Go Into The Story

Page One: “Rango” (2011)

Written by John Logan, story by John Logan & Gore Verbinski and James Ward Byrkit

Screenwriting 101: Lowell Ganz

“We’re [Ganz and writing partner Babaloo Mandel] always trying to have everything a character says come out of a very specific, personal…

Spec Script Deal: Untitled Baby Love Project

New Line acquires rom-com spec script written by Sas Goldberg and Ana Nogueira. Via Deadline:

Page One: “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006)

Written by Steve Conrad

Go Into The Story Interview: Sean Malcolm

Sean Malcolm wrote the original screenplay “Mother” which won a 2019 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. I had the opportunity to chat…

Go Into The Story Interview: Mary Coleman

I have been a fan of Pixar Animation Studios since their first feature film hit theaters in 1995. In fact, I even teach a class at DePaul…

On Writing

“As a writer, I believe that all the basic human truths are known. And what we try to do as best we can is come at those truths from our…

Page One: “The Purge” (2013)

Written by James DeMonaco

Screenwriting 101: Stephen Gaghan

“When I moved to Los Angeles, I wrote spec screenplays. I was really poor, and I thought I was just gonna do this for a while to make a…

Script Analysis: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

Page One: “Puzzle” (2018)

Screenplay by Polly Mann and Oren Moverman, based on the Argentinian film “Rompecabezas” by Natalia Smirnoff

Go Into The Story Interview: Karen McDermott

Karen McDermott wrote the original screenplay “Lullabies of La Jaula” which won a 2019 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. I had the…

On Writing

“Writing is finally about one thing: going into a room alone and doing it.”

Page One: “The Prom” (2020)

Screenplay by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, based on the Broadway musical by Chad Beguelin & Bob Martin & Matthew Sklar

Screenwriting 101: F. Scott Frazier

“I firmly believe that the currency of the screenwriter is a finished script. Not an outline, not a take, not a beat sheet, not a rough…

Script Analysis: “Eighth Grade” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

Page One: “Private Life” (2018)

Written by Tamara Jenkins

Screenwriting 101: Scott Frank

“The first paragraph of a screenplay can tell you if they can write. The first five pages can tell you if they have a voice.”

Great Scene: “Some Like It Hot”

A memorable set of scenes from the classic 1959 Billy Wilder comedy.

Page One: “Prince of Darkness” (1987)

Written by John Carpenter (as Martin Quatermass)

Go Into The Story Interview: Walker McKnight

Walker McKnight wrote the original screenplay “Street Rat Allie Punches Her Ticket” which won a 2019 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. I…

On Writing

“Sometimes people say to me, ‘I want to write, but I have five kids, a full-time job, a wife who beats me, a tremendous debt to my…

Page One: “Primary Colors” (1998)

Screenplay by Elaine May, novel by Anonymous (Joe Klein)

Screenwriting 101: Scott Frank

“The best writing is also subconscious where you don’t know that you’re doing it, and you don’t realize you’ve done it. That’s a few…

Dialogue-Writing Workshop

My one-week online workshop focusing on writing dialogue begins September 22.