Spec Script Sale: “Run All Night” Warner Bros. acquires action spec script “Run All Night” from writer Brad Ingelsby. Per Deadline: The scribe focuses on how, in a single night, an aging mob hitman is forced to take on his former boss. The guy has to protect his son and family, and winds up on the
First 5 minutes: “Haywire” Warning: It’s violent. Written by Lem Dobbs Release date: January 20, 2012 Comment Archive
Do you have a question about screenwriting? If you have a question about screenwriting, the first thing you can do is go here, links to over 200 questions posed by GITS readers that I’ve answered over the years. If you don’t find an answer there, then by all means feel free to post your question
Joseph Campbell: “Every myth is psychologically symbolic” I want to follow up on this post from yesterday in which I started attempting to reclaim the ideas of Joseph Campbell from what seems to be some pretty severe strictures writers are putting onto them, especially in how they are viewing and using The Hero’s Journey. For when
New screenwriting resource: Schmucks With Underwoods Longtime GITS follower and friend Mike Scherer, who moderated The GITS Club through thick and thin, has started a new screenwriting forum: Schmucks With Underwoods. You can access it here. This is strictly about screenwriting and for screenwriters. Here’s a lineup from Mike about the boards: 1. The Art
The Katzenberg Memo [Part 2] In January 1991, Jeffrey Katzenberg, then the head of Disney’s motion picture divisions, wrote a memo that ended up being circulated throughout Hollywood. Even though it is 21 years old, it is remarkably relevant to the current movie business. For example, the United States was in a recession as
Screenwriting 101: Jose Rivera “I did a film for Disney. It was a one-word idea they had: ‘shadows.’ I said, ‘Okay, what about shadows?’They said, ‘That’s it. That’s the idea. Shadows. Do something with it.’ So I came up with this idea about a guy whose shadow is alive. The
Daily Dialogue — January 10, 2012 Sundance: I wasn’t cheating. Macon: You can die. For that matter, you both can die. Sundance: If he invites us to stay, then we’ll go. Butch: We gotta leave anyway. Sundance: He’s got to invite us to stick around. Butch: I’m over the hill, but it
Sometimes we could use help with our writing… A schedule of due dates to compel us to pound out pages. A mentor to steer us away from errant narrative choices. Other writers to provide feedback and suggestions. A process to help with both writing and rewriting. Now’s the time to consider two upcoming Screenwriting Master class workshops:
Joseph Campbell: “What each must seek in his life never was on land or sea” I suspect most screenwriters familiar with Joseph Campbell have a connection with him based on some version of The Hero’s Journey they have picked up along the way. Or maybe they’ve seen the 6-hour TV series “The Power of Myth”, a fascinating conversation between Campbell and Bill
The Worst January Film Releases of All Time From Flavorwire: January is upon us, and we film fans know what that means: nothing good. The first month of the year is traditionally the dumping ground for Hollywood studios, the month in which they unload the films that aren’t quality enough for the Oscar-courting fall, but not
The Katzenberg Memo [Part 1] In January 1991, Jeffrey Katzenberg, then the head of Disney’s motion picture divisions, wrote a memo that ended up being circulated throughout Hollywood. Even though it is 21 years old, it is remarkably relevant to the current movie business. For example, the United States was in a recession as
Daily Dialogue — January 9, 2012 INT. THE POKER ROOM AGAIN — NIGHT A pair of hands shuffling. We pull back to reveal that they’re Gondorff’s. He passes the deck to Lonnegan to be cut and turns to pen a new whiskey bottle. Lonnegan takes the deck and in one lightning motion substitutes a new
GITS Script Reading & Analysis Okay, after a four month stretch last year in which we read and analyzed 14 movie scripts [which you can access here], it’s time to review what we did and how we can make it work better. I want to make two observations followed by two suggestions, then open
What studios want Sometimes when you dig into articles in the trades, you find helpful nuggets on the screenwriting front. While this one is no earth-shattering revelation, it does tend to confirm what we’ve been talking about here for nearly four years. From the previous article about Warner Bros. and its
Writing to budget And the budget-cutting continues. On the heels of The Lone Ranger, which Disney almost dumped, and The Dark Tower and At the Mountains of Madness,’ which Universal did dump, all due to budgetary considerations, here’s the latest: At a time when blockbuster budgets are facing extra scrutiny, Warner
Audio Interview: Joss Whedon From a series called “Making It With Rikki Lindhome,” an audio interview with Joss Whedon. HT to The Bitter Script Reader for sourcing the link.
Daily Dialogue — January 8, 2012 Kevin Sandusky: You guys all read the script, right? Kirk Lazarus: I don’t read the script, script reads me. — Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey, Jr.), Tropic Thunder (2008), screenplay by Justin Theroux & Ben Stiller and Etan Cohen, story by Ben Stiller & Justin Theroux The
Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Card games After this week of snappy answers to dumb questions, we have another theme already in the cards. Literally. Via a suggestion from David Proenza: Card games! So you know the drill: * Copy/paste dialogue from IMDB Quotes or transcript. * Copy/paste URL of related MovieClips or YouTube clip. Poker, Blackjack,
Remake fail? From Film School Rejects: Using only the raw, quivering data, Conan and Straw Dogs were the only films to lose money. However, we all know that there’s more to the story than just these numbers; this is the polite version of the data. It doesn’t take into consideration
Movies You Made: “Whale” by Andrew Joanis From filmmaker Andrew Joanis: Drawn and animated by Andrew Joanis. A Victor and Martin adventure copyright 2012 Andrew Joanis — victorandmartin.com — Song copyright 2012 and performed by Yellow Ostrich, licensed to Barsuk Records and available on the album The Mistress. Comment Archive
R.I.P.: Frederica Sagor Maas (1900–2012) Some of you might have caught a headline yesterday about the third oldest Californian passing away at the age of 111. What you may not have known is Frederica Sagor Maas had been a screenwriter. From the LAT: One of the last links to the silent film era, Frederica Sagor
Spec Script Sale: “The Incredible True Story of Jessica & Drew Who Accidentally Boned on the Way to the Wedding” Fox 2000 acquires comedy spec script “The Incredible True Story of Jessica & Drew Who Accidentally Boned on the Way to the Wedding” from writers Erin Simon & Kimberly Karp. Per THR: The story centers on two people who, while on the way to a destination wedding and with other
Saturday Hot Links Back for another installment of Saturday Hot Links! Today: The Vintage 1950s TV Commerical Edition! First up an ad pitching Gillette razor blades: Here’s a good question: Why do all movie tickets cost the same? 10 modern movies that are better in black-and-white. Hackers plan spacre satellites
