Scott Myers

Baby Boomers and the Box Office

For years, I’ve been beating the same drum over and over: Studios should be making movies that target Baby Boomers and Seniors. You can go here and here to see just a couple of posts I’ve done on this very subject with this summation: I’ve been saying

“Snacks!”

So it’s like maybe 15 years ago and I’m reading an interview with noted playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon. And in this interview, Simon confesses that one way he forces himself to write is the judicious use of snacks. That’s right. Snacks. I don’t have the

Movie Trailer: “X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Screenplay by Simon Kinberg, story by Simon Kinberg and Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods. IMDB Release Date: 23 May 2014 (USA) Comment Archive

“A spec script will not sell unless it has a strong story concept”

If you write a spec script based upon the first story idea that comes into your mind, that script likely won’t sell. Why? Because almost assuredly, it is not a strong story concept. It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of a story idea to the eventual success of

Screenwriting 101: Declan O’Dwyer

“It was never really about where it was going to end up. It was really about the journey itself. It’s inevitable in a genre piece. Cinematic language tells us there’s going to be showdown at high-noon. Not always the case, but it’s a fair assumption. So

Daily Dialogue — November 5, 2013

Bill: Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. You know, Kiddo, I’d like to believe that you’re aware enough even now to know that there’s nothing sadistic in my actions. Well,

Update: Award season screenplay download

It’s that time of year again when studios make available PDFs of movie scripts for award season. As in years past, I’ll be tracking them and posting links as they become available. It’s still early in the process, but Universal has already made these three scripts available:

Break your story in prep

In December 2010, when Tom Benedek and I were just about to launch Screenwriting Master Class, I posted this on the blog: Have you ever started a script and not finished it? Has it ever taken you 4, 5, 6 months or more to finish a script? Have you ever

Subtext

So over the weekend, I posted this Great Scene from the movie Sideways: MAYA Can I ask you a personal question?MILES (bracing himself) Sure.MAYA Why are you so into Pinot? It's like a thing with you.Miles laughs at first, then smiles wistfully at the question.

Hidden Movie Gem: “The Long Kiss Goodnight”

Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from John Casu. Movie Title: The Long Kiss Goodnight Year: 1996 Writer: Shane Black Director: Renny Harlin Starring: Geena Davis, Samuel L Jackson, Brian Cox, Yvonne Zima and Craig Bierko Plot Summary: Samantha Caine, suburban homemaker, is the ideal mom to her

“Tune in. Drop out.”

Oh, yes. The evil temptress known as the Internet! Sure, you should buckle down and get started on that scene. The one you’ve been struggling with now for a couple of days. You know the only solution is likely just slogging your way through it time after time until

Movie Trailer: “Only Lovers Left Alive”

Written by Jim Jarmusch A story centered on two vampires who have been in love for centuries. IMDB Release Date: 19 December 2013 (Germany)

“Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages.”

Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You can learn pretty much everything you need to know about screenwriting by doing these three things: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. I coined this triptych nearly four years ago and it seems to have caught on. Here’s why: Why watch movies?

On Writing

“There are only 2 or 3 human stories & they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.” — Willa Cather HT to @TedHope

Daily Dialogue — November 4, 2013

John Doe: She begged for her life… Somerset: Shut up! John Doe: She begged for her life and… Somerset: Shut up! John Doe: She begged for her life and the life of the baby inside her. Somerset punches him. Mills looks on in disbelief. John Doe: Oh… he didn’t

Go Into The Story Week In Review: October 28-November 3, 2013

Links to the week’s most notable posts: 30 Things About Screenwriting: (1) There’s no right way to write 30 Things About Screenwriting: (2) Screenplays are stories, not formulas 30 Things About Screenwriting: (3) Learn the craft A different approach to “theme” Austin Film Festival: Unreliable Narrator Panel with

“Learn the craft”

Being a screenwriter is much more than just writing a script. Here’s one big problem with most of the screenwriting approaches I see floating around: Their focus is almost exclusively on writing a screenplay. Obviously this is important. You must be able to translate your talent, voice, and vision

Hidden Movie Gem: “Me, You and Everyone We Know”

Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from Sabina Giado. Movie Title: Me, You and Everyone We Know Year: 2005 Writers: Miranda July Lead Actors: Miranda July and John Hawkes Director: Miranda July Plot Summary: A group of people struggle to connect — in all senses of the word. Why

Studying Aristotle’s “Poetics” — Part 12: Prologue, Episode, Exode and Chorus

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 (October 28-November 3, 2013)

Dan Algrant writing and directing “Little Rootie Tootie” for River Bend Pictures with Christopher Walken and Lenny Kravitz to star. Alejandro Amenábar writing suspense thriller “Regression” for FilmNation Entertainment. Travis Baker and Richard Tanne writing historical drama “The Roman” for Closest to the Hole Productions. Frank Baldwin writing true life

Daily Dialogue — November 3, 2013

Casper: I told you I was a good dancer. Can I keep you? Kat: Casper? — Casper (1995), written by Sherri Stoner & Deanna Oliver, characters by Joseph Oriolo The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is Halloween, suggested by Bretton Zinger. Trivia: The first feature film with a computer-animated

“Screenplays are stories, not formulas”

William Goldman has famously written, “Screenplays are structure.” That is true in a tangible sense because at some point, a script becomes a blueprint for the production of a movie. And in a very real way, everything hangs on the structure of the narrative — how one scene flows to the

Hidden Movie Gem: “The Last King of Scotland”

Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from Liz Warner. Movie Title: The Last King of Scotland Year: 2006 Writers: Peter Morgan (screenplay), Jeremy Brock (screenplay), based on the novel by Giles Foden Lead Actors: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson Director: Kevin Macdonald Plot Summary: Inspired by true

Great Scene: “Sideways”

If one of my students can’t quite grasp the concept of “subtext,” often I’ll have them read this scene in the movie Sideways. Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (based on the novel by Rex Pickett), it’s a great script for many reasons, not the least

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 110th installment of Saturday Hot Links! Today: The All Hail Lou Reed Edition. Lou Reed: “Sweet Jane” (1974) 2014 TV premiere dates: The complete guide. What dogs are saying when they wag their tails. Movies to watch this winter: A guide to 2013’s best late releases.