Interview: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

My in-depth conversation with 5 time Black List writing duo.

This week, I am digging into the Go Into The Story archives to spotlight interviews I’ve conducted with some of the most talented screenwriters in the business.

Today a March 2013 interview and follow-up June 2014 Q&A with Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Scripts they have written have made the Black List an incredible 5 times and their movie credits include (500) Days of Summer, The Spectacular Now, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Disaster Artist which recently debuted at the SXSW Festival to rave reviews.

Here are links to the six installments of the entire March 2013 interview:

Part 1: “The false assumption I was under — that I think a lot of aspiring writers are under — is that most scripts in Hollywood are extremely good. Nothing like a few years reading unsolicited material to debunk that idea.”

Part 2: “When the guy doesn’t tell the girl how he feels, it’s because he’s scared. It’s a tool Scott and I have all the time, that probably more than any other tool in our toolbox, is we take a step back, and we ask the question, ‘What would really happen?’”

Part 3: “Again it goes back to the first time Scott and I met and liking the same movies. It wasn’t just great romantic comedies but I loved the work of John Hughes and they’re the movies I grew up on. They felt real to me.”

Part 4: “Happy endings aren’t real. Even the happiest ending is only happy because the story stopped there. But hopeful endings are a beautiful thing. That’s what I always aspire to.”

Part 5: “I would say — despite always having a proper outline before starting to write — I almost always find snags along the way that require us to step back and re-think things. Definitely don’t expect the writing to be surprise-free just because you think you have the road map perfected before you start.”

Part 6: “Just write every day, and then write some more. I try to even be competitive about it. What I mean is, I know that when I’m not writing, someone else is.”

Interview: The Fault in Our Stars.

Scott and Michael are repped by CAA and Kaplan/Perrone.

Twitter: Scott (@iamthepuma), Michael (@thisisweber).

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