Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue — April 11, 2015

“Whose money do I have?” — Drive (2011), screenplay by Hossein Amini, book by James Sallis The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Interrogation. Trivia: Driver references the fable of The Scorpion and the Frog: the frog agrees to carry the scorpion across the river; the scorpion stings the frog, saying

Declare Your Independents — Vol. 52

GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome back to Declare Your Independents, our series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film! This week… Indiewire’s Best Indie Movies of 2015, So Far 12 Indies to Watch on VOD This April Cannes Wish List: 20 Anticipated Films

Interview (Part 5): Sam Baron (2014 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Baron wrote the original screenplay “The Science of Love and Laughter” which won a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Sam and I had a great conversation which I will be sharing with you this week in 6 parts. Today in Part 5, Sam reflects on some key aspects of

Interview (Video): Paul Thomas Anderson

I was just talking with one of my university students about our mutual admiration for filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and I was reminded of an interview he had done while eating pizza. So I looked up the blog post I did with those clips all the way back in 2008.

Hollywood Tales

Did you know the movie (500) Days of Summer was originally called “308 Days of April”? And that the Summer character is inspired by an actual woman one of the writers met while attending graduate school in England? Read this excerpt from my March 2013 interview with screenwriters Scott Neustadter

Movie Trailer: “The 33”

Screenplay by Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten, Jose Rivera, Michael Thomas, book by Hector Tobar Based on the real-life event, when a gold and copper mine collapses, it traps 33 miners underground for 69 days. IMDb

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 10

This is the sixth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.

Daily Dialogue — April 10, 2015

“Don’t fight it, son. Confess quickly. If you hold out too long, you could jeopardize your credit rating.” — Brazil (1985), screenplay by Terry Gilliam & Tom Stoppard & Charles McKeown The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Interrogation. Trivia: Terry Gilliam was asked to do a film class during

Spec Script Deals By Month: 1991–2014

A lot of effort went into compiling The Definitive Spec Script Deals List [1991–2014] and over time, we have dug into this database to glean whatever insights we can about the spec marketplace. Recently Wendy Jane Cohen took another pass at the numbers: Spec script deals by month. Here

Interview (Part 4): Sam Baron (2014 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Baron wrote the original screenplay “The Science of Love and Laughter” which won a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Sam and I had a great conversation which I will be sharing with you this week in 6 parts. Today in Part 4, we wrap up our discussion about “The

Movie Trailer: “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”

Jesse Andrews (novel), Jesse Andrews (screenplay) A teenage filmmaker befriends a classmate with cancer. IMDb Movie Website Winner: Sundance Audience Award, 2015, U.S. Drama Winner: Sundance Grand Jury Prize, 2015, Drama Release Date: 12 June 2015 (USA)

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 9

This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 3]

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 — April 9, 2015

Vincenzo Coccotti: You know who I am, Mr. Worley? Clifford Worley: I give up. Who are you? Vincenzo Coccotti: I’m the Anti-Christ. You got me in a vendetta kind of mood. You tell the angels in heaven you never seen evil so singularly personified as you did in

Hey, Dallas screenwriters!

Attention, Texas! Next week, I will be doing a presentation hosted by the Dallas Screenwriters Association. When: Friday, April 17, 7PM CDT Where: The Company of Actors, 13331 Preston Rd, Dallas, Texas 75240 Topic: Theme: What Is It And How To Use It To Empower Your Stories In my estimation,

Interview (Part 3): Sam Baron (2014 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Baron wrote the original screenplay “The Science of Love and Laughter” which won a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Sam and I had a great conversation which I will be sharing with you this week in 6 parts. Today in Part 3, Sam delves more deeply into the script’

Congratulations, Christian Contreras!

Last week, actor turned screenwriter Christian Contreras set up a high profile pitch. From Deadline: In a competitive situation, Warner Bros has acquired Principia, a pitch that will be scripted by Christian Contreras, with David Goyer producing through his Phantom Four Productions banner with Kevin Turen. They are keeping the

Movie Trailer: “Echoes of War”

A Civil War veteran returns home to the quiet countryside, only to find himself embroiled in a conflict between his family and the brutish cattle rancher harassing them. Written by John Chriss, Kane Senes IMDb Release Date: 15 April 2015 (USA)

A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 8

This is the sixth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my through during this series of posts. Here’s another one: You always need more than one in your gun.

Script To Screen: “Lethal Weapon”

The jumper scene from the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, written by Shane Black. IMDb plot summary: A veteran cop, Murtaugh, is partnered with a young suicidal cop, Riggs. Both having one thing in common; hating working in pairs. Now they must learn to work with one another to stop a

Daily Dialogue — April 8, 2015

WILBUR: Lewis, I told you to stay in the garage! LEWIS: I did, but I went up the tube, and I ran into your family, and I… WILBUR: You met my family? Scene changes to dark room. Wilbur pulls string to light single hanging bulb. WILBUR: Pop quiz. Who have

Q&A: Franklin Leonard on Black List Table Reads Podcast

Last week, this exciting announcement: Midroll Media, the leading digital media company providing a 360-degree suite of podcast production, distribution, and monetization services to artists, entertainers, and thought leaders, announces its spring rollout of four brand new shows, Spontaneantion with Paul F. Tompkins, CARDBOARD! with Rich Sommer, The Black

Interview (Part 2): Sam Baron (2014 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Baron wrote the original screenplay “The Science of Love and Laughter” which won a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Sam and I had a great conversation which I will be sharing with you this week in 6 parts. Today in Part 2, Sam provides background on his award-winning

Go Into The Story on Dave Bullis podcast

I recently spoke with Dave Bullis for his podcast and you can hear that here: Episode 46 - Scott MyersEdit descriptionwww.podbean.com We cover a lot of territory related to the practice and business of screenwriting. You may subscribe to Dave’s podcast here. Twitter: @Dave_Bullis. Facebook. Thanks, Dave,

Update: The Joker’s third scar origin story from The Dark Knight

Last week, I was musing about The Dark Knight and what the Joker’s third origin story of his facial scars might have been before Batman rudely interrupted the psychopath by tossing him off the skyscraper. One thing led to another and we ended up with a contest. A bunch