Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Betrayal

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Betrayal. Okay, okay. We can all remember some great movie betrayals, right? Big reveal. Shocked response. Major plot point. Let’s see what we can come up with for this week’s series! Our upcoming schedule of Daily Dialogue topics: September 14-September

Movie Analysis: Straight Outta Compton

Last week, we analyzed and discussed the movie Straight Outta Compton, screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff. IMDb plot summary: The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s

Movie Analysis: Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation

A few weeks back, we analyzed and discussed the movie Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, story by Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pearce, television series by Bruce Geller. IMDb plot summary: Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate — an International rogue organization

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 202nd installment of Saturday Hot Links! ‘Scream’ and ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’s’ Wes Craven Dead at 76. Why Wes Craven Mattered to Horror Fans. Wes Craven Explains Why the Original ‘Scream’ Mask Is Too “Perfect” to Scrap. Remembering Wes Craven, the Man Who Transformed Horror. Director

Interview (Written): Milan Tomasevic

A Black List interview with Milan Tomasevic. How did you first hear about The Black List? I was in York University’s film program when I heard about it. It seemed like a chance to get alternate opinions from industry readers and have a wider viewability on scripts outside of

Interview (Written): Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick (“War Room”)

An interview with War Room’s co-writers Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick (Alex also directed the movie). The faith-based movie has over-performed box office expectations grossing over $15M in its first week in theaters. GH: Tell us about War Room- what inspired you to make a film

Daily Dialogue — September 5, 2015

Col. Jessup: You snotty little bastard. Capt. Ross: Your honor, I’d like to ask for a recess. Kaffee: I’d like an answer to the question, Judge. Judge Randolph: The court will wait for an answer. Kaffee: If Lt. Kendrick gave an order that Santiago wasn’t to be

Free Tickets to Upcoming Event: Sublime Primetime 2015!

Once again the Writers Guild Foundation is host to a terrific event for those of you who live in Southern California: Sublime Primetime 2015. Here are the deets: Thu, September 17, 2015 7:30 PM — 9:00 PM It’s that time of year again. The Emmys are around the

Andrew Stanton, Part 5: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk)

Last week, I brought up the Andrew Stanton TED Talk from 2012 in the context of a discussion about storytelling. It reminded of how great his presentation was. So great, when I went into the archives to check the series I ran at the time, I had actually taken the

Story is the foundation of everything

As we ‘celebrate’ Force Friday, where consumers are in a frenzy snapping up new Star Wars toys, it’s good to remember that it all starts with story. It’s no surprise that Disney — which owns Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilms — understands this. Check out Walt Disney’s organizational chart back

Movie Analysis: “Straight Outta Compton” — 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

Classic 40s Movie: “Notorious”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Christine Hinton. Movie Title: Notorious Year: 1946 Writer: Ben Hecht Lead Actors: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains Director: Alfred Hitchcock Summary: In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin (Cary

Next week’s Go Into The Story Script Read and Analysis: “Looper”

Beginning Monday, September 7, our next movie script read and analysis will be Looper, written and directed by Rian Johnson. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways You may download the script here. Reading scripts is hugely important. Analyzing

Daily Dialogue — September 4, 2015

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like

Reader Question: Do characters “own” a scene?

Ownership is less important than underlying conflict between characters. Reader question from Nick Whittle: I just wanted to gain some clarity here — within a scene, am I right to think that one particular character “owns” the scene, or drives it? Not necessarily the protagonist but certainly only one character at

Andrew Stanton, Part 4: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk)

Last week, I brought up the Andrew Stanton TED Talk from 2012 in the context of a discussion about storytelling. It reminded of how great his presentation was. So great, when I went into the archives to check the series I ran at the time, I had actually taken the

Movie Analysis: “Straight Outta Compton” — Themes

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

Classic 40s Movie: “Mrs. Miniver”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Traci Nell Peterson. Movie Title: Mrs. Miniver Year: 1942 Writers: Arthur Wimperis & George Froeschel & James Hilton & Claudine West (screenplay) based on book by Jan Struther Lead Actors: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon Director: William Wyler IMDb

Writing and the Creative Life: “Come to the edge”

A poem by Christopher Logue: “Come to the edge,” he said. “We’re comfortable back here,” they said. “Come to the edge,” he said. “We’re too busy,” they said. “Come to the edge,” he said. “It’s too high,” they said. “Come to the edge,” he said. “We’re

Daily Dialogue — September 3, 2015

Holden: There’s a world of fucking difference between typical high school sex and getting fucked by two guys at the same time! They fucking used you! Alyssa: (crying hysterically) NO! I used them! You don’t think I would’ve let it happen if I hadn’t wanted it

The Business of Screenwriting: The Path of Least Resistance

There is no right way to write. No correct way to approach your career as a writer. No single secret to success. You can take some of the most ingrained supposed pieces of conventional wisdom about how Hollywood operates, invert them one hundred eighty degrees, do precisely that, and bust

Andrew Stanton, Part 3: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk)

Last week, I brought up the Andrew Stanton TED Talk from 2012 in the context of a discussion about storytelling. It reminded of how great his presentation was. So great, when I went into the archives to check the series I ran at the time, I had actually taken the

Movie Analysis: “Straight Outta Compton” — Characters

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

Classic 40s Movie: “His Girl Friday”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from John Henderson. Movie Title: His Girl Friday Year: 1940 Writers: Screenplay by Charles Lederer, based on the play “The Front Page” by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur Lead Actors: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy Director: Howard Hawks

Video: THR’s Drama Writer’s Roundtable

Showrunners Lee Daniels (‘Empire’), Damon Lindelof (‘The Leftovers’), Alex Gansa (‘Homeland’), Sarah Treem (‘The Affair’), Michelle King (‘The Good Wife’), and Beau Willimon (‘House of Cards’) for The Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Showrunner Emmy Roundtable where the writers discuss their characters and their work. Via THR.