Writing Goals: 2014 [Part 3] — Where Do You Want To Go As A Writer? In Part 1, we looked back at the Past, what we had accomplished as writers in 2012. In Part 2, we considered the Present, assessing where we are now. Today we direct our self-reflection toward the Future. Not 2014, but beyond. Five years from now. Ten years. Twenty. We
Lists! The Black List has spawned quite a few other lists. Here are three others for 2013: The Blood List [Horror] The Brit List [U.K.] The Hit List [Spec Scripts] If there any other lists for this year promoting screenwriters and screenplays, please post that info in comments. Comment Archive
“No one wants to read polite” “You can teach almost anyone determined to learn them the basics required to write sentences and paragraphs that say what you want them to say clearly and concisely. It’s far more difficult to get people to think like a writer, to give up conventional habits of mind and emotion.
Movie Trailer: “Tokarev” Written by Jim Agnew, Sean Keller When the Russian mob kidnaps the daughter of a reformed criminal, he rounds up his old crew and seeks his own brand of justice. IMDB Comment Archive
Classic 80s Movie: “Rainman” Today’s Classic 80s Movie guest post comes from Lois Bernard. Movie Title: Rainman Year: 1988 Writers: Ronald Bass, Barry Morrow (story and screenplay credit) Lead actors: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise Director: Barry Levinson Plot Summary: Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), a Los Angeles car dealer in his mid-twenties, is
Script To Screen: “The Iron Giant” A dramatic scene from the wonderful 1999 animated movie The Iron Giant, screenplay by Tim McCanlies, screen story by Brad Bird, book by Ted Hughes. Plot Summary: A boy makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy. EXT. CLIFF - DAYHogarth and the
Daily Dialogue — December 18, 2013 Mike and Sulley step down into the basement. One candle is lit in the middle of the room. A ROBED MONSTER (Don) suddenly steps from the shadows. DON: Do you pledge your souls to the Oozma Kappa brotherhood?! A robed Terri and Terry step out from the shadows. Terry whacks
Update: 2013 Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge! It’s Day 2 of the 2013 Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge! Here is a word cloud based on the loglines for the 2013 Black List scripts, all 72 of them: [You can see the entire 2013 Black List including loglines for the 72 scripts here.] Your mission for
Spec Script Sale: Untitled Uziel & Krasinski Project Warner Bros. acquires untitled action adventure spec script written by Oren Uziel and John Krasinski. From Deadline: Krasinski and his Sunday Night banner will team with Pearl Street partners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to produce under their Warner-based company. Uziel, best known for scripting the genre mash-up
Questions for screenwriters roundtable This Friday, I will be conducting a third annual roundtable with 6 top young Hollywood screenwriters: Chris Borrelli, F. Scott Frazier, Chris McCoy, Justin Rhodes, Greg Russo, and John Swetnam. Between them, they have sold over a dozen spec scripts, have multiple Black List scripts, and are involved with numerous
Analysis: 2013 Black List A deep dive into the scripts named to this year’s annual Black List. The 2013 Black List rolled out yesterday — you can find titles, writers and loglines for all 72 scripts here — and as promised, today we have some statistics and analysis for you. First some interesting stats about
Writing Goals: 2014 [Part 2] — Assessing Where You Are This series of daily posts, starting yesterday and going through next Friday (M-F), is an experiment. This is not about resolutions which we make on December 31 and break by January 30… or sooner. This is not about wish lists and ephemeral fantasies. This is about each of us
“There is only one story: nothing is as it seems” This is one of my favorite quotes about writing, one that comes from author Jim Thompson. It speaks to multiple facets of a story: * What character’s want and what character’s need. * Initial goals that belie actual goals. * Characters who don different ‘masks’ from scene to scene, relationship to
Movie Trailer: “White Bird in a Blizzard” Screenplay by Gregg Araki, novel by Laura Kasischke A young woman’s life is thrown into chaos when her mother disappears. IMDB Release Date: 20 January 2014 (USA) Comment Archive
Classic 80s Movie: “Tender Mercies” Today’s Classic 80s Movie guest post comes from Paul Graunke. Movie Title: Tender Mercies Year: 1983 (Oscar nominated for best picture of the year) Writer: Horton Foote (for which he won an Oscar) Lead Actors: Robert Duvall (won an Oscar for best actor), Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley,
Screenwriting 101: Seth Lochhead On the lead character in the movie Hanna being a girl: “It’s what was in my head. It’s what felt right. The more I thought about it, the more people were opposed to it (managers, producers, etc.), the more I became aware that it irritated a cultural prejudice.
Daily Dialogue — December 17, 2013 Cineplex Manager: What the hell is wrong with you? Enid: What? I was just joking around with the customers. It’s my schtick. Cineplex Manager: Well, lose it! And why aren’t you pushing the larger sizes? Didn’t you get training about upsizing? Enid: Yeah. But I feel really
2013 Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge! We did this last year and had a helluva lot of fun, so following in footsteps of Hollywood’s studios, it’s sequel time! Yes, it’s the 2013 Black List Word Cloud Logline Challenge! Here is a word cloud based on the loglines for the 2013 Black List scripts,
Black List 2013: Final This morning, the 2013 Black List was released to the public: After tweeting the list in random order from @theblcklst beginning at 10 AM PST this morning, the Black List has unveiled the 2013 list of Hollywood’smost liked unproduced screenplays in its entirety at its website, http://www.blcklst.
Writing Goals: 2014 [Part 1] — Looking Back I thought I would reprise something I did this time last year at GITS with the hope it would benefit as many of you as possible in taking concrete steps forward next year with your writing aspirations. It’s a very simple thing, really — setting goals — but for many, if
“You’re always becoming a writer” Author Edward P. Jones offers this insight: “You’re always becoming a writer.” I’ve been reminded of this recently with a spate of emails I’ve received from people who have participated in the Go On Your Own Quest initiative. A number of them are first-time writers, so
Black List 2013 — Updated List I will be continuously updating this year’s Black List writers as their names and scripts are released via Twitter [#BlackList2013]. UPDATE #1 LINE OF DUTY — Cory Miller A BOY AND HIS TIGER — Dan Dollar INQUEST — Josh Simon SWEETHEART — Jack Stanley THE COMPANY MAN — Andrew Cypiot BURN SITE — Doug Simon
Classic 80s Movie: “Scrooged” Today’s Classic 80s Movie guest post comes from Barbara Thomas. Movie Title: Scrooged Year: 1988 Writers: Mitch Glazer, Michael O’ Donoghhue (suggested by the novel by Charles Dickens) Lead Actors: Bill Murray, Karen Allen Director: Richard Donner Plot Summary: A cynically selfish TV executive gets haunted by three spirits
On Writing: Neil Gaiman “When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician — make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor — make good art. IRS on your trail — make good art. Cat exploded — make good art.
Daily Dialogue — December 16, 2013 ANNIE: Hi. ALVY: Hi. Oh, hi. Hi. ANNIE: Well, bye. ALVY: You-you play … very well. ANNIE: Oh, yeah? So do you. Oh, God, whatta- whatta dumb thing to say, right? I mean, you say it, “You play well,” and right away … I have to say well. Oh, oh … God,
