Go Into The Story

Movie Analysis: “Nightingale”

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of

Classic 40s Movie: “Casablanca”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Paul Graunke. Movie Title: Casablanca Year: 1942 Writers: Jules J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch Lead Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains Director: Michael Curtiz Plot Summary: When a former lover walks into the

On Writing

“Everyday, it’s about building a practice that enables you to try and forget that you’re afraid.” — Brian Koppelman

Daily Dialogue — September 14, 2015

“No, we are not an effective team.” — Oblivion (2013), screenplay by Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt, original story and graphic novel by Joseph Kosinski The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Minimum Words, Maximum Impact. Today’s suggestion by Will King. Trivia: Initially, Disney had acquired the rights to Joseph

Go Into The Story Week In Review: September 7–13, 2015

Links to this week’s most notable posts: A great question to ask about your Protagonist Andrew Stanton, Part 6: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk) Andrew Stanton, Part 7: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk) Andrew Stanton, Part 8: “The Clues to a Great Story”

Go Into The Story Script Reading & Analysis: Looper

This week, we have been reading, analyzing, and discussing the script and movie Looper, written and directed by Rian Johnson. IMDb plot summary: In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits — someone like Joe — who

Screenwriting News (September 7-September 13, 2015)

Stuart Fink writing comedy drama “The Last Word” for Myriad Pictures, Wondros, and Water Bear Productions. Erica Oyama sells comedy pitch “Schooled” to Universal Pictures. Zack Parker and Kevin Donner writing thriller “Inversion” for Along The Tracks Productions and Plattform. Victor Salva writing-directing “Jeepers Creepers 3” for Myriad Pictures

Classic 40s Movie: “The Sin of Harold Diddlebock”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from David Joyner. Movie Title: The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (also released as “Mad Wednesday”) Year: 1947 Writer: Preston Sturges Lead Actors: Harold Lloyd, Jimmy Conlin Director: Preston Sturges Plot Summary: A madcap comedy following the ups and downs

Interview (Video): David Lynch

The writing and directing credits for David Lynch include Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (2001), Inland Empire (2006), and the cult classic TV series “Twin Peaks” (1990–1991). Here is a rare 1979 interview with Lynch in

Daily Dialogue — September 13, 2015

Indiana Jones: Elsa… Colonel Vogel: That’s far enough, put down the gun Doctor Jones. Put down the gun or the Fraulein dies. Professor Henry Jones: But she’s one of them. Elsa: Indy, please! Professor Henry Jones: She’s a Nazi. Indiana Jones: What? Professor Henry Jones: Trust me.

Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Minimum Words, Maximum Impact

The Daily Dialogue theme for next week: Minimum Words, Maximum Impact. They say, “Less is more.” That’s no more true sometimes than in a screenplay. This week, let’s explore sides of dialogue in which a lot of meaning and import get conveyed in just a few or even

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 203rd installment of Saturday Hot Links! TIFF: The 20 Most Anticipated Films. TIFF: 9 Up-and-Coming Actors to Watch For. TIFF: How Relativity’s Implosion Impacts the Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF: Pre-Buys Could Provide Big Deals. TIFF’s Brutal First Year: “No One Came”

Classic 40s Movie: “Foreign Correspondent”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Doc Kane. Movie Title: Foreign Correspondent Year: 1940 Writers: Robert Benchley, Charles Bennett, Harold Clurman, Joan Harrison, Ben Hecht, James Hilton, John Howard Lawson, John Lee Mahin, Richard Maibaum, and Budd Schulberg. Bennett, Benchley, Harrison, and Hilton the

Interview (Written): Mike Le

A Geek & Sundry interview with Mike Le, screenwriter of the 2014 Black List script “Patient Zero” and the movies Dark Summer and Amnesiac. How did you get to where you are today as a writer? First, let’s agree that no matter what my answer to this is, there’

Daily Dialogue — September 12, 2015

“I’m tired, Trinity. Tired of this war, tired of fighting… I’m tired of the ship, being cold, eating the same goddamn goop everyday…” — The Matrix (1999), written by the Wachowski Brothers The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Betrayal. Trivia: In Greek Mythology Morpheus is the god of

Go Into The Story Movie Analysis: Nightingale

Starting Monday, we begin our next installment of the Go Into The Story Movie Analysis series: Nightingale, written by Frederick Mensch. This is a special movie for many reasons. It is the first movie produced from a script discovered on the Black List website. It debuted and currently airs on

Andrew Stanton, Part 10: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk)

Last week, I brought up the Andrew Stanton TED Talk from 2012 in the context of a discussion about storytelling. It reminded of how great his presentation was. So great, when I went into the archives to check the series I ran at the time, I had actually taken the

Script Analysis: “Looper” — Part 5: Takeaways

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways Today: Takeaways. This week,

Classic 40s Movie: “The Third Man”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Harry Cooke. Movie Title: The Third Man Year: 1949 Writers: Screenplay by Graham Greene, adapted from his original novel Lead Actors: Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles Director: Carol Reed IMDb Plot Summary: Pulp novelist Holly Martins

Twitter Rant: @ORachaelO on Movies as a Business

A few days ago, Rachael Prior, head of development at Big Talk Productions, went on a Twitter rant — and it truly was a rant — about the relationship of writers to the movie industry. Challenging truths for some writer types to hear, but truths nonetheless. Reprinted in its entirety by permission.

Daily Dialogue — September 11, 2015

The TWO MEN walk out onto the Mall, toward a car. On their way they are stopped by TWO BODYGUARDS. BUTTON MAN: The boss says he’ll come in a separate car. He says for you two to go on ahead. TESSIO: (frowning) Hell, he can’t do that. It

Writing Exercise: Imagine Another Life

On Twitter, there is a tradition called Throwback Thursday in which people post photographs of themselves from the past. With that in mind, check out this poem: Another Life By Deborah Cummins My mother, 18, the summer before she married, lounges belly-down in the sun, books and grass all

Andrew Stanton, Part 9: “The Clues to a Great Story” (TED Talk)

Last week, I brought up the Andrew Stanton TED Talk from 2012 in the context of a discussion about storytelling. It reminded of how great his presentation was. So great, when I went into the archives to check the series I ran at the time, I had actually taken the

Script Analysis: “Looper” — Part 4: Themes

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule: Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown Tuesday: Major Plot Points Wednesday: Sequences Thursday: Themes Friday: Takeaways Today: Themes. I have

Classic 40s Movie: “The Philadelphia Story”

September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Kristen Demaline. Movie Title: The Philadelphia Story Year: 1940 Writers: Donald Ogden Stewart (screenplay), based on the play by Philip Barry Lead Actors: Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant Director: George Cukor IMDb Plot Summary: When a rich