Scott Myers

Spec Script Deal: “Hunt, Capture, Kill”

Millennium Films acquires action spec script “Hunt, Capture, Kill” written by Gregory Allen Howard. From Deadline: It’s a full out action film about the first female president, who is shot down in Air Force One in the jungles of South America. One military man in charge of her rescue

Spec Script Deal: “The Burning Woman”

Scott Free Productions acquires drama thriller spec script “The Burning Woman” written by Brad Ingelsby. From Deadline: In a small, blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman’s teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone. The story is told over

Interview (Part 5): Kelly Marcel

With the enormous opening weekend box office success of Fifty Shades of Grey, I thought it would be a good idea to reprise my December 2013 interview with that movie’s screenwriter Kelly Marcel. London-based writer Kelly Marcel wrote the 2011 Black List screenplay Saving Mr. Banks which was

Spec Script Deals Analysis 2014: Top Sales

Continuing our week long analysis of spec script sales from 2014, today we look at the deals with the biggest payoffs (at least as reported by various news outlets): Mena — Crime Drama Gary Spinelli — $1M plus a blind script commitment Winter’s Night — Adventure Fantasy Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton

Movie Trailer: “The Age of Adaline”

Screenplay by J. Mills Goodloe & Salvador Paskowitz, story by J. Mills Goodloe & Salvador Paskowitz A young woman, born at the turn of 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After years of a solitary life, she meets a man who might be worth losing her immortality. IMDb

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 15

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

Great Character: Monty Brogan (“25th Hour”)

The Great Character theme for the month: Spike Lee. Today: Marty Brogan from the 2002 movie 25th Hour, screenplay by David Benioff based on his novel. Two brilliant blue beam beacons of hope illuminate the double void where the World Trade Center buildings were sadly snatched from the New York

Daily Dialogue — February 20, 2015

Brutus “Brutal” Howell: [a rehearsal execution] Arlen Bitterbuck, you have been condemned to die by a jury of your peers, sentence imposed by a judge in good standing in this state. Do you have anything to say before the sentence is carried out? Toot-Toot: [gleefully] Yeah! I want a

“Boyhood,” Transformation and Moments

I think Boyhood deserves an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2014. Here are some thoughts I posted on the fly last week about the movie in our weekly analysis of the script: If there is a movie that speaks to what Joseph Campbell calls the central theme of a

Spec Script Deal: “Bounty”

Paramount acquires action thriller spec script “Bounty” written by Sascha Penn. From Deadline: The story centers on a convicted murderer who busts out of prison to clear his name, however the widow of one of his victims goes on national television and offers a $10 million reward to anyone who

Interview (Part 4): Kelly Marcel

With the enormous opening weekend box office success of Fifty Shades of Grey, I thought it would be a good idea to reprise my December 2013 interview with that movie’s screenwriter Kelly Marcel. London-based writer Kelly Marcel wrote the 2011 Black List screenplay Saving Mr. Banks which was

Video: “STEVEN SPIELBERG — Shot By Shot”

All you budding filmmakers out there, this is a terrific video and a great education on how to stage camera shots from none other than Steven Spielberg from the movie Jaws. From the Vimeo site of filmmaker Antonios Papantoniou: One interesting thing to note is how few shots Spielberg employs,

2014 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Agents & Managers

We continue with our analysis of spec script deals in 2014. Today: Agents and Managers. Note: A majority of projects were repped by both an agency and a manager / management company, so the total numbers of reps listed will be significantly higher than the number of scripts sold. First the

Movie Trailer: “Pound of Flesh”

Written by Joshua James A man’s heroic attempt to help a woman in distress ends up with him waking up the next day without a kidney and plotting his revenge. IMDb Release: May 2015

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 14

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

The Business of Screenwriting: The Birth, Life and Death of a Movie (Part 2)

When we last left this intrepid screenwriter, I was stuck in 1997, left holding a phone, speechless after learning that a supposed done deal with Paramount to remake the 1955 comedy The Court Jester had just gone south after suits in various offices from Hollywood to Beverly Hills had determined

Daily Dialogue — February 19, 2015

Harry Monroe: Walking through the desert all right, but I don’t see no naked women. I should have my head overhauled for listening to you. My Grandmother was right, cowshit for brains. Skip Donahue: Me? Harry Monroe: No, me. Harry starts walking with a swagger. Skip Donahue: What are

“Keep it simple. Get it done.”

A guest post from Screenwriting Master Class co-founder and screenwriter Tom Benedek: We are dreaming big every time we sit down to write. There’s no way of knowing the outcome unless we write the script, envision the best outcome every single day. Write a great script. Don’t

Interview (Part 3): Kelly Marcel

With the enormous opening weekend box office success of Fifty Shades of Grey, I thought it would be a good idea to reprise my December 2013 interview with that movie’s screenwriter Kelly Marcel. London-based writer Kelly Marcel wrote the 2011 Black List screenplay Saving Mr. Banks which was

Interview (Audio): Rian Johnson interviews Christopher Nolan

From an event on January 3, 2015 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica: Christopher Nolan interviewed by Rian Johnson. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/187407802" params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&

2014 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Buyers

Yesterday we looked at 2014 spec script deals by genre. Today we break down the numbers per major studios, mini-majors, subsidiaries, production companies, and financiers to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. The totals: 10 Sony 8 20th Century Fox 4 Universal

Movie Trailer: “Crimson Peak”

Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Matthew Robbins & Lucinda Coxon In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a

2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 13

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: “Jackie Brown”

A scene from the 1997 movie Jackie Brown, written by Quentin Tarantino, based on an Elmore Leonard novel. IMDb plot summary: The middle age stewardess Jackie Brown smuggles money from Mexico to Los Angeles for the arms dealer Ordell Robbie. When she gets caught by the agents Ray Nicolette and

Daily Dialogue — February 18, 2015

GEORGE: Then, when I was thrown out of college, I made up my mind. I decided to, uh, live a little. I knew if I continued my academic endeavors I could depend upon that check of yours every month. You know what I did? I took a plush Hollywood apartment,