Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue — May 12, 2015

“Rosebud.” — Citizen Kane (1941), original screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Famous Last Words. Today’s suggestion by Paul Graunke. Trivia: The movie’s line “Rosebud.” was voted as the #17 greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute. Dialogue On

Would you be interested in a Quest Writing Workshop?

I am finalizing my summer schedule, which includes one big writing project, but I have a window in late July for a possible Quest Writing Workshop in the Los Angeles area. So let me take your pulse and see what type of interest there may be. I’m also envisioning

Twitter Rant: @ORachaelO on the Self-Delusion Imperative

Last week, Rachael Prior, head of development at Big Talk Productions, waded into the nature of her work, offering a great insight the good folks who work on the other side of the desk from us writers. https://twitter.com/RachaelPriorMBE/status/596766575618830338 We talk a lot about hitting the

Script Analysis: “Enough Said” — 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-

Classic 50s Movie: “Vertigo”

May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Jason Pates. Movie Title: Vertigo Year: 1958 Writers: Screenplay by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor, based on the 1954 novel D’entre les morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac Lead Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novak Director:

On Writing

“If you focus on the humanity of your stories, your characters, then the horror will be stronger, scarier. Without the humanity, the horror becomes nothing more than a tawdry parlor trick. All flash and no magic, and worst of all, no heart.” — Don Roff Via AdviceToWriters

Daily Dialogue — May 11, 2015

They let go and Kirk walks to the glass and pushes the intercom button. Kirk: Spock! Spock slowly walks over to the glass and pushes the intercom. Spock: The ship… out of danger? Kirk: Yes. Spock: Do not grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many, outweigh… Kirk:

Go Into The Story Week In Review: May 4-May 10, 2015

Links to this week’s most notable posts: Beau Willimon asks, “What does your Protagonist need?” Classic 50s Movie: A Star Is Born Classic 50s Movie: Harvey Classic 50s Movie: Night of the Demon Classic 50s Movie: Rear Window Classic 50s Movie: Seven Samurai Classic 50s Movie: The File on

“Conversations With Wilder”: Part 18

Billy Wilder is my all-time favorite filmmaker. Consider just some of his movies: Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Blvd. (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), an oeuvre that demonstrates an incredible range in a

Screenwriting News (May 4-May 10, 2015)

Suzanne Allain, discovered off the Black List site, signs two picture deal with Warner Bros. David Auburn adapting crime drama “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown” for Voltage Pictures. Max Borenstein scripted TV pilot Minority Report goes to series at Fox. Tze Chun writing action adventure “Escape” for Paramount. Ryan Condal

Classic 50s Movie: “The Quiet Man”

May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Traci Nell Peterson. Movie Title: The Quiet Man Year: 1952 Writers: Frank S. Nugent (screenplay), Maurice Walsh (story), John Ford (contributing writer — uncredited) Lead Actors: John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara Director: John Ford IMDb Plot Summary: A retired

Interview (Video): Walter Bernstein

The good folks at the Writers Guild Foundation have an ongoing video series called “The Writer Speaks” which I’ve featured on the blog before. Its focus is on veteran writers who have great stories to tell about a film industry they have seen go through radical changes during the

Daily Dialogue — May 10, 2015

“And they wonder why those of us in our twenties refuse to work an 80-hour week just so we can afford to buy their BMWs, why we aren’t interested in the counterculture that they invented as if we did not see them disembowel their revolution for a pair

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Famous Last Words

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Famous Last Words. “Gettin’ the shakes now. Last call for drinks. Bar’s closin’ down. Sun’s out. Where we goin’ for breakfast? Don’t wanna go far… Rough night. Tired, baby… Tired…” Carlito’s Way (1992) I’m reprising this one because

Saturday Hot Links

The 185th installment of Saturday Hot Links. Critics’ Choice TV Awards: ‘Justified’, ‘Olive Kitteridge’, HBO Lead The Field. Sundance Picks 13 Directors and Screenwriters Labs Projects. Broadcast TV Scorecard: Complete Guide to What’s New, Renewed and Canceled. 13 Summer Comedies Starring Women, Made by Women, Aimed at Women. Lucasfilm

Classic 50s Movie: “The File on Thelma Jordon”

May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from David Joyner. Movie Title: The File on Thelma Jordon Year: 1950 Writers: Screenplay by Ketti Frings, story by Marty Holland Lead Actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey Director: Robert Siodmak Plot Summary: Thelma Jordon late one night shows up

‘Stockholm, Pennsylvania’ and Our National Obsession with Abducted Women

Nikole Beckwith wwrote and directed the movie Stockholm, Pennsylvania which premieres tonight on the Lifetime channel at 8PM Eastern. The screenplay won the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship, made the 2012 Black List, and was selected for 2013 Sundance Labs. The movie, which stars Saoirse Ronan, Jason Isaacs, and Cynthia Nixon, was

Daily Dialogue — May 9, 2015

John Winger: Why’d the chicken cross the road? Soldiers: To get from the left to the right. John Winger: He stepped out of rank, got hit by a tank. Soldiers: He ain’t no chicken no more. — Stripes (1981), written by Len Blum & Daniel Goldberg and Harold Ramis

Two approaches to loglines

The other day I responded to a reader question: What makes a stellar logline? In comments, bookworm676 said this: I see a lot of conflicting advice about loglines… I guess I remain confused as to which advice to follow. I hear this a great deal, especially in a Craft class

What’s going on with mid-budget movies in Hollywood?

Terry Huang is part of the Black List crew and one of his specialties is analytics. For example back in April, he took on the idea that has floated around Hollywood for several years — the highest budgeted movies are the ones which translate into the most reliable profits — and broke

Great Character: Roger Rabbit (“Who Framed Roger Rabbit”)

The Great Character theme for the month: Disney characters. Today: Roger Rabbit from the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, screenplay by Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman, novel by Gary K. Wolf. After directing the biggest blockbuster of 1985 in the form of the time-traveling dazzling film Back

Classic 50s Movie: “Harvey”

May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Felicity Flesher. Movie Title: Harvey Year: 1950 Writers: Mary Chase (and based on her Pulitzer Prize play) & Oscar Brodney Lead Actors: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Harvey as himself Director: Henry Koster IMDb Plot Summary: Due to his

Daily Dialogue — May 8, 2015

“Well, what can I say. I graduated. It’s over. I did it. I know most of you are saying, ‘Hey, any idiot could do that.’ Well, it was tough for me, so… [screams]… BACK OFF!” — Billy Madison (1995), written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler The Daily Dialogue theme for

Reader Question: What makes a stellar logline?

Two words: Conceit. Concise. Reader question via Twitter: Kindra, you are asking the $64,000… $640,000… $6.4M… $64M question. Believe it or not, a logline can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a movie studio as it provides the foundation of everything that comes after it:

Name a song that perfectly conveys a movie’s theme

Songs have been a presence in movies since the advent of sound technology. Indeed the first ‘talkie’ is the 1927 film The Jazz Singer featuring Al Jolson. Here he is singing “Toot, Toot, Tootsie” from that movie: There are non-musicals where a song plays a key part such as