abuse Drama, Is a Worst-to-First Triumph. TIFF: Hollywood Grapples With China’

Classic 40s Movie: “Out of the Past”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Brantley Aufill. Movie Title: Out of the Past Year: 1947 Writer: Daniel Mainwaring, based on his novel Build My Gallows High Lead Actors: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Dickie Moore Director: Jacques Tourneur IMDb Plot Summary: A

Interview (Written): Nancy Meyers

A Vulture interview with writer-director Nancy Meyers, whose movies include Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated, and The Intern. In The Intern, De Niro plays a 70-year-old widower who goes to work as a lowly intern at a fashion website

Daily Dialogue — September 19, 2015

“Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your BOOK!” — Patton (1970), screen story and screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, based on factual material from Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and A Soldier’s Story by Omar N. Bradley. The Daily Dialogue theme for the week:

Next week’s Go Into The Story Script Read and Analysis: “Dallas Buyers Club”

Beginning Monday, September 21, our next movie script read and analysis will be Dallas Buyers Club, written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways You may download a PDF of the script here.