Scott Myers

Great Character: Frank (“Donnie Darko”)

With Halloween approaching, our theme this month is Supernatural Characters. Today in his regular weekly guest post, Jason Cuthbert looks at Frank in the 2001 movie Donnie Darko, written by Richard Kelly. Time Travel. Alternate Universes. Futuristic Premonitions. All of these science fiction staples pin down the already emotionally stifled16-

Daily Dialogue — October 4, 2013

John L. Sullivan: I want this picture to be a commentary on modern conditions. Stark realism. The problems that confront the average man! LeBrand: But with a little sex in it. John L. Sullivan: A little, but I don’t want to stress it. I want this picture to be

Spec Script Sale: “The Unsacred”

Screen Gems acquires thriller spec script “The Unsacred” written by Amanda Gusack. Via Deadline: The label is keeping the logline under wraps, but I’m told it’s The Possession meets The Haunting In Connecticut. Gusack is repped by Paradigm By my count, this is the 67th spec script sale

Declare Your Independents: Volume 12

GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome to another edition of Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film. This week… Shakeup at Focus Features: James Schamus Out; Peter Schlessel In, FilmDistrict to be Absorbed by Focus How This Year’s

Dispatch From The Quest: Sandy Leviton

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Audio Q&A: “C.O.G.”

An 18-minute audio recording of a recent post-screening Q&A with Kyle Patrick Alvarez, writer-director of the movie C.O.G.: [soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/scott-myers-15/q-a-c-o-g[/soundcloud] C.O.G. Date: 9/21/2013  Location: Sundance Sunset Cinema  With:

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 12: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest has entered Week 12. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Like Father Like Son”

Written by Hirokazu Koreeda Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth, he must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own. IMDB Release Date:

Hidden Movie Gem: “Ball of Fire”

Here is a Hidden Movie Gem courtesy of Traci Nell Peterson: Movie Title: Ball of Fire Year: 1941 Writers: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Thomas Monroe Lead Actors: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck Director: Howard Hawks Plot Summary: A group of ivory-tower professors commissioned to create an encyclopedia. Stuck on the

Writing and the Creative Life: There are no useless ideas

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. One of my favorite quotes regarding creativity originates from Nobel Prize winning scientist, author and educator Linus Pauling: ”The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” This is especially relevant

Daily Dialogue — October 3, 2013

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: [First lines, camera pans around Serenity in re-entry and a panel flies off the nose] What was that? Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburn: Did you see that? Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Was that the primary buffer panel? Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburn: It did seem to resemble… Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Did

Tarantino, Sorkin and Dialogue as Purpose

In my current Core V: Dialogue online class, we’ve had some really enlightening discussions including this one about two masters in this arena: Aaron Sorkin and Quentin Tarantino. Both of them are known for the occasional long dialogue-laden scene and we might be tempted to interpret these as

Dispatch From The Quest: Christian Fontenot

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Audio Q&A: “Jayne Mansfield’s Car”

A 30-minute audio recording of a recent post-screening Q&A with Tom Epperson (writer) and Katherine LaNasa (actor) from the movie Jayne Mansfield’s Car: [soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/scott-myers-15/audio-q-a-jayne-mansfields-car[/soundcloud] Jayne Mansfield’s Car Date: 9/13/2013

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 12: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest has entered Week 12. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “A Case of You”

Written by Christian Long, Justin Long and Keir O’Donnell A young writer tries to impress a girl he meets online with an embellished profile, but he finds himself in a real mess when she falls for him and he has to keep up the act. IMDB Release Date: 21

Hidden Movie Gem: “Diva”

October is Hidden Movie Gem month at Go Into The Story. Why? Because we all need to — say it together with me… WATCH MOVIES!!! I have asked members of the GITS community to write guest posts about their favorite Hidden Movie Gems and many of you have responded. Today’s

Script To Screen: “Five Easy Pieces”

The famous ‘hold the chicken’ scene from Five Easy Pieces (screenplay by Carole Eastman, story by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson) Setup: Bobby (Jack Nicholson) with some traveling companions wants to order a meal at a diner… and he knows exactly what he wants. INT. ROADSIDE CAFE - DAYAll four are

Daily Dialogue — October 2, 2013

Susan [on phone]: Don’t be irrelevant. The point is I have a leopard and the question is what am I going to do with it? David [on phone]: Well, Susan, I regret to say the leopard is your problem.  Susan: You mean you refuse to help me? But David,

Update: Word Cloud Logline Challenge — Winners Revealed!

So after all the entries here, here, here, and here, and waiting around for Max Millimeter to return from MIA status, we finally have the winners of this most recent Word Cloud Logline Challenge. Here is the Word Cloud [click on it for a larger view]: Here is Max with

Dispatch From The Quest: Miranda Sajdak

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Audio Q&A: “Blue Caprice”

A 44-minute audio recording of a recent post-screening Q&A with Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond, actors in the movie Blue Caprice: [soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/scott-myers-15/q-a-blue-caprice[/soundcloud] Blue Caprice Date: 8/11/2013 Location: The Silent Movie Theatre/Cinefamily With:

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 12: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest has entered Week 12. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Philomena”

Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, based on a book by Martin Sixsmith A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman’s search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a

Hidden Movie Gem: “The Missionary”

October is Hidden Movie Gem month at Go Into The Story. Why? Because we all need to — say it together with me… WATCH MOVIES!!! I have asked members of the GITS community to write guest posts about their favorite Hidden Movie Gems and many of you have responded. Today’s