Scott Myers

Set Pieces, Part 4: Complications, Roadblocks and Reversals

A series this week on set pieces: A scene or set of scenes with a big idea, feel and/or scope to them, oftentimes associated with major plot points, and always about entertainment. Part 4: Complications, Roadblocks and Reversals. For background on what I mean by these three ‘categories,’ go

Movie Trailer: “Unfinished Business”

Written by Steve Conrad A hard-working small business owner and his two associates travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business trip goes off the rails in every imaginable — and unimaginable — way, including unplanned stops at a massive

Classic 60s Movie: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Jack McDonald. Movie Title: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Year: 1966 Writer: Ernest Lehman (screenplay), Edward Albee (stage play) Lead Actors: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal and Sandy Dennis Director: Mike Nichols IMDb Plot Summary: A

Writing and the Creative Life: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling (Part 5)

“We like to be engaged and entertained by what transpires in the plot, but more important we want to find meaning in the characters’ experiences, and see change manifest in their lives.” This is the last in a 5 part series on why your brain loves good storytelling. In Part

Daily Dialogue — January 29, 2015

HIGGINS: We have games. That’s all. We play games. What if? How many men? What would it take? Is there a cheaper way to destabilize a regime? That’s what we’re paid to do. TURNER: Walk on. Go on. So, Atwood just took the games too seriously. He

Twitter Rant: Geoff LaTulippe on Studio Script Development Process

Last night screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe (Going the Distance) did a Twitter blast about what a screenplay can and often does go through in the Hollywood development process. Reprinted here by permission: https://twitter.com/DrGMLaTulippe/status/560284037668171776 Because here’s the thing: you can’t take ANYTHING away from an

Interview (Part 3): Ava DuVernay

It is criminal that Ava DuVernay was not nominated for a Best Director Oscar for her work on the remarkable movie Selma. I am running an interview I conducted with Ava eighteen months ago just as she was about to take on the Selma project. In addition to making history

“Boyhood: 12 Moments That Seize You”

I don’t know how I stumbled upon this article, but I really like it. From the website Write Out of L.A., Robin Write has posted an excellent take on one of my favorite movies of 2014 Boyhood. From the opening frame of Mason staring up into the sky,

Set Pieces, Part 3: Stakes

A series this week on set pieces: A scene or set of scenes with a big idea, feel and/or scope to them, oftentimes associated with major plot points, and always about entertainment. Part 3: Stakes. Will Andy escape Shawshank prison? Will Clarice prevail over Buffalo Bill? Will Luke Skywalker

Movie Trailer: “The Rewrite”

Written by Marc Lawrence An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there. IMDb

Classic 60’s Movies: Rosemary’s Baby

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Ipsita Barik. Movie Title: Rosemary’s Baby Year: 1968 Writers: Roman Polanski (screenplay), Ira Levin (novel) Lead Actors: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans Director: Roman Polanski IMDB Plot Summary: A young couple move

Script To Screen: “Excalibur”

A key early scene in the 1981 movie Excalibur, screenplay by Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman, book by Thomas Malory. IMDb plot summary: Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the round table of Camelot even as forces conspire to tear it apart. In this scene, Arthur,

Daily Dialogue — January 28, 2015

JAMES BOND: Red wine with fish. Well, that should have told me something. DONALD “RED” GRANT: You may know the right wines, but you’re the one on your knees. How does it feel, old man? — From Russia with Love (1963), screenplay by Richard Maibaum, adaptation by Johanna Harwood, novel

Question: Is there a better term to use than “aspiring screenwriter”?

The most common term I see used to describe someone who is working to become a professional Hollywood writer is “aspiring screenwriter.” Yet there are some folks I have run across in the online writing community who take umbrage at that description. I’m not sure precisely why that is

Interview (Part 2): Ava DuVernay

It is criminal that Ava DuVernay was not nominated for a Best Director Oscar for her work on the remarkable movie Selma. I am running an interview I conducted with Ava eighteen months ago just as she was about to take on the Selma project. In addition to making history

Video: “Malick Motifs”

From Rachel Glassman: Regardless of whether you laud him or ridicule him, it’s no doubt that Terrence Malick is truly a visionary filmmaker. Here are some of his many motifs, shot types, themes and imagery that he tends to use in his films. Here is the video: Movies are

Set Pieces, Part 2: Emotional Meaning

A series this week on set pieces: A scene or set of scenes with a big idea, feel and/or scope to them, oftentimes associated with major plot points, and always about entertainment. Part 2: Emotional Meaning. Set pieces can be all sorts of fun and involve major visuals such

Movie Trailer: “She’s Funny That Way”

Peter Bogdanovich (screenplay), Louise Stratten (screenplay) A married Broadway director falls for a prostitute-turned-actress and works to help her advance her career. IMDb Release Date: 10 April 2015 (USA)

Classic 60s Movie: Bonnie and Clyde

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Ipsita Barik. Movie Title: Bonnie and Clyde Year: 1967 Writers: David Newman, Robert Benton & Robert Towne Lead Actors: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman Director: Arthur Penn IMDB Plot Summary: A somewhat romanticized account

Screenwriting 101: Carl Foreman

“I rewrite and rewrite and rewrite. I know in advance that my so-called first draft will be in fact my tenth draft.” — Carl Foreman Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — January 27, 2015

Noah Vosen: [in car, on cell phone] Perhaps we can arrange a meet. Jason Bourne: Where are you now? Noah Vosen: I’m sitting in my office. Jason Bourne: I doubt that. Noah Vosen: Why would you doubt that? Jason Bourne: If you were in your office right now we’

Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets

From elevator pitches to development meetings to conference calls with talent, a screenwriter’s ability to share stories in a variety of narrative forms is both a valuable and necessary skillset. In the upcoming 1-week Screenwriting Master Class online course “Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets” [February 2–

Interview (Part 1): Ava DuVernay

It is criminal that Ava DuVernay was not nominated for a Best Director Oscar for her work on the remarkable movie Selma. I am running an interview I conducted with Ava eighteen months ago just as she was about to take on the Selma project. In addition to making history

Set-Pieces, Part 1: Spin the Plot

One of the most valuable pieces of brainstorming a screenwriter can do with regard to a story is conjure up some good set pieces. What’s a set piece, you ask? Believe it or not, I posted this about the subject all the way back in July 2008. Here is

Twitter Rant: Eric Heisserer on When a Writer Should Walk Away From a Project

Tweetstorm: Eric Heisserer on When a Writer Should Walk Away From a Project A series of tweets on a tricky topic for writers. Twitter can be a gold mine for writers. Case in point, when pro writers decide to go on a rant about the craft, such as Eric Heisserer,