Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Less is more As we wrap up a week’s worth of overcome with emotion movie moments [thanks for that, Sabina]. it’s time for next week’s theme: Less is more, suggested by hobbs001. In terms of screenwriting, this idea is nowhere more relevant than with dialogue. If you read a script
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
Interview: Will Simmons — Part 6 Will Simmons made a splash when he wrote the 2012 Black List script “Murder City” which was subsequently acquired by Aldamisa Entertainment. He also has two other projects in the works: “Romeo,” a modern day re-imagining of Shakespeare’s play, and “Defenders,” a science fiction thriller pitch bought by
Woody Allen: “What I’ve Learned” Excerpts from a recent Esquire feature on Woody Allen: What people who don’t write don’t understand is that they think you make up the line consciously — but you don’t. It proceeds from your unconscious. So it’s the same surprise to you when it emerges as it
Great Scene: “Night Shift” One of the classic 80’s comedies is Night Shift (1982), written by the prolific screenwriting team Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, and directed by Ron Howard. And if asked if you remember one scene from that movie, it’s most likely this one: The “prostitution” scene, where Bill Blazejowski
Saturday Hot Links Time for another installment of Saturday Hot Links! Today: The Watch Several Ingmar Bergman Movies Online For Free Edition! NOTE: For all the Bergman films, you can click on the transcript symbol and read the English translation. How Ben Affleck was cast as Batman. Twitter lashes out at Ben Affleck
Written Interview: Destin Daniel Cretton (“Short Term 12”) Good /film interview by Germain Lussier with Short Term 12 writer-direct Destin Daniel Cretton: One of the things I loved about the movie is the way that you can effortlessly go between tones. Like you said “laughing one minute, silent the next, crying the next. Scared.” How do you
Daily Dialogue — August 24, 2013 “God… God… Dear Father in Heaven. I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of the rope. Show me the way, God.” — It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), screenplay by Frances Goodrich,
“Feet on the ground… head in the clouds” I’m sure we’ve all seen the saying, “Keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.” If you Google the phrase, you find all sorts of “growth experts” and “motivational speakers” riffing off this old adage, encouraging us to seek a balance with our ambitions
Dispatch From The Quest: Paul Wie 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
Interview: Will Simmons — Part 5 Will Simmons made a splash when he wrote the 2012 Black List script “Murder City” which was subsequently acquired by Aldamisa Entertainment. He also has two other projects in the works: “Romeo,” a modern day re-imagining of Shakespeare’s play, and “Defenders,” a science fiction thriller pitch bought by
Go On Your Own Quest — Week 6: Scene The 2013 version of The Quest is into Week 6. 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: “Lone Survivor” Written by Peter Berg Based on the failed June 28, 2005 mission “Operation Redwing.” Four members of SEAL Team 10 were tasked with the mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shahd. Marcus Luttrell was the only member of his team to survive. IMDB Release Date: 10 January
Scene Description Spotlight: “Lethal Weapon” There have been many forces of nature impacting screenplay style over the years, but there are only a very few actual screenwriters to whom we can point as having a singular influence on the narrative form. Shane Black is one of them. Back in the late 80s and early 90s
Great Character: Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee (“Crocodile Dundee”) This month’s theme: Fish Out Of Water. Today: Michael J. “Crocodile” Dundee from the 1986 comedy Crocodile Dundee, screenplay by John Cornell, Paul Hogan, and Ken Shadie, story by Paul Hogan. How did Australian actor Paul Hogan not become the next 1980s The Expendables-worthy action guy after Crocodile
Daily Dialogue — August 23, 2013 Forrest: You’re a mama, Jenny. Jenny: I’m a mama. His name’s Forrest. Forrest: Like me. Jenny: I named him after his daddy. Forrest: He got a daddy named Forrest, too? Jenny: You’re his daddy, Forrest. The realization hist Forrest who backs away. Jenny: Hey. Forrest look
Declare Your Independents: Volume 6 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… “Blue Jasmine” to Go Wider — and Outgross — Any Woody Allen Film Edgar Wright Talks “The World’s End,” Completing The
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
Interview: Will Simmons — Part 4 Will Simmons made a splash when he wrote the 2012 Black List script “Murder City” which was subsequently acquired by Aldamisa Entertainment. He also has two other projects in the works: “Romeo,” a modern day re-imagining of Shakespeare’s play, and “Defenders,” a science fiction thriller pitch bought by
Go On Your Own Quest — Week 6: Scene The 2013 version of The Quest is into Week 6. 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: “All Is Lost” http://movies.yahoo.com/video/lost-trailer-1-165144026.html?format=embed&player_autoplay=false Written J.C. Chandor After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face. IMDB Release Date: 18
Scene Description Spotlight: “Raging Bull” Sports movie are tough to write for many reasons. Here’s one of them: How to describe athletic action without being too specific and ‘stagey’ or too generic and inauthentic. A screenplay that does a great job on this front is Raging Bull (1980). Adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik
The Business of Screenwriting: Movie stars I am staring at a cardboard standup display of an iconic movie character from an Academy Award winning movie, one of the most famous cinematic figures in the last three decades. The cutout figure is positioned just a few feet away from a desk. And behind the desk is the
Daily Dialogue — August 22, 2013 AURORA: Excuse me. It’s after ten. Give my daughter the pain shot. NURSE 1: Mrs Greenway, I was going to. AURORA: Good. Go ahead. NURSE 1: Just a few minutes. AURORA: Please. It’s after ten. I don’t see why she has to have this pain? NURSE 2:
Screenwriting Tip: Pressurize the scene It’s one of the first rules of comedy and it pertains across all genres: You can make a scene more interesting by putting pressure on the characters. The pressure can be subtle and specific to a scene such as in the movie Psycho where Marion, who has stolen $40,
