Scott Myers

Matthew Hickman: Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Winner [Part 4]

Less than a month ago, there was this announcement: The Black List and Cassian Elwes have announced the winner of their first Independent Screenwriting Fellowship. Unrepresented screenwriter Matthew Hickman will attend the upcoming Sundance Film Festival with the producer behind 2013 awards contenders Lee Daniels’ The Butler, All Is Lost,

Writing and the Creative Life: Three types of creators

Writing and the Creative Life: Three Types of Creators Perfecter. Innovator. Synthesizer. Which type of creative are you? My son Will is a graduate of a five-year dual degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory. He received two Bachelor’s degrees with three majors: Cognitive and

Daily Dialogue — January 9, 2014

Dr. Evil: Gentlemen, I have a plan. It’s called blackmail. The Royal Family of Britain are the wealthiest landowners in the world. Either the Royal Family pays us an exorbitant amount of money, or we make it seen that Prince Charles has had an affair outside of marriage and

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

Yes, it’s time once again for The Official 2014 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest! Or as we refer to it around the Myers household TO2014GSSSPC [much easier to remember, don’t you think]. Put on your prognostication glasses and take a guess at how many spec scripts sales

Interview (Part 2): Writer-Director Tze Chun (“Cold Comes the Night”)

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. It opens in

The Theology of Screenwriting: Temptation

This week I continue to explore theological themes in relation to screenwriting, considering them metaphorically because in my view, we see these themes in movies all the time. By understanding them, we can use these theological themes to enhance the meaning and depth of our stories. For background on the

Movie Trailer: “Jimmy P”

Writer: Arnaud Desplechin, Co-Writers: Kent Jones, Julie Peyr IMDB Comment Archive

Matthew Hickman: Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Winner [Part 3]

Less than a month ago, there was this announcement: The Black List and Cassian Elwes have announced the winner of their first Independent Screenwriting Fellowship. Unrepresented screenwriter Matthew Hickman will attend the upcoming Sundance Film Festival with the producer behind 2013 awards contenders Lee Daniels’ The Butler, All Is Lost,

Script To Screen: “Wall-E”

One of the loveliest scenes from the 2008 movie Wall-E, screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, original story by Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter. Plot Summary: In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of

Daily Dialogue — January 8, 2014

Rick: Louie, have your men go with Mr. Laszlo and take care of his luggage. Renault: Certainly, Rick, anything you say. (to one of his men) Find Mr. Laszlo’s luggage and put it on the plane. Man: Yes, sir.  Rick: (to Renault) If you don’t mind, you fill

Break your story in prep

A message from my friend and colleague Tom Benedek: Happy New Year, Writers! My new year’s resolution: Pay attention to the emotional components of film genres. Look at what I’m writing in terms of its originality, quality of character and story AND how it fits into its own

Update: 85 free, legal movie script PDF downloads

Last week, we had this announcement: Faithful readers know we have been tracking the various FYC (For Your Consideration) websites to access as many of the 2013 movie scripts as studios and production companies make them available. The total at last count was 38 as this post demonstrates. Over the

Interview (Part 1): Writer-Director Tze Chun (“Cold Comes the Night”)

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. It opens in

The Theology of Screenwriting: Purgatory

This week I continue to explore theological themes in relation to screenwriting, considering them metaphorically because in my view, we see these themes in movies all the time. By understanding them, we can use these theological themes to enhance the meaning and depth of our stories. For background on the

Movie Trailer: “Veronica Mars”

Writers: Diane Ruggiero, Rob Thomas Veronica Mars returns home — just in time for her high school reunion — in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. IMDB Release Date: 14 March 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

Matthew Hickman: Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Winner [Part 2]

Less than a month ago, there was this announcement: The Black List and Cassian Elwes have announced the winner of their first Independent Screenwriting Fellowship. Unrepresented screenwriter Matthew Hickman will attend the upcoming Sundance Film Festival with the producer behind 2013 awards contenders Lee Daniels’ The Butler, All Is Lost,

Screenwriting 101: John D. Brancato

“I’ve read screenplays, plenty of them, where the writer obviously hates what he’s doing, and thinks it’s bullshit. That kind of cynicism is pernicious. It hurts the project. It hurts movies in general. So I try not to be cynical about the thing itself — about the screenplay,

Daily Dialogue — January 7, 2014

INT. STATE DEPARTMENT — SEVENTH FLOOR OFFICE — ANGLE — DAY A concept drawing from Argo. TURNER (O.S.): Aliens and robots. MENDEZ (O.S.): Yes, sir. ANOTHER ANGLE The four men are gathered in the back of Vance’s office, around a table. Over them we see the STATE DEPARTMENT EMBLEM. TURNER

The Official 2014 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest!

Yes, it’s time once again for The Official 2014 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest! Or as we refer to it around the Myers household TO2014GSSSPC [much easier to remember, don’t you think]. Put on your prognostication glasses and take a guess at how many spec scripts sales

WTF with all these screenwriting “rules”?

It seems like every few months, some furor breaks out online about some supposed screenwriting “rule”. Yesterday it happened again, this time about the frequently cited commandment: Thou shalt not use “we see” in scene description. Here are a few choice tweets from that particular Twit-Storm from the perspective

The Theology of Screenwriting: Chosen

The archetype of the Chosen One is common to movies, echoing the Messianic presence in Judeo-Christianity. As some of you may know, I have a background in the academic study of theology, a B.A. in religious studies from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Divinity degree

Movie Trailer: “Lone Survivor”

Screenplay by Peter Berg, book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson Based on the failed June 28, 2005 mission “Operation Red Wings”. Four members of SEAL Team 10 were tasked with the mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shahd. IMDB Release Date: 10 January 2014 (USA)  Comment

Matthew Hickman: Independent Screenwriting Fellowship Winner [Part 1]

Less than a month ago, there was this announcement: The Black List and Cassian Elwes have announced the winner of their first Independent Screenwriting Fellowship. Unrepresented screenwriter Matthew Hickman will attend the upcoming Sundance Film Festival with the producer behind 2013 awards contenders Lee Daniels’ The Butler, All Is Lost,

On Writing

“It is just pebble by pebble by pebble by pebble. I write one sentence until I am happy with it until I go on to the next one and write that one until I am happy with it. And I look at my paragraph and if I am not happy

Daily Dialogue — January 6, 2014

INT. REHEARSAL HALL — DAY Barris sits with a several network executive and some other staff members watching a fat man tap dance badly and, because of his weight, extremely loudly. It’s painful for everybody to watch. The fat man finishes. BARRIS: Thank you. Thanks. That was great. The fat