Scott Myers

Studying Aristotle’s “Poetics” — Part 14(B): The Conditions of a Tragedy

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

Screenwriting News (November 25-December 1, 2013)

Sheldon Lettich and Boaz Yakin writing family adventure “Max” for MGM with Yakin to direct. Zak Olkewicz sells horror pitch “Elimination” to Fox Searchlight. Nocholas Stoller rewriting remake of “Uptown Saturday Night” for Warner Bros. Sara Treem adapting real life drama “Until I Say Good-bye” for Universal. Mark Tonderai

Interview (Video): Greta Gerwig (“Frances Ha”)

A DP/30 interview with Greta Gerwig, actor and co-writer (with Noah Baumbach) of the movie Frances Ha. Comment Archive

Daily Dialogue — December 1, 2013

Prison guard: Do you have any last words, Poncelet?  Matthew Poncelet: Yes, I do. [pauses] Mr. Delacroix, I don’t wanna leave this world with any hate in my heart. I ask your forgiveness for what I done. It was a terrible thing I done, taking your son away from

Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Fear

As we wrap up a week’s worth of Daily Dialogue posts featuring the theme of Forgiveness (thanks to churnage for that call), next week’s theme is another F-word: FEAR! Suggested by sutinderbola. Shower, anyone? Okay, there are literally thousands of memorable movie moments featuring fear. The challenge

Great Scene: “Sunset Blvd.”

It’s one of the most famous endings in Hollywood film history with one of the most famous last lines of dialogue as well: Sunset Blvd. (1950), co-written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder, their 17th and final collaboration, and directed by Wilder. Here is a plot summary from

THR: Producer’s Roundtable

Michael De Luca, Dede Gardner, David Heyman, Charles Roven, Mark Wahlberg, and Pam Williams talk about movies in this THR producer’s roundtable: Comment Archive

“Go into the story and find the animals”

The story behind Go Into The Story… If you’ve taken the time to click on About GITS on the home page and read The Story Behind Go Into The Story, you know that this mantra derives from a conversation I had with my then three year-old son. It

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 114th installment of Saturday Hot Links! Today: The Talks At Google Edition! Breaking down how Catching Fire became a record-breaking blockbuster. 4 sites that will change the way you think. FilmmakerIQ: The History of Hollywood Censorship [video]. A brief history of Black Friday. Guess what? Pay-

Interview (Written): Terence Winter (“Boardwalk Empire”)

An Indiewire interview with TV writer, “Boardwalk Empire” show creator and executive producer Terence Winter. Rewinding a little, because we’ve never talked to you about the show before, after “The Sopranos” [Winter was one of the head writers] the world was sort of your oyster. What drew you to

Daily Dialogue — November 30, 2013

“I have this planet of regret sitting on my shoulders. And you have no idea how much I wish that I could back to that morning after we made love and do everything different. But I know that I can’t, so I thought that I would come here and

December: Classic 80s Movie Month (Update)

I posted this several days ago: We had such a successful run with the guest posts for Hidden Movie Gems, it occurred to me why not give it a go again with something I have been wanting to do for awhile: Classic 80s Movies. Two things. First, if we look

“Holiday Box Office: The Battle for the Over-35s”

Take a good, long look at the headline posted above: “Holiday Box Office: The Battle for the Over-35s.” When I started this blog back in 2008, conventional wisdom was that adult dramas were dead. Adult audiences? Studios persistently gave them the cold shoulder in Hollywood’s obsessive pursuit of

“Movies are short for moving pictures”

“Movies are short for moving pictures. I try to tell the story with character behavior and action. If I wanted to dramatize a story through dialogue, I would write a play.” An observation from screenwriter Angelo Pizzo. The fact is movies are primarily a visual medium. As we knock out

Movie Trailer: “Sabotage”

Written by David Ayer, Skip Woods Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house. IMDB Release Date: 11 April 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

“The only way out is through”

Imagine the process of writing a story as being a journey. Perhaps as you embark on your adventure, you have a map — an outline or beat sheet. Or maybe you don’t, plunging into your story in order to find it along the way. In either case, it’s almost

Great Character: Holly (“Hannah and Her Sisters”)

In November, guest columnist Jason Cuthbert looks at five significant female characters in Woody Allen movies. Today: Holly from the 1986 movie Hannah and Her Sister, written and directed by Woody Allen. When it comes to the repertory troupe of actresses that Woody Allen has repeatedly directed and written deeply

Daily Dialogue — November 29, 2013

“Forrest, I never thanked you for saving my life.” — Forrest Gump (1994), screenplay by Eric Roth, novel by Winston Groom The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is forgiveness, suggested by churnage. Trivia: Inspired by Lieutenant Dan Taylor, the military veteran character he played in this movie, actor Gary Sinise

Writers, what are you thankful for?

What are you thankful for? What about writing — the process, experience, practice, lifestyle — gives you joy? I know this: I’m thankful I had this crazy idea to do a blog. Met so many wonderful people over the last 5+ years. Learned so much. How about you: What are your

Comprehensive Guide to Thanksgiving Movies

Had a conversation with a couple of writers the other day and the subject of Thanksgiving movies came up. Here are the movies that sprang to mind for me: Alice’s Restaurant Hannah and Her Sister The Ice Storm Pieces of April Planes, Trains and Automobiles What movies with a

Evan Rachel Wood speaks out against MPAA hypocrisy

Per THR: The phantasmagorical noir Charlie Countryman hit theaters earlier this month, but after finally catching up with the finished version of the film, star Evan Rachel Wood walked away none too pleased. Music video director Fredrik Bond’s first feature — which follows Shia LaBeouf as the title character who

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 lookalike and his dastardly sidekick. IMDB Release Date: 21 March 2014 (USA)  Comment Archive

“The spirit of the spec”

The creative empowerment of writing a spec script. You get an idea. You act on your idea. You write your story. You put it out there. And if it doesn’t sell… This is what I call the spirit of the spec. For the rest of the 30 Things About

Daily Dialogue — November 28, 2013

“I order you to forgive yourself.” — Les Misérables (1998), screenplay by Rafael Yglesias, novel by Victor Hugo The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is forgiveness, suggested by churnage. Trivia: The town in which Jean Valjean becomes mayor is never named in the book. In the movie the town is

Why is the Orphan archetype so resonant in stories?

Huckleberry Finn. Tarzan. Little Orphan Annie. Harry Potter. Superman. Babe. Billy Elliot. Good Will Hunting. And perhaps the most famous of them all: Why is the Orphan archetype so resonant in literature, TV and movies? I have lots of theories, but I’m interested to hear your thoughts first. While