Scott Myers

Movie Trailer: “Anarchy”

Screenplay by Michael Almereyda, play by William Shakespeare A gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. A drug kingpin is driven to desperate measures. IMDb Release Date: 13 March 2015 (USA)

Classic 60s Movie: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Rick Dyke. Movie Title: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb Year: Released in U.S. — January 29, 1964 Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George (screenplay), based on the novel Red

On Writing

“The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention.” — Flannery O’Connor

Daily Dialogue — January 26, 2015

FERRADAY: It wasn’t sealing wax. It wasn’t chewing gum. It was epoxy glue. All of a sudden, you know a whole damn lot about submarines. JONES: I know how to wreck them, and I know how to lie, steal, kidnap, counterfeit, suborn, and kill. That’s my job.

Go Into The Story Week In Review: January 19-January 25, 2015

Links to last week’s most notable posts: 2015 Dialogue-Writing Challenge Audio: Flannery O’Connor reading “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Classic 60s Movie: Easy Rider Classic 60s Movie: Fail Safe Classic 60s Movie: If…. Classic 60s Movie: Jules et Jim Classic 60s Movie: Planet of the

Interview: Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (2014 Nicholl Winners)

Recently I interviewed Alisha Brophy and Scott Miles wrote the original screenplay “The United States of Fuckin’ Awesome” which won the duo a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Here are links to the six installments of the entire interview: Part 1: “I needed the gunpowder to build the bomb to

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: The Artist

This week, we read and analyzed the script for the movie The Artist, written by Michel Hazanavicius. IMDb plot summary: A silent movie star meets a young dancer, but the arrival of talking pictures sends their careers in opposite directions. Links to the entire series: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Major

Screenwriting News (January 19-January 25, 2015)

Gerard Barrett writing-directing drama “Brain on Fire” for Foundation Features. Stuart Beattie writing untitled Blackwater drama for Voltage Productions. Andrea Berloff adapting drama/crime memoir “Dangerous Odds” for Film 360. Robert Eggers sells untitled fantasy pitch to Studio 8. Liz W. Garcia and Josh Harto writing drama “Lonely Hearts

Classic 60s Movie: Jules et Jim

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Markham Cook. Movie Title: Jules et Jim Year: 1962 Writers: (screenwriters and any authors whose books were used as the basis for adaptation) Jean Gruault and Francois Truffaut, adapted from ‘Jules et Jim’ by Henri Pierre Roché Lead

Interview (Video): Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”)

The movie Mommy won the Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and is just now being released in select theaters in the United States. Plot summary: “A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.” Its

Daily Dialogue — January 25, 2015

“I’m giving you a choice. Either put on your glasses, or start eating that trash can.” — They Live (1986), screenplay by John Carpenter, short story by Ray Nelson The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Threat. Trivia: Writer-director John Carpenter has said of this movie that it was

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Espionage

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Espionage. “FBI, CIA, ONI… we’re all in the same alphabet soup.” The usual drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDb Quotes or some other transcript source. * Copy/paste the URL of an accompanying video from YouTube or some other video source. I’d

Interview (Part 6): Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (2014 Nicholl Winners)

Alisha Brophy and Scott Miles wrote the original screenplay “The United States of Fuckin’ Awesome” which won the duo a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Alisha, Scott and I had a great interview which I will be rolling out in 6 installments this week. Today in Part 6, Alisha and

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 170th installment of Saturday Hot Links. Today: The Poetry Feeds Your Soul Edition. Sundance 2015: Dollars and Distribution [infographic]. Sundance 2015: Indiewire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival. Sundance 2015: The Best Movies of Sundance Film Festival History, Part 1:

Classic 60s Movie: Repulsion

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Kate Hagen. Movie Title: Repulsion Year: 1965 Writer: David Stone, based on a story from Roman Polanski and Gerald Brach Lead Actors: Catherine Deneuve Director: Roman Polanski IMDb Plot Summary: Left alone when her sister goes on vacation,

Declare Your Independents — Vol. 46

GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome back to Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film This week… The 13 Most Anticipated Films At Sundance 2015 5 Must-See Shorts at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival Sundance 2015 Infographic: Most

Daily Dialogue — January 24, 2015

“But I hope you leave enough room for my fist ‘coz I’m going to ram it into your stomach and break your goddamn spine!” — The Running Man (1987), screenplay by Steven E. de Souza, novel by Stephen King The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Threat. Trivia: This film

Time for reader questions

You got questions? I’ve got answers. Well, at least opinions. And oftentimes, the GITS community will weigh in with some great insights. While you’re at it, check out the archives of reader questions I’ve aggregated during the nearly 8 year run of this blog. Over 300 questions

Interview (Part 5): Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles (2014 Nicholl Winners)

Alisha Brophy and Scott Miles wrote the original screenplay “The United States of Fuckin’ Awesome” which won the duo a 2014 Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting. Alisha, Scott and I had a great interview which I will be rolling out in 6 installments this week. Today in Part 5, Alisha and

Video: How many lens flares in J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” movies?

Supposedly 1,547 of them. Via Dylan Browne. HT /film.

Classic 60s Movie: Planet of the Apes

January is Classic 60s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Mike Sweeney. Movie Title: Planet of the Apes Year: 1968 Writers: Rod Serling and Michael Wilson (based on the novel by Pierre Boulle) Lead Actors: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans Director: Franklin J. Schaffner IMDb

Movie Trailer: “Unfriended”

Written by Nelson Greaves A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend. IMDb Release Date: 17 April 2015 (USA)

Script Analysis: “The Artist” — Part 5: Takeaways

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: Takeaways. This

Great Character: Llewyn Davis (“Inside Llewyn Davis”)

The Great Character theme for the month: Struggling Artist. Today: Llewyn Davis from the 2013 movie Inside Llewyn Davis, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Here is Jason Cuthbert’s weekly Great Character post. Soaked in the saturated earth tone glow of rusty orange and army olive greens, the

Daily Dialogue — January 23, 2015

“I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!” — The Wizard of Oz (1939), screenplay by Noel Langley & Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, adaptation by Noel Langley, book by L. Frank Baum The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Threat. Trivia: In 1898, Dorothy Louise Gage