Scott Myers

Movie Trailer: “Cheap Thrills”

Written by David Chirchirillo, Trent Haaga Craig (Pat Healy), is an auto mechanic who loses his job. He is unable to pay his rent and after seeing the eviction sign, he goes to a bar, where he meets someone from his old high school, Vince (Ethan Embry). A rich couple,

Character Type: Loner

Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how fascinated I am with character archetypes, specifically how there are five — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — which recur in movies over and over and over. Some might see

Writing and the Creative Life: Dark Places

Writing wisdom from Carl Jung. “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” This is a quote from Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, and it speaks to a fundamental truth not only about life, but also creativity. For in order to

Daily Dialogue — February 13, 2014

Henry Hill: You’re a pistol, you’re really funny. You’re really funny. Tommy DeVito: What do you mean I’m funny? Henry Hill: It’s funny, you know. It’s a good story, it’s funny, you’re a funny guy. [laughs] Tommy DeVito: What do you mean,

Reader Question: What does it mean to tell a “simple story”?

Question from Nicola: I’ve been thinking about this advice/idea to “tell a simple story with complex characters — not the other way round”. I find that very attractive. Initially I thought the idea would refer to a simple, clear story goal and we get to see all sides of

Interview [Part 3]: Ted Hope

Last December, I was fortunate enough to have an in-depth interview with movie producer Ted Hope, who is leading the charge to give the indie film business what he calls a “systems reboot.” If there is a person best suited for this task, it’s Ted. You can go

Movie Trailer: “Under the Skin”

Screenplay by Walter Campbell, novel by Michel Faber An alien seductress preys upon hitchhikers in Scotland. IMDB Release Date: 4 April 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Character Type: Artist

“To see the world differently. To feel life fully. To immerse oneself in the experience of the creative moment. That is the domain of the Artist character type.” Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how

Script To Screen: “A Serious Man”

Leave it to the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) to come up with a denouement in their 2009 movie A Serious Man that resolves virtually nothing and leaves the audience with a sense of impending doom. Plot Summary: Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern mathematics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple

Daily Dialogue — February 12, 2014

INT. WHITE HOUSE. SMALLISH ROOM — DAY Malcolm is arriving into a meeting room with a young man who looks like an intern, A.J. A.J.: How are you today? Beat the traffic? Malcolm looking around, as if things aren’t right. MALCOLM: Yeah, yeah. Hunky dory. Can I get

How good are you at handling exposition?

In Hollywood, there is a saying I’ve heard more than once: “Exposition = Death.” Why? Because nothing can bore readers more than the delivery of setting, information, data and backstory. Yet every script, play or story you write requires you to include exposition. That’s why I created the Screenwriting

Interview [Part 2]: Ted Hope

Last December, I was fortunate enough to have an in-depth interview with movie producer Ted Hope, who is leading the charge to give the indie film business what he calls a “systems reboot.” If there is a person best suited for this task, it’s Ted. You can go

Ticket Giveaway: “The Psychology of Story-Telling” with Lindsay Doran

She’s known as The Script Whisperer” and unlike so-called screenwriting gurus, Lindsay Doran has the street cred to back it up. To wit: Lindsay Doran has worked in the movie business for more than 30 years as a studio executive and as a producer. She has served as

Movie Trailer: “A Birder’s Guide to Everything”

Written by Luke Matheny, Rob Meyer David Portnoy, a 15-year-old birding fanatic, thinks that he’s made the discovery of a lifetime. So, on the eve of his father’s remarriage, he escapes on an epic road trip with his best friends to solidify their place in birding

Character Type: Femme Fatale

“There is a strong element of sexuality at work with the Femme Fatale and that cuts both ways as an narrative element: empowerment for the woman, weakness for the man.” Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class

Screenwriting 101: Steve Coogan

“To write from personal experience, you also need the humility to be able to accept that whatever you think might be wrong. I think everyone should question their own beliefs all the time. It’s important, and it’s healthy. People who have moral certainty are not to be trusted,

Daily Dialogue — February 11, 2014

SIMON (O.S.): Mr. Udall, I’d like to talk to you please. MELVIN: ‘Love was… ‘ He almost has the rest of the sentence — the meaning of love — but the knocking throws him. MELVIN: … Son-of-a-bitch-pansy-assed-stool-pusher. He bursts from his chair. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING

Ticket Giveaway: “The Psychology of Story-Telling” with Lindsay Doran

There is a fantastic event happening later this month featuring one of the most insightful and inspirational people involved in the Hollywood film business. Read on: On February 20 at 7:30 pm at the Writers Guild Theater, Lindsay Doran may change everything you think you know about screenwriting. Presented

Interview [Part 1]: Ted Hope

Last December, I was fortunate enough to have an in-depth interview with movie producer Ted Hope, who is leading the charge to give the indie film business what he calls a “systems reboot.” If there is a person best suited for this task, it’s Ted. You can go

Music Video: “Everything is Awesome” (The LEGO Movie”)

To get you pumped up at the start of the week! Via Slashfilm. Comment Archive

“The Layers” by Stanley Kunitz

If you need something to help you get in touch with your Protagonist and their journey, I can think of nothing better than this poem from Stanley Kunitz: The Layers I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was, though some

Movie Trailer: “Need for Speed”

Screenplay by George Gatins, story by George Gatins & John Gatins Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the

Character Type: Clown

“Clowns tend to be Trickster figures and often defy convention or authority. As such, they upset the normal state of affairs, creating confusion, even chaos. But that can be precisely what must happen to reveal some underlying truth that needs to emerge into the light of day.” Those of you

On Writing

“Sometimes people say to me, ‘I want to write, but I have five kids, a full-time job, a wife who beats me, a tremendous debt to my parents,’ and so on. I say to them, ‘There is no excuse. If you want to write, write. This is your life.

Daily Dialogue — February 10, 2014

Oliver Rose: You weren’t even multiorgasmic before you met me, were you? Barbara Rose: You really expect me to keep on reassuring you sexually even now when we disgust each other? – [Oliver Rose pees on the fish Barbara Rose had prepared for the guests] Barbara Rose: I would never