Scott Myers

How to attack “Talking Head Syndrome”

In a recent class I taught on Handling Exposition, we were discussing the use of Fascination to make exposition entertaining. Here is an excerpt from a forum discussion thread that started with a scene from Training Day and ended up one of the most famous exposition scenes in movie history.

Interview (Part 2): Donald Margulies

Donald Margulies, one of America’s most widely-produced playwrights, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Dinner with Friends (which was made into a Emmy Award-nominated film for HBO directed by Norman Jewison) and was a finalist twice before for Sight Unseen and Collected Stories. His many

Video: “Richard Linklater — The Works”

I loved Birdman, but to me, the movie that deserved the 2015 Best Picture Oscar was Boyhood. It’s a cinematic wonder. Yesterday the trades mentioned that writer-director Richard Linklater might be directing an equally exciting project: Where’d You Go, Bernadette, a movie based on a novel by

Script Analysis: “Whiplash” — 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.

Movie Trailer: “Insurgent”

Screenplay by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback, novel by Veronica Roth Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side. IMDb Release Date: 20 March 2015

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 19

As noted in this post last month: What if in February, we put the spotlight on writing dialogue? A Dialogue-Writing Challenge! Here’s my idea: We crowdsource a bunch of dialogue-writing prompts. From that, we choose the 20 best ones. Then next month, Monday through Friday, much like

Daily Dialogue — February 26, 2015

Mitch: Hi, Mom. Mom (on telephone): It’s September 8th, 1952. We’re driving back from your Aunt Marsha. My water breaks. Your father jumps the divider of the highway and races me to Doctor’s Hospital. And… [laughs] … at 5:16, out you came. Oh… happy birthday, Darling. Here’

The importance of an outline

You probably get sick of me harping on the importance of ‘breaking’ your story in the prep-writing phase, ideally ending up with a comprehensive outline. So I have featured interviews with screenwriters who extol the virtues of outlines like Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the screenplay for Milk: But

Spec Script Deal: “The House”

New Line acquires comedy spec script “The House” written by Brendan O’Brien and Andrew J. Cohen with Will Ferrell attached to star. From Deadline: Ferrell plays a guy, who, with his wife, blows their daughter’s college fund. Desperate for cash, they team with some neighbors to open an

Spec Script Deal: “Smoke”

Relativity Media acquires action crime spec script “Smoke” written by Max Vaney and Luke Goltz. From Deadline: It’s set in the Miami Vice 1980s era in South Beach. Spec tells the true story of Joey Ippolito, who was one of the world’s top speedboat racers. No one in

Interview (Part 1): Donald Margulies

Donald Margulies, one of America’s most widely-produced playwrights, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Dinner with Friends (which was made into a Emmy Award-nominated film for HBO directed by Norman Jewison) and was a finalist twice before for Sight Unseen and Collected Stories. His many

2014 Black List Spec Scripts

One final piece of analysis for the 2014 Spec Script Deals series: Which of the specs that were set up last year were Black List scripts? Here is that list: Title: A Garden at the End of the Earth Writer: Gary Graham Genre: Drama Black List: 2014 Title: Aether Writer:

Script Analysis: “Whiplash” — 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

Movie Trailer: “Alex of Venice”

Written by Jessica Goldberg, Katie Nehra and Justin Shilton Workaholic attorney, Alex is forced to reinvent her life after her husband suddenly leaves. Now faced with the humdrum and sometimes catastrophic events that permeate the fabric of our lives, Alex discovers both a vulnerability and inner strength she had not

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 18

As noted in this post last month: What if in February, we put the spotlight on writing dialogue? A Dialogue-Writing Challenge! Here’s my idea: We crowdsource a bunch of dialogue-writing prompts. From that, we choose the 20 best ones. Then next month, Monday through Friday, much like

Script To Screen: “Fight Club”

The ending to the 1999 movie Fight Club, screenplay by Jim Uhls, novel by Chuck Palahniuk. IMDb plot summary: An insomniac office worker looking for a way to change his life crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker and they form an underground fight club that evolves into

Daily Dialogue — February 25, 2015

At a birthday party. Peppers: She’s a beauty, ain’t she? Frank: Yeah, what kind of gun is this? Peppers: It’s a tranquilizer gun. If any of these little fuckers decide to freak out on the kids, I get to take them down. Ain’t that right? [yank’

A.B.C. Always. Be. Creating.

Some advice I offered writers in my recent Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets class: If you write a script and it generates interest with a manager, agent, or producer, when you meet with them, the first thing they’ll say is, “Love your script.” The second thing will

Interview (Part 2): Eric Koenig

First-timers. Tyro scribes. There are several ways Hollywood development people refer to writers who break into the business via a spec script, but the one writers want to have hung on us is this: Fresh Voice. One such writer is Eric Koenig. Matriarch — Eric Koenig (Paramount) — 11/12/14

Video: “Science Goes to the Movies”

A new monthly TV series from CUNY called “Science Goes to the Movies”. In this debut episode, the hosts discuss Birdman, The Theory of Everything and Interstellar. For the series site, go here.

Script Analysis: “Whiplash” — 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

Movie Trailer: “The Gunman”

Screenplay by Don MacPherson and Pete Travis, novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette A former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD tries to reconnect with his long time love, but first must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 17

As noted in this post last month: What if in February, we put the spotlight on writing dialogue? A Dialogue-Writing Challenge! Here’s my idea: We crowdsource a bunch of dialogue-writing prompts. From that, we choose the 20 best ones. Then next month, Monday through Friday, much like

Screenwriting 101: Billy Ray

“Here’s my day. I wake my kids up in the morning, I take my son to his bus stop at 7:30. I’m at my desk at eight. Somebody feeds me at one. I’m back at my desk at 1:30 and I write till five or

Daily Dialogue — February 24, 2015

Children chattering. Annie Hayworth: Alright, here we go. One, Two, Three…there you go. Children laughing. Child: Look! Look! Child: Look! Look! Girl wearing blindfold: Hey, no touching allowed. Annie Hayworth: Oh. Birds squawking. Children screaming. Annie Hayworth: Help me get the children into the house. Mitch Brenner: There you