Screenwriting News (January 14-January 20, 2013) Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa writing the remake of horror movie “The Town That Dreaded Sunshine” for MGM. Orlando Casolaro writing “Danny Casolaro Died For You” to Caliber Media which optioned Casolaro’s stage play of the same name. Keith Clarke sells drama-adventure spec script “Ben-Hur” to MGM. James DiLapo
Video Interview: John Lasseter and Caroline Thompson From the Austin Film Festival, twenty terrific minutes with Pixar honcho John Lasseter and screenwriter Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Nightmare Before Christmas): http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf Notice how both focus on the emotional center of stories. HT to Shaula Evans
Daily Dialogue — January 20, 2013 — Citizen Kane (1941), original screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is overreacting, suggested by @davidproenza. Trivia: In the 1970s, film critic Pauline Kael wrote an essay called “Raising Kane”. In it, she credited co-screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz for writing the
Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Answering children’s questions As we wrap up a week’s worth of Daily Dialoguse overreacting style [thanks for that one, @davidproenza), we take up a new topic: Answering children’s questions, suggested by @BillieJeanVK. Can you name the movie? The slew of consecutive questions? We’ll definitely have to include the scene in
Interview: Allan Durand (2012 Nicholl Winner) — Part 6 Allan Durand’s original screenplay “Willie Francis Must Die Again” is an amazing real-life story and a script that won Allan a 2012 Nicholl fellowship. However the story behind the story is also quite remarkable, one I’m happy to share with you through this interview. I will be
Update: Woodcut prints inspired by favorite films Last July, I posted this: There are many reasons I love doing what I do, including this blog. Here is one: I get to meet such cool, creative people. An email from artist Loren Kantor: Scott, I’m a woodcut artist living in Los Angeles. I’ve carved a number
Great Scene: “The Dark Knight” Some scenes just surprise the crap out of you. And then later, when you think back on it, you realize how well conceived it was from a story point of view, how perfect it was. In the movie The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), a paragon of virtue, loses
Saturday Hot Links Time again for Saturday Hot Links! Today: The Beatles Live edition! Follow the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at #Sundance Daily. Variety: Guide to 2013 Sundance Film Festival movie buyers. LAT: Sundance darlings eye alternative distribution platforms. The complete buyers guide for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival from Indiwire. Indiewire: 20
Written Interview: Will Beall An interview with novelist-screenwriter Will Beall (Gangster Squad) at WGA.org with Dylan Callaghan: There’s no “normal” when it comes to screenwriters’ personal histories, but Will Beall’s, the first-time scribe behind the new film Gangster Squad, is definitely different. From the mid-‘90s, he spent nearly
Daily Dialogue — January 19, 2013 Celine: Men go out with me, we break up and then they get married. And later they call me to thank me for teaching them what love is. That I tought them to care and respect women. Jesse: I think I’m one of those guys. Celine: I wanna kill
The Official 2013 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest! Yes, it’s time once again for The Official 2013 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest! Or as we refer to it around the Myers household TO2013GSSSPC [much easier to remember, don’t you think]. Put on your prognostication glasses and take a guess at how many spec scripts sales
Interview: Allan Durand (2012 Nicholl Winner) — Part 5 Allan Durand’s original screenplay “Willie Francis Must Die Again” is an amazing real-life story and a script that won Allan a 2012 Nicholl fellowship. However the story behind the story is also quite remarkable, one I’m happy to share with you through this interview. I will be
The writer’s life I received this from my longtime friend and former musical partner Pat Flynn and as he noted, it pertains to musicians, writers and anyone whose life is about creative endeavors: “Singers and Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with
Movie Trailer: “I Used to Be Darker” A pregnant Northern Irish runaway shacks up with American relatives, who are in the beginnings of a potential divorce. Written by Amy Belk, Matthew Porterfield
Rewriting Your Script, Part 10: Final Edit Since dozens of writers used Go On Your Own Quest to pound out a first draft of their original screenplay, I decided to start off the New Year with a week-long series on rewriting, to honor their commitment and effort, and to encourage them [and everyone else] on their
Great Character: Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (“The French Connection”) This month’s Great Character theme: Cops. Today: Jason Cuthbert’s guest post features Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle from the 1971 movie The French Connection, screenplay by Ernest Tidyman, based on the book by Robin Moore. The year of 1971 was a huge calendar for screenwriter Ernest Tidyman. This New York
Daily Dialogue — January 18, 2013 Car Rental Agent: [cheerfully] Welcome to Marathon, may I help you? Neal: Yes. Car Rental Agent: How may I help you? Neal: You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosey, fucking, cheeks! And you can give me a fucking automobile: a fucking Datsun, a fucking
“Sundance 2012 at the Box Office: Charting Last Year’s Acquisitions” The Sundance Film Festival begins today and Indiewire has a helpful article tracking the B.O. performance of the 30 of the 40+ films that were picked up from last year’s festival. Last year’s Sundance Film Festival — like the year before it — saw a remarkable amount of deals
Interview: Allan Durand (2012 Nicholl Winner) — Part 4 Allan Durand’s original screenplay “Willie Francis Must Die Again” is an amazing real-life story and a script that won Allan a 2012 Nicholl fellowship. However the story behind the story is also quite remarkable, one I’m happy to share with you through this interview. I will be
“Transmedia Synergies — Remediating Films and Video Games” [video] Here’s a nice bit of synchronicity. I post this the other day: From books to plays to theme park rides, Hollywood has a long history of transforming successful intellectual properties into box-office hits. But when it comes to video games, the track record is surprisingly dismal. Despite sales
Movie Trailer: “The Call” In order to save a young girl’s life, an emergency operator must confront a killer from her past. Screenplay by Richard D’Ovidio, story by Jon Bokenkamp, Nicole D’Ovidio, Richard D’Ovidio IMDB site Release Date: 15 March 2013 (USA) Comment Archive
Rewriting Your Script, Part 9: Polish Since dozens of writers used Go On Your Own Quest to pound out a first draft of their original screenplay, I decided to start off the New Year with a week-long series on rewriting, to honor their commitment and effort, and to encourage them [and everyone else] on their
The Business of Screenwriting: Living and writing in L.A. Let me say up front, there are enormous advantages for a screenwriter to live in or near Los Angeles. Here are a few key ones: * You are where the action is. There’s no better way to keep track of the ebb and flow, ins and outs of the movie
Daily Dialogue — January 17, 2013 Buddy: What I am concerned with is detail. I asked you go get me a packet of Sweet-N-Low. You bring me back Equal. That isn’t what I asked for. That isn’t what I wanted. That isn’t what I needed and that shit isn’t going
Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling I am excited to reprise this 1-week Screenwriting Master Class course as it has given me the opportunity to dig into the films and creative culture of Pixar. As anyone who has visited this blog for even a few months knows, I am fascinated by Pixar. 13 movies, 13
