Go Into The Story

Interview (Written): Emma Donoghue (“Room”)

A Creative Screenwriting interview with Emma Donoghue, nominated for a 2016 Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay for Room: What was your point of entry into the adaptation? The very first thing I did was look for what had to go or be changed, and funnily enough, we ended up

2016 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 10

Last year at this time, we did a month-long Dialogue-Writing Challenge. It was a big success with dozens of writers participating. We all learned quite a bit about this important aspect of the craft plus we had some fun in the process. So I’ve decided to bring

Spec Script Deal: “Battle of New Orleans”

Endurance Media acquires period war drama spec script “Battle of New Orleans” written by Daniel Kunka. From Deadline: Battle of New Orleans, written by Kunka (Yellowstone Falls), is one of the greatest untold stories in American history featuring General and future President, Andrew Jackson, who reluctantly partners with world-renowned

Spec Script Deal: “Miami, PI”

Endurance Media acquires detective drama “Miami, PI” written by Michael Diliberti. From Deadline: Written and to be directed by Diliberti (Little White Corvette), focuses on a young PI with a checkered past, who teams up with an ex-model/hot mess to solve the murder of a young girl in

Daily Dialogue — February 12, 2016

Lemonade Vendor: I’ll teach you to kick me! Chicolini: You don’t have to teach me, I know how! He kicks him. — Duck Soup (1933), story by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Annoying. Trivia:

Twitter Rant: Daniel Kunka on the Importance of Ideas

Tweetstorm: Daniel Kunka on the Importance of Ideas A series of tweets on the inestimable value of ideas. Yesterday screenwriter Daniel Kunka (@unikunka) posted a series of tweets on a subject near and dear to my heart: The importance of ideas. Reprinted here by permission. And not just ideas for

Spec Script Deal: “Burnt Offering”

Armory Films acquires drama thriller spec script “Burnt Offering” written by Tyler Marceca. From Variety: Described as “Prisoners” meets “Silence of the Lambs.” This is an option deal. Marceca’s script The Disciple Program made the 2012 Black List. He is repped by WME and Anonymous Content. By my count,

Interview (Part 4): Sam Regnier (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Regnier wrote the original screenplay “Free Agent” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and has been set up at CBS Films. Recently Sam and I had an excellent phone conversation in which we covered a lot of territory, his background and how he got into writing, a

Spec Script Deal: “Malpractice”

Endurance Productions acquires thriller spec script “Malpractice” written by Tyler Marceca. From Deadline: Malpractice, written by Tyler Marceca (The Disciple Program), follows a disgraced surgeon operating a black market clinic in Manila, who is called into action after he is enlisted by terrorists to assist in a plot to set

Interview (Written): Drew Goddard (“The Martian”)

A Creative Screenwriting interview with Drew Goddard, nominated for a 2016 Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay for The Martian: The first act of The Martian is dominated by scenes featuring Watney on his own, and you had to balance periods of silence and Watney’s narration. Obviously there are

Spec Script Deal: “Horizon Line”

Svensk Filmindustri acquires thriller spec script “Horizon Line” written by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. From Deadline: The spec is a suspense thriller that follows a couple on a small airplane which loses its way over the Pacific Ocean. Writers are repped by UTA and Madhouse Entertainment. By my count,

2016 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 9

Last year at this time, we did a month-long Dialogue-Writing Challenge. It was a big success with dozens of writers participating. We all learned quite a bit about this important aspect of the craft plus we had some fun in the process. So I’ve decided to bring

Writing and the Creative Life: The Magic of Ambient Noise

70 decibels. Not 50 dBs. That’s too low. Not 85 dBs. That’s too high. Nope. 70 dBs of ambient noise appears to be just right when it comes to enhancing one’s creativity. That’s the conclusion of this study as reported in the University of Chicago Press

Daily Dialogue — February 11, 2016

George Bailey: [gazing eyes with Mary] Well, well, well. Freddie Othello: Now, to get back to my story, see? In a trance, Mary hands Othello her drink, and George and Mary start dancing. Freddie Othello: Hey, this is MY dance! George Bailey: Oh, why don’t you stop annoying people.

Athena Film Festival: February 18–21, 2016, Barnard College, New York City

For those of you in the New York City area, be sure to check out the 6th Annual Athena Film Festival which runs February 18–21, 2016 at Barnard College. There will be many great movies screening including features, documentaries, and shorts, as well as panels, workshops, and special events.

Interview (Part 3): Sam Regnier (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Regnier wrote the original screenplay “Free Agent” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and has been set up at CBS Films. Recently Sam and I had an excellent phone conversation in which we covered a lot of territory, his background and how he got into writing, a

Interview (Written): Phyllis Nagy (“Carol”)

A Creative Screenwriting interview with Phyllis Nagy, nominated for a 2016 Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay for Carol: It’s been almost twenty years since you began writing Carol. What enabled you to persist with the project for so long? Carol was the first script I was hired to

2016 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 8

Last year at this time, we did a month-long Dialogue-Writing Challenge. It was a big success with dozens of writers participating. We all learned quite a bit about this important aspect of the craft plus we had some fun in the process. So I’ve decided to bring

Great Scene: “Manhunter”

I think we’d all admit the first time Clarice Starling meets Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, that was a great scene: But what about when we all were introduced to Dr. Lecter? That would be in the 1986 movie Manhunter. Written and directed by Michael Mann

Daily Dialogue — February 10, 2016

CHUCKIE: Oh, hello. SKYLAR: Oh, hello. CHUCKIE: Hi, how are you? SKYLAR: Fine. CHUCKIE: So, do you ladies uh. . . SKYLAR: Come here often? CHUCKIE: Do I come here..? I come here a bit. I here…uh…uh…you know from time to time…Do you go to school here? SKYLAR:

Reader Question: How to approach writing a story with multiple main characters?

From an anonymous GITS reader: I was curious about stories which follow multiple characters, each with their own plight to overcome in the overlapping storyline. I suppose my question is more than one… which films are good examples of this and the second being what are tips to remember when

Interview (Part 2): Sam Regnier (2015 Nicholl Winner)

Sam Regnier wrote the original screenplay “Free Agent” which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and has been set up at CBS Films. Recently Sam and I had an excellent phone conversation in which we covered a lot of territory, his background and how he got into writing, a

Interview (Written): Nick Hornby (“Brooklyn”)

A Creative Screenwriting interview with Nick Hornby, nominated for a 2016 Academy Award for Best Adapted screenplay for Brooklyn: The first letter Eilis receives from her sister is very mundane in terms of the content, but because she’s so homesick it makes her break down anyway. Her homesickness takes

2016 Dialogue-Writing Challenge: Day 7

Last year at this time, we did a month-long Dialogue-Writing Challenge. It was a big success with dozens of writers participating. We all learned quite a bit about this important aspect of the craft plus we had some fun in the process. So I’ve decided to bring

Screenwriting 101: Stephen J. Cannell

“I just loved it. When I was writing stuff that I liked, it just felt so good. I would read it over and think, ‘God this is really good — I really did this.’ And then sometimes I would write stuff that wasn’t very good — I’m very tough on