Scott Myers

Interview — Part 4: 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

2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Agents & Managers

We continue with our analysis of spec script sales in 2013. Today: Agents and Managers. Note: A majority of projects were repped by both an agency and a manager / management company, so the total numbers of reps listed will be significantly higher than the number of scripts sold. First the

Movie Trailer: “The Fault in Our Stars”

Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, novel by John Green Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 14

Three weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

Daily Dialogue — January 30, 2014

“You punch in at 8:30 every morning, except you punch in at 7:30 following a business holiday, unless it’s a Monday, then you punch in at 8 o’clock. Punch in late and they dock you. Incoming articles get a voucher, outgoing articles provide a voucher. Move

50 Years Ago Today: “Dr. Strangelove”

On January 29, 1964, the movie Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Loved the Bomb was released into theaters. It is a classic movie and one of my favorite five films. My father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force at the time.

Interview — Part 3: 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

2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Buyers

Yesterday we looked at 2013 spec script sales by genre. Today we break down the numbers per major studios, mini-majors, subsidiaries, and financiers to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. The totals: 6 Universal 4 BCDF Pictures Lionsgate Thunder Road Warner Bros.

Movie Trailer: “Maleficent”

Written by Paul Dini & Linda Woolverton The “Sleeping Beauty” tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora. IMDB Release Date: 30 May 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 13

Three weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

Script To Screen: “Pan’s Labyrinth”

The scene in the 2006 movie Pan’s Labyrinth, written by Guillermo del Toro, wherein the Protagonist (Ofelia) moves out of the Ordinary World and into the Extraordinary World, courtesy of the Trickster: Faun. Story Summary: In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army

Daily Dialogue — January 29, 2014

DORY: Whoa. We goin’ in there? MARLIN: Yup. DORY: P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney? MARLIN: Yup. We’re gonna just swim straight. DORY: [singing] Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. MARLIN: Dory? Boy, this is taking a while. DORY: Hey, how about we play a game? MARLIN: Okay. DORY:

Leonardo DiCaprio meet Charlie Chaplin

One of the best comic sequences in movies during 2013 takes place in The Wolf of Wall Street. A recent NYT article titled “Humor, Locked and Loaded: ‘American Hustle’ and ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ as Brutal Comedies,” describes the sequence this way: Belfort dupes people for a living, but here

Interview — Part 2: 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

2013 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Genres

By my count, Hwood studios and production groups acquired 100 spec scripts in 2013. During this week, I’ll be breaking down those numbers. Today we look at sales by genre. Some scripts are categorized as cross genres or sub-genres, so those are noted where relevant under their primary

Movie Trailer: “Starred Up”

Written by Jonathan Asser A troubled and explosively violent teenager is transferred to adult prison where he finally meets his match — a man who also happens to be his father. IMDB Release Date: 21 March 2014 (UK)  Comment Archive

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 12

Three weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

Screenwriting 101: Diablo Cody

“I don’t have a formal rewrite process; I just compulsively groom and regroom scenes like a cat with OCD.” — Diablo Cody HT @TheBlackBoard Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — January 28, 2014

Lenny: Are you Dick Ritchie? Floyd: Uh, no. Lenny: Do you know a Clarence Worley? Floyd: Yes. Lenny: Do you know where we can find him? Floyd: Yes, I do. Oh. Lenny: Well, where? Floyd: At the Beverly Ambassador. Lenny: Where’s that? Floyd: Well, you go–No. Yeah. Go

Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets

From elevator pitches to development meetings to conference calls with talent, a screenwriter’s ability to share stories in a variety of narrative forms is both a valuable and necessary skillset. In the upcoming 1-week Screenwriting Master Class online course “Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets” [February 3–

Interview — Part 1: 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

2013 Spec Script Deals List

Here is the final 2013 Spec Script Sales List, each with a link to the GITS post about the sale. A few comments. Tracking spec script sales is not an exact science. To make the blog’s list, there almost always has to be some sort of article in the

Movie Trailer: “Blood Ties”

Screenplay by Guillaume Canet & James Gray Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s. IMDB Release Date: 21 March 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 11

Three weeks ago, I posted this about an occurrence that happens with irritating regularity in the online screenwriting universe: The contentious specter of so-called screenwriting ‘rules’: What happens is pretty much this: * Somebody posts something about how there is a rule against doing this or that. * That circulates as

On Writing

“I believe in the democracy of storytelling. I love the fact that our stories can cross all sorts of borders and boundaries. I feel humbled by the notion that I’m even a small part of the literary experience. I grew up in a house, in a city, in a