Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 2: Protagonist Metamorphosis Arc In almost all mainstream Hollywood movies as well as most indie films, the Protagonist character or characters go through some type of personal metamorphosis. It is no surprise this is the case. Joseph Campbell who studied thousands upon thousands of stories worldwide and through history determined that transformation is at
“Moments That Changed The Movies: Jurassic Park” Via Indiewire: With “Safety Not Guaranteed” director Colin Trevorrow currently in the midst of shooting “Jurassic World,” the series’ latest installment that’s set to open next summer, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences have released a nine-minute video which breaks down just how revolutionary the effects
Is 23 Super Hero Movies Over The Next 4 Years Too Much? Indiewire asks a simple question: “Is 23 Super Hero Movies Over The Next 4 Years Too Much?” To which I say… 23?! Really?! Really! Here they are: MARVEL “Guardians of the Galaxy” (8/1/14) “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” (5/1/15) “Ant-Man” (7/17/15) “Captain America
Movie Trailer: “Clouds of Sils Maria” Written by Olivier Assayas An aging actress is asked to star once again in the play that made her famous many years earlier, but now the part she made her name with will be played by a young actress. IMDB Comment Archive
30 Days of Screenplays, Day 17: “Argo” Why read 30 screenplays in 30 days? Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts. There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get
Screenwriting 101: John Logan “Very early in my career, something clicked for me. I remember writing the line in Gladiator, ‘Are you not entertained?’ that Maximus says in the provincial arena. I said to myself: I think I can be a screenwriter. That line had a power, resonance, and muscularity appropriate to that character.
Daily Dialogue — June 17, 2014 Riggs: You know you’re not the first guy to think of this you know. A lot people have got problems especially during the silly season like now. Attempted Suicide Jumper: You don’t know shit. Riggs: No, you’re wrong, pal, you’re wrong. Attempted Suicide Jumper: You don’
Pound through that first draft! As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one rule about a first draft and it’s this: “Get the damn thing done!” Easy to say. Hard to do. That’s why Tom Benedek and I created the Pages I: The First Draft writing workshop, a structured online environment
Screenwriting Back to Basics, Day 1: Writing Scenes With every scene, you should ask yourself this question: What is the scene’s Beginning, Middle, and End? Just as we think of a story with three acts or movements, so each scene has its own tripartite structure. Therefore as we approach working out a scene, we need to think
“The Rules of Film Noir” I’m not much of a fan of so-called ‘rules’ of writing, filmmaking, and creative endeavors in general, but this is an interesting documentary nonetheless. And if you think film noir is dead, an historical vestige from the 40s and 50s, no longer relevant as a storytelling influence, tell
Post-TFIOS buzz phrase: “Grounded” Teen Movies When a movie with a production budget of $12M generates $120M in worldwide box office in its first two weeks — that is a 10-to-1 ratio for all you math geeks out there — you can be sure Hollywood will pay attention. That movie is The Fault in Our Stars…
Movie Trailer: “Mood Indigo” Scenario, adaptation, dialogue by Michel Gondry & Luc Bossi, novel by Boris Vian A woman suffers from an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs. IMDB Release Date: 18 July 2014 (USA) Comment Archive
30 Days of Screenplays, Day 16: “Hanna” Why read 30 screenplays in 30 days? Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts. There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get
On Writing “You have to resign yourself to wasting lots of trees before you write anything really good. That’s just how it is. It’s like learning an instrument. You’ve got to be prepared for hitting wrong notes occasionally, or quite a lot. That’s just part of the learning
Daily Dialogue — June 16, 2014 Klara: Good morning, Madam. It’s a lovely box, isn’t it? Customer: Oh, yes. It’s a candy box, isn’t it? Klara: Yes, Madam, a candy box, and I should say, a very unusual one. May I open it for you? Matuschek: Yes, Madam. That’s Ochi Tchornya.
Go Into The Story Week In Review: June 9-June 15, 2014 Links to the week’s most notable posts: 30 Days of Screenplays, Day 9: The Queen 30 Days of Screenplays, Day 10: The Artist 30 Days of Screenplays, Day 11: The American 30 Days of Screenplays, Day 12: Looper 30 Days of Screenplays, Day 13: Greenberg 30 Days of Screenplays,
Interview: Misan Sagay Misan Sagay is a screenwriter whose credits include The Secret Laughter of Women, starring Colin Firth, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry. Misan’s most recent writing project is Belle, an historical drama starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw playing the title role. Here
Screenwriting News (June 9-June 15, 2014) Bryan Cogman adapting role-playing card game “Magic: The Gathering” for Twentieth Century Fox. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar sell spec script “Captain Nemo” to Sony Pictures Entertainment. E. Lockhart options teen drama “We Were Liars” to Imperative Entertainment with Lockhart to adapt. Adam Mason and Simon Boyes writing horror
30 Days of Screenplays, Day 15: “Nebraska” Why read 30 screenplays in 30 days? Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts. There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get
Interview [Video]: Pete Docter A member of the famed Pixar “Brain Trust,” Pete Docter has co-writing credits on Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Up and the upcoming Inside Out, having directed Monsters, Inc., Up and Inside Out. Here is a half-hour DP/30 interview with Docter in which he focuses
Daily Dialogue — June 15, 2014 Peppers: She’s a beauty, ain’t she? Frank: Yeah, what kind of gun is this? Peppers: It’s a tranquilizer gun. If any of these little fuckers decide to freak out on the kids, I get to take them down. Ain’t that right? [yank’s on the mule’
Daily Dialogue theme for next week: First Day on the Job! The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: First day on the job, suggested by Bretton Zinger. “And they dock ya’!” What movie scenes can you can come up that feature a character’s first day on the job? The usual drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDB Quotes or some other
Interview [Part 6]: Misan Sagay, Screenwriter, “Belle” Misan Sagay is a screenwriter whose credits include The Secret Laughter of Women, starring Colin Firth, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry. Misan’s most recent writing project is Belle, an historical drama starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw playing the title role. Today
Spec Script Sale: “Captain Nemo” Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment acquire action adventure spec script “Captain Nemo” written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. From THR: Sources say president of production Michael De Luca made a pre-emptive move for the spec, which offers a new take on the iconic antihero who was first
Saturday Hot Links Time for the 138th installment of Saturday Hot Links. The Great Soccer Goal Calls Around The World Edition. How The Fault in Our Stars mobilized its teen audience. Related: There’s at least one person who did not like TFIOS. Related: Off of TFIOS success, young women are now the
