Scott Myers

Great Character: Howard Beale (“Network”)

It’s one of the most memorable movie roles in the last 50 years: TV anchorman become crazed prophet, and Dark Mentor Howard Beale, an Oscar-winning role for actor Peter Finch in the 1976 movie Network: A TV network cynically exploits a deranged ex-TV anchor’s ravings and

Daily Dialogue — July 17, 2015

REISMAN: Tomorrow night is going to be the real thing, and if you want to know how real, I’ll tell you. It’s my guess that a lot of you guys won’t be coming back. But, there’s no sense in squawkin’ about that, right? Because the Army

Do you have a screenwriting question?

In the 7+ years I’ve been hosting this blog, I have received a lot of questions. Via email, Twitter, and here at GITS. I have tried to provide my thoughts in response to all of them which has resulted in a nifty free online resource which you can access

Showrunner Rules from Jeffrey Lieber: Numbers 261–270

Jeff Lieber is a screenwriter and TV writer. His movie credits include Tuck Everlasting and he is currently an executive producer of the CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans”. On Twitter (@JeffLieber), he has run a series of tweets called Showrunner Rules. For background on Jeff and this Twitter series, go

Script Analysis: “Flight” — Part 4: Psychological Journey

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: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Psychological Journey.

30 Things About Screenwriting: Feet on the ground… head in the clouds

I’m sure we’ve all seen the saying, “Keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.” If you Google the phrase, you find all sorts of “growth experts” and “motivational speakers” riffing off this old adage, encouraging us to seek a balance with our ambitions

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 16]

Spec scripts, that is. I’m guessing that perhaps 90% of the people who follow this blog at some point in their lives will write a spec script. And the other 10% are involved in buying and selling them. In light of that fact, last year I interviewed a top

Daily Dialogue — July 16, 2015

CHARLES: You want to die out here, huh? Well, then die. But I tell you what… I’m not gonna die. No, sirree. I’m not gonna die. No, I’m gonna kill the bear. Say, “I’m gonna kill the bear.” Say it. “I’m gonna kill the bear.

Introducing a Protagonist: Is less more?

In my recent Core I: Plot class, we covered just about all the bases when it comes to screenplay structure. One subject which came up was an emerging mini-trend of movies that jump into action with scant work establishing the Protagonist’s background. Two recent examples: Lucy and Ex

Showrunner Rules from Jeffrey Lieber: Numbers 251–260

Jeff Lieber is a screenwriter and TV writer. His movie credits include Tuck Everlasting and he is currently an executive producer of the CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans”. On Twitter (@JeffLieber), he has run a series of tweets called Showrunner Rules. For background on Jeff and this Twitter series, go

Script Analysis: “Flight” — Part 3: Sequences

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: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Sequences. A

30 Things About Screenwriting: Break your story in prep

Break your story in prep Let me begin with this acknowledgement: There is no right way to write. Each writer is different. Each story is different. There is no single universal approach that works for everyone. However in my view, it is impossible to overstate the importance of prep-writing.

Interview (Audio): Robert Towne’s conversation with Franklin Leonard

This is gold: Robert Towne, one of the lions of contemporary American screenwriting whose credits include The Last Details, The Parallax View, Chinatown, Shampoo, and Mission: Impossible, along with dozens of uncredited projects on which he served as a script doctor, interviewed by the Black List’s Franklin Leonard. [soundcloud

Daily Dialogue — July 15, 2015

INCO : One minute and thirty seconds to end of blackout. Walter Cronkite (V.O.): No reentering ship has ever taken longer than three minutes to emerge from blackout. This is the critical moment. Will the heat shield hold? Will the command module survive the intense heat of reentry? If it

One Key to Character Development: Get Curious

In my current Prep: From Concept to Outline workshop, the online message board discussion was about subplots. In the workshop, we explore my principle on that subject: Subplot = Relationship. By identifying key characters and their relationships, we zero in on them as subplots, each with their own specific Beginning-Middle-

Showrunner Rules from Jeffrey Lieber: Numbers 241–250

Jeff Lieber is a screenwriter and TV writer. His movie credits include Tuck Everlasting and he is currently an executive producer of the CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans”. On Twitter (@JeffLieber), he has run a series of tweets called Showrunner Rules. For background on Jeff and this Twitter series, go

Script Analysis: “Flight” — 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: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Major Plot

30 Things About Screenwriting: Similar but different

Sequels. Prequels. Remakes. Reboots. Why do Hollywood studios choose to go this route with such familiar material? Why not fill their development slates with bold projects full of fresh ideas and innovative stories? That would run entirely counter to the working ethos which informs the studio system decision-making process,

Screenwriting 101: Larry McMurtry

“It might be, indeed, that literary genius is a kind of encumbrance in Hollywood, but then even literary geniuses don’t need to wear their genius every minute of their lives. Bringing genius to Hollywood is like wearing the new blue suit to the beach — a bathing suits works better.

Daily Dialogue — July 14, 2015

GALE HAWTHORNE: Listen to me. KATNISS EVERDEEN: Yeah. GALE HAWTHORNE: You’re stronger than they are. You are. Get to a bow. KATNISS EVERDEEN: They may not have one… GALE HAWTHORNE: They will if you show ’em how good you are. They just want a good show. That’s all

Concept = Hook

Whatever degree of importance you attribute to your script’s story concept… it’s probably not enough. Here’s how I begin Lecture 1 of my Core II: Concept class: The foundation of any movie is the screenplay. The foundation of any screenplay is the concept. Therefore it stands to

Movie Analysis: Jurassic World

Last week, we analyzed and discussed the movie Jurassic World, screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, story by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, characters by Michael Crichton. IMDb plot summary: A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park.

Script Analysis: “Flight” — 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: Psychological Journey Friday: Takeaways Today: Scene-By-

30 Things About Screenwriting: Living and writing in L.A.

Let me say up front, there are enormous advantages for a screenwriter to live in or near Los Angeles. Here are a few key ones: * You are where the action is. There’s no better way to keep track of the ebb and flow, ins and outs of the movie

On Writing

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of.” — Joss Whedon