Scott Myers

Daily Dialogue — January 16, 2014

Miranda Priestly: So you don’t read ‘Runway’? Andy Sachs: Uh… no. Miranda Priestly: And before today, you had never heard of… me. Andy Sachs: No. Miranda Priestly: And you have no style or sense of fashion. Andy Sachs: Well, um… I think that depends on what you’re —  Miranda

Why I keep blogging

I keep posting here every single day because of emails like this: Dear Scott, A couple of years ago, more specifically, March 18th, 2011, I wrote to you and asked for advice on how to visualize the inner world of a character. This was during a time when I wrote

Interview: Barbara Stepansky (2013 Nicholl Winner, 2013 Black List) — Part 3

Barbara Stepansky’s original screenplay “Sugar in My Veins” not only won the filmmaker a 2013 Nicholl fellowship, it also landed on the 2013 Black List, so I was excited when she agreed to do an interview to see what we could learn from this talented young filmmaker. Today in

The Toughest Scene I Wrote: Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”)

Once again, Vulture does screenwriters a solid: In this series, Vulture has been speaking to the screenwriters behind 2013′s most acclaimed movies about the scenes they found most difficult to crack. What pivotal sequences underwent the biggest transformations on their way from script to screen? In this article, Coogler

Movie Trailer: “Killers”

Takuji Ushiyama (original story), Timo Tjahjanto (story) Mr. Nomura is an eerily handsome, sharply dressed, sociopathic serial killer who preys on the women of Tokyo. In Jakarta, a world-weary journalist named Bayu finds himself unexpectedly falling into vigilantism after brutally killing two sadistic robbers. When each posts videos of

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 3

Last Monday, 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 people

Script To Screen: “Galaxy Quest”

A fun early scene from the 1999 movie Galaxy Quest, screenplay by David Howard and Robert Gordon, story by David Howard. Plot summary: The alumni cast of a cult space TV show have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. Here is

Daily Dialogue — January 15, 2014

Blake: You’re talking about what.You’re talking about… Bitching about that sale you shot, some sonofabitch who don’t wanna buy land, some broad you’re trying to screw, so forth. Let’s talk about something important. They all here? Williamson: All but one. Blake: I’m going

Final Update: The Official 2014 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest!

The deadline has passed and everyone who has gazed into their crystal ball has made their predictions for how many spec scripts will sell in 2014. The Grand Prize: I will read any script of the winner’s choice and do a thirty-minute teleconference to discuss it with them.

Interview: Barbara Stepansky (2013 Nicholl Winner, 2013 Black List) — Part 2

Barbara Stepansky’s original screenplay “Sugar in My Veins” not only won the filmmaker a 2013 Nicholl fellowship, it also landed on the 2013 Black List, so I was excited when she agreed to do an interview to see what we could learn from this talented young filmmaker. Today in

Spec Script Sale: “Mercy Road”

Cheyenne Enterprises acquires action drama spec script “Mercy Road” written by Roy Freirich. From TheWrap: “…an action drama set in the world of counterfeit life-saving medication.” This is an option deal. By my count, this is the 3rd spec script sale in 2014. There was 1 spec script sale

The Toughest Scene I Wrote: Bob Nelson (“Nebraska”)

Once again, Vulture does screenwriters a solid: In this series, Vulture has been speaking to the screenwriters behind 2013′s most acclaimed movies about the scenes they found most difficult to crack. What pivotal sequences underwent the biggest transformations on their way from script to screen? In this article, Bob

Movie Trailer: “A Field in England”

Written by Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump Fleeing for their lives, a small party abandon their Civil War confederates and escape through an overgrown field. Thinking only of what lay behind, they are ambushed by two dangerous men and made to search the field. Psychedelia, madness and chaotic forces slowly overtake

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 2

Last Monday, 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 people

Screenwriting 101: Richard Curtis

“One of my big rules, if I had any rules for screenwriting, would be to let things sit there and stew. Because the two times that I’ve written films, just thought of them and written them, have been the two times I’ve just put them in a drawer

Daily Dialogue — January 14, 2014

Jack Lipnick: Is that him? Is that Barton Fink? Let me at him. Let me put my arms around this guy. Let me hug this guy. How the hell are ya? Good trip? My name’s Jack Lipnick. You know that. You read the papers. Lou treating you all right?

2014 Film and Television Writers Calendar

While you were busy hammering back egg nog and champagne over the holidays, the folks in our little part of the world (The Black List, Go Into The Story, The Black Board) were busy creating a gift for the online writing community: The 2014 Film and Television Writers Calendar You

Interview: Barbara Stepansky (2013 Nicholl Winner, 2013 Black List) — Part 1

Barbara Stepansky’s original screenplay “Sugar in My Veins” not only won the filmmaker a 2013 Nicholl fellowship, it also landed on the 2013 Black List, so I was excited when she agreed to do an interview to see what we could learn from this talented young filmmaker. Today in

The Toughest Scene I Wrote: Writer-Director Spike Jonze (“Her”)

Once again, Vulture does screenwriters a solid: In this series, Vulture has been speaking to the screenwriters behind 2013’s most acclaimed movies about the scenes they found most difficult to crack. What pivotal sequences underwent the biggest transformations on their way from script to screen? In this article, Spike

Movie Trailer: “Calvary”

Written by John Michael McDonagh After he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him. IMDB Release Date: 11 April 2014 (Ireland)  Comment Archive

So-Called Screenwriting ‘Rules’: Part 1

Last Monday, 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 people

On Writing

“Self-doubt is the best friend and the worst enemy of the writer. Because being a writer isn’t like being a tennis player or a boxer, where you presumably have to hunt down and ruthlessly eliminate the source of any flickering shadow of suspicion that you might not be

Daily Dialogue — January 13, 2014

STEPHEN: How about the commas in dates? Are we supposed to circle those too? CAITLIN: Let’s just get this done, okay? MICHAEL: What the hell is this? CAITLIN: Marty told us to circle all the commas in the last issue, so he could show us how we used them

Go Into The Story Week In Review: January 6-January 12, 2014

Links to the week’s most notable posts: Daily Dialogue Theme for Next Week: The Boss GITS Interview: Writer-director Tze Chun (Cold Comes the Night) Great Character: Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) Great Scene: The Usual Suspects Happy Birthday, HAL 9000! Interview (Video): Spike Jonze and cast

Interview: Tze Chun

Tze Chun is a talented young filmmaker who first gained attention with his indie drama Children of Invention. Indiewire describes his latest movie Cold Comes the Night, starring Alice Eve and Bryan Cranston, as a “tightly wound noir thriller.” Having screened the movie myself, I concur wholeheartedly. Here are links