Scott Myers

5 Screenwriting Traits: #5 — Persistence

[Originally posted March 15, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the

Movie Trailer: “The One I Love”

Written by Justin Lader Struggling with a marriage on the brink of falling apart, a couple escapes for a weekend in pursuit of their better selves, only to discover an unusual dilemma that awaits them. IMDB Release Date: 15 August 2014 (USA) Comment Archive

Free Screenwriting Resource: Character Types

Writers can use character types common in movies to develop their own stories. Stuck on how to make your Protagonist unique? What about an Addict or a Gambler? Nemesis? How about an Angel or Rookie? These can be a critical tool for identifying the core essence of a character, then

Great Character: Sarah Connor (“Terminator 2: Judgment Day”)

The Great Character theme for the month: Action Heroines. Today: Sarah Connor from the 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day, written by James Cameron and William Wisher Jr. Thirty years ago, before James Cameron became “King Avatar,” AKA “Big Poppa Titanic,” Cameron literally invented an entire science fiction franchise full

Daily Dialogue — August 15, 2014

“I never knew the old Vienna before the war with its Strauss music, its glamour and easy charm. Constantinople suited me better. [Scenes of black market goods changing hands] I really got to know it in the classic period of the black market. We’d run anything if people wanted

Reader Question: What is a good number of scripts to have in my portfolio?

Question from patchieg23: I know there has been a lot of content generated surrounding breaking into the business, how to gain attention/notoriety (Black List, Screenplay Competitions, etc), how to get agents, etc…I guess my question is a bit of a variation on that theme: I’m wondering, as

Interview [Part 4]: Frank DeJohn and David Hedges [2013 Nicholl Winners]

Frank DeJohn and David Hedges are one of five recipients of the 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting for their historical drama screenplay “Legion”. It’s a terrific story set in the latter days of the Roman Empire and garnered a lot of attention for the duo including being hired

Interview [Audio]: Craig Mazin with Brian Koppelman (“The Moment”)

Here’s a great way to spend 90 minutes: Listening to two screenwriters, both on the front edge of their craft and social media, talking about… well… nearly everything. Brian Koppelman has written such movies as Rounders, Runaway Jury, Ocean’s Thirteen, and Solitary Man, which he also co-directed.

5 Screenwriting Traits: #4 — Flexibility

[Originally posted March 14, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the

Movie Trailer: “Laggies”

Written by Andrea Seigel A woman stuck in permanent adolescence lies to her fiancé about going on a retreat and spends the time hanging out with friends instead. IMDB Release Date: 24 October 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Free Screenwriting Resource: Great Characters

An ongoing weekly series wherein I and guest columnist Jason Cuthbert delve into memorable movie characters. This is a great way to brainstorm characters of your own. Mix and match. Gender bend. Genre bend. Use these characters to inspire your own. Here are links to nearly an alphabet full of

Writing and the Creative Life: Look… don’t overlook

As writers in order for us to have any hope of securing a meaningful degree of understanding of a story universe and its characters, we have to see… not scan. We have to be… not do. We have to look… not overlook. I write this post as much for myself

Daily Dialogue — August 14, 2014

“Neighbors bring food with death, and flowers with sickness, and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife and our lives. One time Atticus said you never really knew a man until you stood in his shoes

Your questions?

If you have a question about screenwriting or the movie business, and you don’t see it answered here, feel free to post it in comments. I do my best to get to all questions. And even if I don’t have deep insight into it, often members of the

Interview [Part 3]: Frank DeJohn and David Hedges [2013 Nicholl Winners]

Frank DeJohn and David Hedges are one of five recipients of the 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting for their historical drama screenplay “Legion”. It’s a terrific story set in the latter days of the Roman Empire and garnered a lot of attention for the duo including being hired

David Simon writes about Robin Williams in “Homicide: Life on the Street”

Yesterday David Simon, most well-known as the creator of the lauded TV series “The Wire,” wrote something on his website about his brief intersection with Robin Williams. An excerpt: We were in the Maryland morgue on the given day, though the location had little to do with the sadness.

5 Screenwriting Traits: #3 — Consistency

[Originally posted March 13, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the

Movie Trailer: “Last Weekend”

Written by Tom Dolby When an affluent matriarch gathers her dysfunctional family for a holiday at their Northern California lake house, her carefully constructed weekend begins to come apart at the seams, leading her to question her own role in the family. IMDB Release Date: 29 August 2014 (USA) Comment

Free Screenwriting Resource: Screenwriting 101

Every Tuesday at 10AM Eastern, I post words of wisdom from professional screenwriters. I call this series Screenwriting 101. They are generally short and to the point observations about the craft. A few examples: “And then comes the great leap which is the first draft, I call it ‘the muscle

Script To Screen: “Big Fish”

A scene from the 2003 movie Big Fish, screenplay by John August, novel by Daniel Wallace. Plot Summary: A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths he told about his life. Here is the scene in the script: EXT. SORORITY HOUSE - DAY Sandra

Daily Dialogue — August 13, 2014

“If so, you’ve come to the right party… You see, the body of a young man was found floating in the pool of her mansion, with two shots in his back and one in his stomach. Nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of “B” pictures

“Destroy property, defy authority… and take people’s clothes off”

I wrote my first screenplay in 1986. With no formal training, I was left to my own devices to find my sea legs when it came to the craft. Two things I did: I read a lot of scripts. And I went to a lot of movies. It just so

Interview [Part 2]: Frank DeJohn and David Hedges [2013 Nicholl Winners]

Frank DeJohn and David Hedges are one of five recipients of the 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting for their historical drama screenplay “Legion”. It’s a terrific story set in the latter days of the Roman Empire and garnered a lot of attention for the duo including being hired

“The History of Sound at the Movies”

Another fine video tutorial from the folks at FilmmakerIQ: Check out all of the fine educational videos from FilmmakerIQ at their Vimeo site here. Their main website here. Twitter: @FilmmakerIQ. Comment Archive

5 Screenwriting Traits: #2 — Courage

[Originally posted March 12, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the