Daily Dialogue theme for next week??? While still looking for a couple more examples for this week’s moment of clarity posts, it’s time to open things up for next week. Here are the current slate of suggestions: Best ways to say “I love you” without saying “I love you” [Annika W] Double entendres [Danny]
Overused Words Writer and blogger Bish Denham came up with a helpful post: In revising and editing much is said about over used words or words to avoid. In my struggle to revise I realized I wanted/needed a list. In fact, I thought I had one, but I couldn’t find
Six Reasons Why Hollywood Box Office is Dipping Our final article on the state of the Hollywood movie business comes courtesy of Anne Thompson at IndieWire who posted this article yesterday: After the MPAA released its latest figures Wednesday, in a conference call acting chief Bob Pisano and National Association of Theater Owners chief John Fithian tried to
Biz sets global box office record in 2010 This week, we had five posts analyzing spec script sales in 2010. Each day I followed up each of those posts with some different press perspectives about the overall state of the Hollywood movie business. We end that series today with two more posts — one here, one to follow. First
Great Characters: Captain Renault (Claud Rains) Casablanca is a cinematic treasure, replete with wonderful characters and memorable dialogue, but instead of spotlighting the Protagonist Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) or Attractor Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), I want to honor the movie’s chief Trickster: Captain Renault as played wonderfully by Claud Rains: Renault is a classic Trickster,
A blast of creative inspiration for all your writing! I sense it. Don’t you? Somebody… perhaps a lot of somebodies who have a need. To find some creative inspiration to fill up this: To find the words… the right words… to make a story come to life. So I’m sending each and every one of you a
Spec Script Sale: “Zombie Pet Shop” Animation Picture Company buys family horror spec “Zombie Pet Shop” from writer E.L. Katz. Per Variety: “Zombie Pet Shop” concerns a mysterious plague that sweeps through a mall pet shop, turning all of the animals into zombies. An ordinary pug named Joey must come to the rescue to find
Update: Jeremiah Friedman & Nick Palmer You may remember the excellent Q&A series with screenwriters Friedman & Palmer who wrote and sold the spec script “Family Getaway” last year to Warner Bros. Those posts are here: Friedman, Jeremiah & Palmer, Nick (Part 1) Friedman, Jeremiah & Palmer, Nick (Part 2) Friedman, Jeremiah & Palmer,
Is a slow winter a sign of a sea change in moviegoing? Alongside this week’s series on 2010 specs script sales, I’ve been posting articles analyzing the state of the movie business. Here’s another per Steve Zeitchik at the excellent blog “24 Frames” (LAT): With just one weekend left in February, only a single 2011 release has topped $75
The Business of Screenwriting: The Travails of Pitching (Part 2) — The Surprise Visitor After the humbling experience of pitching the latest project to a distracted exec, we actually sell it to another studio. We head out to Palm Springs to hole up and jam out the rest of the first draft of another project we are writing when we get a call: The
Spec Script Sale: “Inherit the Earth” Sony Pictures Entertainment buys science fiction horror spec script written by JT Petty “Inherit the Earth,” based on Ashley Wood & Chris Ryall-created comic “Zombies vs. Robots.” Per Deadline: The film focuses on a young girl who is the last survivor on earth. She is protected by a group
What brought adult moviegoers back to the theaters? So yesterday we had this voice of doom and gloom about the movie industry. Today we have a differing view, the LAT’s Patrick Goldstein, someone whose opinion I respect enormously: For years, everybody has had a field day taking potshots at the Academy Awards, saying that the Oscar-nominated
Sceenwriting 101: Richard Lagravenese “Like your soul, you can mistreat your gift. That energy, if it’s not channeled in the proper respectful manner, will come out in destructive ways. Do I do a particular script because it’s a high-profile project? No. I’ve worked with people because I wanted to work
A screenwriter’s nightmare Unfortunately I knew where this story was going after just the first few lines. Sadly something that happens all too often. From an email that Paul in the UK sent me: Hi Scott, Only ever posted one time before (the Realm Pictures trailer story) but I feel the compulsion this
The Day the Movies Died I’ve gotten a lot of email asking if I’ve read this: “The Day the Movies Died” by Mark Harris in the latest issue of GQ. The answer is yes. Here’s how the article starts: You want to understand how bad things are in Hollywood right now — how
2010 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Studios Yesterday we looked at sales by genre. Today we break down the numbers per studios to see which were the most and least active in the script acquisition market. 8 Warner Bros. 5 Relativity Media 4 Paramount 3 Double Nickel Entertainment Summit 2 Walt Disney Pictures Lionsgate Mandate Pictures Endgame
Hollywood Tales “I was dreading yet another enervating and hopeless studio meeting, this one at Fox about developing a vehicle for a Brat Pack actor (one not that hot at the time, and since even colder). My writing partner, Mike Ferris, and a college friend of his turned director were also involved.
Learn screenplay structure and story concept A week from today, I will start teaching the Screenwriting Master Class course “Core I: Structure and Concept.” We offered the class for the first time when Tom Benedek and I launched SMC at the beginning of the year and the course was by all accounts a rousing success. Here
Power to the People: the Democratization of Film A solid overview by Jeff Steele in TheWrap about the impact of digital technologies on music, print, and now the movie businesses. The basic premise is that nowadays anyone can make a movie. He zeroes in on the two remaining areas in transition we’ve discussed many times on this
Popcorn Fiction: “A Midnight for Dying” by Juliet Snowden Every Monday, the terrific site Popcorn Fiction, hosted by screenwriter Derek Haas, presents a new short story. Here is Derek with a description of today’s entry: Good riddance, Valentine’s Day…let’s get back to some pulp fiction! Today’s story comes from the very talented screenwriter Juliet
2010 Spec Script Sales Analysis: Genres By my count, Hwood studios and prod cos acquired 55 spec scripts in 2010. During this week, I’ll be breaking down those numbers. Today we look at sales by genre. Some scripts are categorized as cross genres or sub-genres, so those are noted where relevant. Note: Genre designations
On writing “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” — Louis L’Amour Comment Archive
2010 Spec Script Sales Analysis: The List Here is the list of 55 spec scripts — by my count — that sold in Hollywood in 2010: 21 and Over Writers: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore 21 Shots Writers: Sonny Lee & Patrick Walsh Abduction Writer: Shawn Christensen All You Need is Kill Writer: Dante Harper ATM Writer: Chris Sparling
Profile: Danny Boyle (Part 2) Our friend Trevor Hogg is back at FlickeringMyth with the final installment of a profile on Danny Boyle. An excerpt: “What you do is take the power it gives you…and use it to make a film that you believe in,” explained Danny Boyle who was riding a wave of
“Dare to Suck”: Transcribed! So the other day, I posted the “Dare to Suck” video by writer Maureen Johnson. Martin_B who was so inspired, he transcribed what Maureen said. To wit: A lot of you had questions about writing, and you left them in the comments, and I thought today I was going
