Scott Myers

Movie Trailer: “Big Hero 6”

Written by Don Hall & Jordan Roberts IMDB Release Date: 7 November 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Writing and the Creative Life: Routine or Ritual?

I am fascinated by creativity, in particular how creativity manifests itself in the wide variety of people I meet or learn about. That has been one of the more intriguing aspects of the many interviews with writers I’ve been fortunate enough to do this year. Those of you who

Daily Dialogue — October 2, 2014

“I will not yield!” — Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), screen play by Sidney Buchman, story by Lewis R. Foster The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Politics. Trivia: In 1942, when a ban on American films was imposed in German-occupied France, the title theaters chose Mr. Smith Goes

The Business of Show — Under a Microscope

Guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek (Cocoon) and co-founder of Screenwriting Master Class: Business practices are evolve. But the same rules always apply. The script matters. Relationships matter. Things become hot. And then inevitably they go cold. The hotter they were. then usually the longer they may stay warm

Movie Trailer: “Interstellar”

The final movie trailer for Interstellar: A featurette on the movie: Comment Archive

Classic 70s Movie: “Dog Day Afternoon?

September is Classic 70s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Zach Jansen. Movie Title: Dog Day Afternoon Year: 1975 Writers: Screenplay by Frank Pierson (winner of Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay); inspired by a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore Lead Actors: Al Pacino,

Spec Script Sale: “May You Live in Interesting Times”

Voltage Pictures acquires action spec script “May You Live in Interesting Times” written by Anthony Jaswinski. Via THR: In a similar tonal vein as Lucy, the recent Luc Besson action hit that starred Scarlett Johansson, May You Live is a female-centric thriller that aims to be stylish and visceral.

Movie Trailer: “Exodus: Gods and Kings”

Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, screen story by Bill Collage & Adam Cooper An account of Moses’ hand in leading the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. IMDB Release Date: 12 December 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Great Scene: “Heat”

The 1995 movie Heat, written and directed by Michael Mann, is superior entertainment. Here’s an IMDb plot summary: Hunters and their prey — Neil and his professional criminal crew hunt to score big money targets (banks, vaults, armored cars) and are, in turn, hunted by Lt. Vincent Hanna and his

Script To Screen: “Say Anything”

A memorable scene from Say Anything (written by Cameron Crowe): Setup: Lloyd drives over to Diane’s house to deliver a message. INT. DIANE’S HOUSE — DAY Diane is lying on her bed, upset. We hear music coming from  outside. Diane lifts her head slightly. EXT. DIANE’S HOUSE — DAY

Daily Dialogue — October 1, 2014

“Obscenity? The rich is getting richer and richer and richer while the middle class is getting more poor/ Making billions and billions and billions of bucks/ well my friend if you weren’t already rich at the start well that situation just sucks/cause the riches mother fucker in five

Black List initiatives

I am currently in Las Vegas to participate as a mentor in the 2nd annual Black List Screenwriters Lab in what I trust will be a transformational experience for the six screenwriters selected to workshop their original screenplays. This is, however, just one of the initiatives the Black List has

Movies You Made: “FACTORY293”

Time to feature more Movies You Made. Today: FACTORY293. Production notes from writer-director Roderick MacKay: FACTORY293 is a 27min slow-building-thriller/drama, made entirely in sunny Perth, Western Australia, but the story is set within 1940’s blizzard-swept Russia. As an emergent team tackling a project of

Twitter Rant: Katherine Fugate on Black Facts About Hollywood

Screenwriter Katherine Fugate (Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve) offered up a recent Twitter rant on some of the harsh realities of working as a writer in Hollywood. Reprinted here by permission: https://twitter.com/katherinefugate/status/514803154144071681 Black Fact is: Execs will read your script on their phone

Movie Trailer: “Camp X-Ray”

Written by Peter Sattler A soldier assigned to Guantanamo Bay befriends a man who has been imprisoned there for eight years. IMDB Release Date: 17 October 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Classic 70s Move: “The Godfather: Part II”

September is Classic 70s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Ryan Gilmore. Movie Title: The Godfather: Part II Year: 1974 Writer(s): Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (Screenplay) Main Actors: Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale Director: Francis Ford Coppola IMDb Plot Summary:

Screenwriting 101: Joseph Wambaugh

“Screenwriters are like little guppies swimming in an aquarium filled with sharks, killer whales, octopuses and other creatures of the deep. And plenty of squid shit.” – Joseph Wambaugh from “Writers on Writing” Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — September 30, 2014

INT THE PLANE NIGHT. INSERT. THE VIAL OF PILLS, LABELLED, “MILITARY SPECIAL PRISONS,” SCHUMANN, WILLIAM. A. TWO PILLS EVERY FOUR HOURS. SHOULD THE PATIENT BECOME VIOLENT THE DOSAGE CAN BE INCREASED TO… THE PILLS SPILL OUT OF THE FRAME. ANGLE THE PLANE, IN A VIOLENT RAINSTORM, BUCKING WILDLY. AMES, ON

Break your story in prep

Have you ever started a script and not finished it? Has it ever taken you 4, 5, 6 months or more to finish a script? Have you ever gotten so lost when writing a story, you became incredibly frustrated? Chances are you did not do enough story preparation. Don’t

Movie Trailer: “The Best of Me”

J. Mills Goodloe and Will Fetters and Michael Hoffman, Nicholas Sparks (novel) A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown. IMDB Release Date: 17 October 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Classic 70s Movie: “The Godfather”

September is Classic 70s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Ryan Gilmore. Movie Title: The Godfather Year: 1972 Writer(s): Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola (Screenplay) Lead Actors: Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Diane Keaton Director: Francis Ford Coppola IMDb Plot Summary: The aging patriarch of

On Writing

“Whatever story you want to tell, tell it at the right size.” — Richard Linklater

Daily Dialogue — September 29, 2014

“There’s been abroad in this land in recent months a whisper that we have somehow lost our greatness, that we do not have the strength to win without war the struggles for liberty throughout the world. This is slander, because our country is strong, strong enough to be a

Go Into The Story Week In Review: September 22-September 28, 2014

Links to the week’s most notable posts: “12 Things I Learned at Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School” An Argument Against Screenplay Formulas (5 part series) “BLACK LIST LIVE!” returns with “The Seekers of Perpetual Love” Classic 70s Movie: Apocalypse Now Classic 70s Movie: Carrie Classic 70s Movie: Jaws

“Conversations With Wilder”: Part 12

Billy Wilder. Cameron Crowe. Conversation and creative insight. Billy Wilder is my all-time favorite filmmaker. Consider just some of his movies: Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Blvd. (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), Stalag 17 (1953), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), an