Spec Script Sale: “Genneris” DreamWorks acquires sci-fi spec “Genneris” from writer Nic Kelman. Per Variety: A high-concept sci-fi film. Keman is a first-timer although he published a novel in 2003. He is repped by CAA. By my count, that is the 18th spec script to sell in 2010. The 18th
25 Years of Pixar Animation Kudos to NkMcDonalds for this compilation: Celebrating 25 years of Pixar, 12 feature films, and 20 short films. Pixar Animation makes the best films, there’s no doubt. Each film is unique and special.
Derek Haas: “Seven Things Novelists Should Know About Screenwriting” Screenwriter-novelist Derek Haas, who also hosts the excellent short story site Popcorn Fiction, lets novelists in on seven things they should know about screenwriting. Here’s one I thought was particularly interesting: 5. Dialogue is King. Some novelists write beautiful poetic prose that paints pictures on the page. They
Hollywood Tales “I wanted to write the script Limitless with no executive interference. I had a vision. I wanted to do it. I didn’t want to have meetings. I didn’t want to have layers of notes. I didn’t want to be told it had to be PG-rated. I
Are you interested in character archetypes? If you want to learn more about five primary character archetypes — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — here’s your chance. I’ll be teaching Core II: Character & Style, a unique 4-week online course through Screenwriting Master Class starting next Monday (3/28). The first two weeks of the
Reader Question: Should we be concerned about profanity in a spec script? From Daniel: As I was about to start page work on my next spec, I realized: all my prior scripts and shorts have been peppered with expletives, with no real thought about possible future ratings. Should us writers assume (within reason of course) that producers and story analysts will ignore
Movie Titles in Movies Via Flavorwire: When a character in the movie you’re watching says the title of the movie, you probably have one of two reactions. You either nod your head sagely, making the “ah yes, it all makes sense now, how apt” face, or you groan, because it’s horrible, makes
“Tell to Win” by Peter Guber (Part 3) I’m enjoying “Tell to Win,” a book that’s just come out from Peter Guber, the former chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures and current head of Mandalay Entertainment Group. The lowdown on the book: In Tell To Win, executive and entrepreneur Peter Guber shows how to move beyond
On writing “When it comes to people, mercy killing is against the law. When it comes to fiction, it is the law.” — Stephen King
Profile: Martin Scorcese (Part 3) Our friend Trevor Hogg has another profile at Flickering Myth, this one on Martin Scorcese. Noted as one of America’s most distinctive directors, Scorcese also has 14 film writing credits including Mean Streets, Goodfellas, and Age of Innocence. Here is an excerpt from Part 2 of the profile: Returning
“Mars Needs Moms”: Anatomy of a flop Any movie that gets produced represents a lot of collective wisdom of the filmmaking business so when one flops, especially a big budget, high profile movie, it sends a shiver down Hollywood’s collective spine. If that studio was so wrong, could we be next? That’s precisely what is
“‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ head writer talks about George Lucas, religion and the show’s lifespan” HT to @opedr for Tweeting me this link from the always excellent Hero Complex (LAT) hosted by Geoff Boucher: The third-season finale of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is coming April 1 on Cartoon Network with the highly anticipated appearance of Chewbacca (an episode that features contributions from Peter
Coming to GITS in April! Apart from the usual daily fare of posts, two series next month: * A Story Idea Each Day for a Month: Yes, I’m back for the second year in a row with 30 more story ideas which I’m giving away for free! They’re pulled from newspaper articles and
Which Hollywood movie studio was most profitable in 2010? Okay, here’s a bit of economic fodder to chew on this weekend. From THR: Thank Harry Potter and the Na’vi warriors. Time Warner and News Corp., home to the Potter franchise and Avatar, respectively, ran the studio units with the highest operating profits in 2010. They also recorded
Written Interview: Tom McCarthy (“Win Win”) Today we feature writer-diretor Tom McCarthy whose new movie Win Win debuts in the U.S. this weekend. Here’s a plot summary from IMDB: Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while
Suggestions for Great Characters? We got such a great response from GITS readers for this week’s Daily Dialogue theme request — insults — I figure it’s good for another 7 days. Following that we’ll go with the the theme that came in second in the balloting last week — understatements — which you are free
Reader Question: What are some ways to visualize the inner world of a character? From Anton: I would be really interested in hearing from you on methods of how to show the inner world of a protagonist, in pictures rather than using a voice over. For example, in the french film ”A Prophet”, the protagonist speaks to the ghost of the man he killed,
Why ‘Men in Black III’ Started Shooting Without a Script A cautionary tale from The Hollywood Reporter: Hollywood veterans don’t remember anything like it happening on a major movie before: In November, Sony Pictures started filming Men in Black III with only one act of the script set. The studio built in a break in production that was scheduled
Kevin Smith posts a scene from “Hit Somebody” A draft of a scene from the script he’s currently writing. Here’s Smith’s comments about the scene: This is a work-in-progress, not the final script, or even the final version of the scene. When all’s said and done, there’s a good chance this
Peter Pan and the ‘similar but different’ mindset Interesting article in THR explaining why Peter Pan projects are infiltrating Hollywood. Currently four projects set up or floating around: * The.Never.Land (spec script): screenwriter John Swetnam — “Tells the story of Wendy and the forever-young boy with a Twilight-ish spin.” * Peter Pan (pitch): producer Jeff Rake — “Pan
Great Characters: Don Logan (“Sexy Beast”) We featured this character in a recent Daily Dialogue. Jason suggested we include him in the Great Character series — and I agree. Don Logan in Sexy Beast is one helluva character: Here is an IMDB plot summary: Gal, a retired gangster, lives a happy life with his wife Deedee in
1100 Because 1100 is a much prettier number than 1092 (the current number of GITS followers), I beseech those of you on the sidelines to sign up over there on the right hand side of this humble blog’s home page. What do you get for signing up? Um… Ah… Charlie
Reader Question: Does a logline constitute “unsolicited material”? From Courtney: Could you clear up the mystery that is those infamous words… “No unsolicited material.” A PDF of a script blindly sent… a big no-no… I get that. I’ve never sent one out without permission and a release form. But… Is a logline sent via email… to
The conundrum of scene description Here’s a conundrum screenwriters face: Movies are primarily a visual medium which means we can not rely on dialogue to carry a story, rather we have to use scene description to convey the action. However the fact is readers dislike reading scene description. Why? Because it’s easier to
Producer Spotlight: Neil Moritz Another in a series of posts about Hollywood movie producers. Why? They are key players in script acquisition and development process, so screenwriters need to know how they think. Patrick Goldstein (LAT) with a recent feature on producer Neil Moritz. Some excerpts: Critics rarely love his movies — “Battle: Los Angeles”
