Go Into The Story

“Flipping the Script: How to Navigate the Ups and Downs of the Spec Script Market”

A recent MovieMaker magazine article on the state of spec scripts in Hollywood.

Go Into The Story Interview: Ava DuVernay

My in-depth interview with filmmaker whose credits include the movie Selma, the documentary 13th, and the TV series “Queen Sugar”.

Screenwriting 101: Lindsay Devlin

“A lot of people think movies are just sort of, ‘Anybody can do it. Anybody can be a screenwriter.’ But it’s a tough, tough craft. It’s…

Daily Dialogue — June 26, 2018

“Oh, God, it’s moving right toward you!”

Reader Question: Are there movies where the Protagonist is the Nemesis?

Is it possible for the Protagonist to also be the story’s Nemesis?

Go Into The Story Interview: Justin Marks

My in-depth interview with the screenwriter of The Jungle Book and creator/executive producer of the hit Starz TV series “Counterpart”.

On Writing

“If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I’m not kidding…

Daily Dialogue — June 25, 2018

Christopher Johnson’s Son: How many moons does our planet have? Christopher Johnson: Seven. Christopher Johnson’s Son: This planet only has…

You’re welcome.

(1) Both he and I are committed to doing what we can to support writers outside the Hollywood system have a chance to work their way inside…

Screenwriting News (June 18-June 24, 2018)

The week’s writing deals and movie project news.

Reader Question: Is there a rule as to how many “cuss words” can be used in a script?

Delving into the sometimes mysterious world of the MPAA ratings system.

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

A 6 part series on the 2005 Academy Award winning screenplay.

Video: Franklin Leonard — “How I accidentally changed the way movies get made”

The founder of the Black List on how Hollywood’s “conventional wisdom” is often mostly convention… and not wisdom.

Daily Dialogue — June 24, 2018

Grimm: [dressed as a clown, reveals he has bombs strapped to his chest] Let’s not mess with me today, okay. I’m robbing the bank. Bank…

My biggest takeaway is this: You can tell a story which challenges readers to have to think… to…

Love… lost love… the pain of lost love… the confusion of being in a relationship… memories… each and every emotional aspect of Eternal…

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 347th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

Script Analysis: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — Part 6: Takeaways

Read the script for the critically acclaimed 2004 film and analyze it all this week.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Alien

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,691 consecutive days and counting.

Script To Screen: “The Apartment”

A key revelation scene from my favorite movie, the 1960 The Apartment, written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. “Izzy” Diamond.

Daily Dialogue — June 23, 2018

“I’m gonna go with the picnic shoulder ‘coz I love smoking pigs.”

I’m going with this line from Joel: “Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.”

Amen! A mantra for the modern era. Communication requires active LISTENING. The tendency to just drone on with information is the…

Excellent choices, Dave, and this one really spoke to me:

“I don’t know. I’m lost. I’m scared. I feel like I’m disappearing. I’m getting old and nothing makes any sense to me.”

Reader Question: How to build a powerful Nemesis?

Some keys for crafting a worthy Nemesis.

Script Analysis: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — Part 5: Dialogue

Read the script for the critically acclaimed 2004 film and analyze it all this week.

Go Into The Story Interview: Lisa Joy

My in-depth conversation with the creator and co-executive producer of the hit HBO series “Westworld”.