Scott Myers

Announcing the 2014 Black List Oscar Pool

From the top secret underground headquarters of the Black List comes this message from Franklin Leonard: Pretty straightforward. We’re running an Oscar Pool. It’s for entertainment purposes only, meaning there are no prizes, per se, except for bragging rights and the sense of pride in knowing that you

Movie Trailer: “Muppets Most Wanted”

Written by James Bobin, Nicholas Stoller While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick. IMDB Release Date: 21 March 2014 Comment Archive

Character Type: Innocent

“Perhaps this is because their innocent view of the world is an ‘enchanted’ one, seeing beauty and wonder all around them. The journey puts their innocence to the test: Will they be able to retain that essence as they gain their experience — or will they lose it?” Those of you

Script To Screen: “Before Midnight”

The final scene in the 2013 movie Before Midnight, written by Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke, characters by Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan. Plot Summary: We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train

Daily Dialogue — February 5, 2014

Samuel Faulkner: Are you sure? Rebecca Taylor: I’m ten days late. Samuel Faulkner: And there’s no way you could have had it and just not noticed? — Nine Months (1995), screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a film by Patrick Braoudé The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Pregnancy

TNT & TBS Partner with The Black List to Tap Talented Writers

An announcement yesterday: TNT and TBS are partnering with The Black List on an initiative to promote diversity in the industry by identifying talented writers to develop scripts and concepts for the networks. TNT and TBS are the first television networks to team up with the Black List following the

The Business of Screenwriting: The phone call

It’s 10:00AM, Monday, January 17, 1987. I pile into my ten-year-old beat-up Ford filled with the gear of my trade: guitar, amplifier, PA system and speakers, suitcase, and most importantly a big trunk in which I have all my props, and a dolly to move

Movie Trailer: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

Screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, concept and story by Ed Brubaker, comic book by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. IMDB Release

Character Type: Bully

“Why are bullies such a recurring character type in movies? First, they give an audience someone to hate, a focused object of personal loathing. Second, the dark, malevolent energy created by a bully only makes the Protagonist’s goodness stand out even more. Third, bullies create instant conflict with whoever

Screenwriting 101: Jay Presson Allen

“I don’t do anything but write. I get up and I write and I write, until I have to go to sleep; then, I get up, eat something, then go back to work. I do a script very fast, because I don’t stop. All day. All night, until

Daily Dialogue — February 4, 2014

Nina and George laugh. George: Excuse me? Doc: Nina’s pregnant… Nina smiles at George. George: And who may I ask is the father? Nina’s jaw drops. Nina: George? George: Don’t ‘George’ me, you two-timing Mata Hari. I haven’t done it in six weeks, I haven’

Learn the craft!

There is no right way to write. Every writer is different. Every story is different. That also means there is no right way to learn to write. I have promoted one path on this blog for years: Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages. No matter what else you do, that

The Business of Screenwriting: I can do that!

It’s 1986. About 12:30AM. At Charlie’s nightclub in Ventura, California where I’ve just finished performing my comedy act. As I’m packing up my gear, I get into a conversation with Steve, one of the club owners. He’s in his second year of the USC

Movie Trailer: “Enemy”

Javier Gullón (screenplay), José Saramago (novel) A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie. IMDB Release Date: 6 February 2104 Comment Archive

Character Type: Martyr

“A martyr has seen or experienced something so profoundly true, at least to them, they are willing to sacrifice everything on its behalf, including their own lives.” Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how fascinated

On Writing

“I just give myself permission to suck. I delete about 90 percent of my first drafts … so it doesn’t really matter much if on a particular day I write beautiful and brilliant prose that will stick in the minds of my readers forever, because there’s a 90 percent

Daily Dialogue — February 3, 2014

Leah: Yo Yo Yiggady Yo. Juno MacGuff: I’m at suicide risk. Leah: Juno? Juno MacGuff: No, it’s Morgan Freeman. Do you have any bones that need collecting? Leah: Only the one in my pants… Juno MacGuff: I’m pregnant. Leah: What? Honest to blog? Juno MacGuff: Yeah. Yeah,

Go Into The Story Week In Review: January 27-February 2, 2014

Links to the week’s most notable posts: 2013 Spec Script List 2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Agents & Managers 2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Buyers 2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: First-Timers 2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Genres 2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Top Sales 50 Years Ago Today:

Interview: Screenwriter-Director Sean Hartofilis (“Beach Pillows”)

From Ivy League lacrosse star to writer-director of the new indie film Beach Pillows starring Geoffrey Arend, Vincent Kartheiser, Annette O’Toole, and Richard Schiff, the career path of Sean Hartofilis has been an interesting one. Recently I spoke with Sean about life as an indie filmmaker and Beach

Studying Aristotle’s “Poetics” — Part 18(D): Chorus

As I’ve been interviewing screenwriters, I typically ask what some of their influences are. One book title comes up over and over again: Aristotle’s “Poetics”. I confess I’ve never read the entire thing, only bits and pieces. So I thought, why not do a weekly series with

Bill Murry as “Peter Pan”

Just think how much less delightful our world would be without Bill Murray. Via TheWrap. Comment Archive

Screenwriting News (January 27-February 2, 2014)

Alex Allrich sells spy thriller spec script “The Forger” to Fox International Productions. Jackie Collins adapting her novel “Confessions of a Wild Child” for Amber Entertainment. Laura Dave options her novel “The Last Harvest” and will adapt for Fox 2000. Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon adapting 1980s book line

Interview [Video]: Terence Winter (“The Wolf of Wall Street”)

A DP/30 interview with Terence Winter, writer-producer on the TV series “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire,” and nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay The Wolf of Wall Street. Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — February 2, 2014

Andy Dufresne: Red. If you ever get out of here, do me a favor. Red: Sure, Andy. Anything. Andy Dufresne: There’s a big hayfield up near Buxton. You know where Buxton is? Red: Well, there’s… there’s a lot of hayfields up there. Andy Dufresne: One in particular.

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Pregnancy Announcement

As we wrap up a week in which we explored a variety of scenes in which characters gave directions to one another (thanks, Bretton Zinger, for that recommendation), it’s time to conceive some new suggestions for next week’s theme: Pregnancy Announcement. “You know how they say to never