Scott Myers

Celebrities warn against the dangers of binge-watching TV

Fun stuff from Entertainment Weekly. See if you can identify all the writer-showrunners: Comment Archive

Interview [Part 6]: 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

How to Write a Rom-Com That’s True to Life (and Love): Tips from the Screenwriter of ‘What If’

A first-person column in Indiewire from screenwriter Elan Mastai who wrote the recently released romantic comedy What If. I wrote “What If” because I love romantic comedies. When done well, they’re basically my favorite genre. “His Girl Friday,” “The Apartment,” “Annie Hall,” When Harry Met Sally,” “Before Sunrise”

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 147th installment of Saturday Hot Links. Today: The We Remember Robin Williams Edition. Robin Williams: 150 of his greatest jokes. Robin Williams: Left 4 unreleased movies. Robin Williams: All 5 of his HBO comedy specials on YouTube. Robin Williams: His underrated acting legacy. Robin Williams: His death

Free Screenwriting Resource: 1, 2, 7, 14

It’s amazing to me how popular this approach to the craft has become. Every time I tweet it, it gets a strong reaction. I describe it this way: “A simple formula to be a more productive and better screenwriter.” And that’s precisely what it is. 1: Read 1

Interview [Written]: Chris Sparling

Kim Garland, one of the contributing columnists at Script Magazine, did a recent interview with screenwriter Chris Sparling, whose writing credits include Buried (2010), ATM (2012), and the upcoming Sea of Trees (2015). Kim: Buried was your first screenplay sale, right? Chris: Right. Kim: How did that sale come about?

Daily Dialogue — August 16, 2014

“Michael. Dear Michael. Of course it’s you, who else could they send, who else could be trusted? I… I know it’s a long way and you’re ready to go to work… all I’m saying is wait, just wait, just-just-just… please hear me out because

Declare Your Independents — Vol. 25

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 Films of Danny Boyle, Ranked Worst to Best 5 Reasons Why Genre Films Are Better Than Ever Remembering Robin Williams Lauren

Interview [Part 5]: 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

“For Would-Be Screenwriter, Enough False Starts To Fill A Book”

This story ran on NPR yesterday: There’s a running joke in Los Angeles that everybody — from your dog walker to your dry cleaner — is writing a screenplay. Curt Neill is one of those aspiring screenwriters — a sketch comedian who has tried to write screenplays, but never finished one. “I’

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