Daily Dialogue — October 16, 2014 Priest: Bernard, repeat after me. I do solemnly declare… Bernard: I do solemnly declare… Priest: That I know not of any lawful impediment… Bernard: That I know not of any lawful impediment… Priest: Why I, Lydia… Bernard: Why I, Bernard… Priest: Uh, sorry . . . why I, Bernard Godfrey Saint John Delaney…
Word Cloud Logline Challenge Winners! Last week, we ran a Word Cloud Logline Challenge featuring words from the the loglines of the four 2014 Nicholl winning scripts. As I normally do with these challenges, I consulted with Max Millimeter, Hollywood Movie Producer Extraordinaire. He identified 5 winners. The first three are of an historical bent:
Ron Meyer on Hollywood ‘Assholes,’ CAA ‘Monsters’ and Advice for the Next Generation The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider provided a good summary of a recent appearance by one of the most powerful people in Hollywood: NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer headlined the spotlight interview at TheGrill on Tuesday, where he sat down for an intimate chat with Jason Blum titled “When Does a
Interview: Stephanie Shannon (2013 Nicholl Winner, 2013 Black List) The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition is the most prestigious of its kind and holds a primary place of importance in Hollywood movie development circles. With the recent announcement of the 2014 Nicholl Fellowship winners, I thought it would be a good idea to reprint all of the interviews
Movie Trailer: “The Book of Life” Screenplay by Jorge R. Gutierrez, Douglas Langdale Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears. IMDB Release Date: 17 October 2014 (USA)
Great Scene: “Cast Away” In a fundamental way, screenwriting is scene-writing, so the more we learn about this aspect of the craft, the better. One way to do that: Study great movie scenes. Today’s movie: Cast Away (2000), written by William Broyles Jr. IMDb plot summary: A FedEx executive must transform himself
Script To Screen: “Blue Velvet” A scene from the 1986 movie Blue Velvet, written by David Lynch. IMDB Plot Summary: The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Daily Dialogue — October 15, 2014 Rachel: You are just so full of grace, and I promise before God and these beautiful people that I will love you fiercely and sweetly. And I look forward to sharing this great life with you. Thank you for marrying me. Sidney: All that I ever wanted was to just
Black List Live! presents Brian Duffield’s “Your Bridesmaid Is a Bitch” News from the Black List about its 3rd staged reading in 2014: Black List Live! is back at the Montalban in Hollywood! Join us on Saturday, November 15 for a live, staged reading of YOUR BRIDESMAID IS A BITCH Written and directed by Brian Duffield (Insurgent, Jane Got a Gun)
Movies boiled down to pictograms This is great from Fast Company: Movies distilled to pictograms. See if you can guess the movies from these three below? Go here to see a bunch more pictograms. HT to Tom Peterson for sending me the link. Comment Archive
The ‘shortening’ of movies In my conversations with fellow screenwriters, there is a general consensus that the typical movie scene is getting shorter. Whereas scenes 50 years ago might have 3–4 pages long on average, when I first broke into the business in the late 80s, the rule of thumb was 2 pages.
The Empire Strikes Back Uncut Via Vulture: Years ago, filmmaker Casey Pugh got hundreds of nerds to record their own low-budget remakes of Star Wars in 15-second increments and stitched the whole thing together to create the Emmy-winning Star Wars Uncut, which our own Matt Zoller Seitz called “the greatest viral video
Interview: Frank DeJohn & David Alton Hedges (2013 Nicholl winners) The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition is the most prestigious of its kind and holds a primary place of importance in Hollywood movie development circles. With the recent announcement of the 2014 Nicholl Fellowship winners, I thought it would be a good idea to reprint all of the interviews
Movie Trailer: “Birdman” Screenplay by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. IMDB Release Date: October 17, 2014
Great Scene: “On the Waterfront” “This is my church. And if you don’t think Christ is down here on the waterfront, you’ve got another thing coming.” In a fundamental way, screenwriting is scene-writing, so the more we learn about this aspect of the craft, the better. Today’s scene: The 1954 movie
Screenwriting 101: Ashleigh Powell “Theme is something that has always felt very elusive and intimidating to me. Maybe it comes from reading a lot of literature, having to dissect and analyze and write serious essays on the importance of ‘THEME’ in a story. But I recently read a piece of advice… this comes from
Daily Dialogue — October 14, 2014 EXT. MARION’S HOUSE — NIGHT Marion slips out of the house and runs to the trees, where William waits with horses. She fetches a bundle she’s stashed in the crook of a tree, and they mount and ride off. EXT. RUINS OF AN ANCIENT CHURCH — NIGHT The church is
Screenwriting as problem-solving This popped up on Twitter the other day: This reminds me of two things. First, the idea that screenwriters are fundamentally problem-solvers. Some insight into this from Hollywood Movie Producer Extraordinaire Max Millimeter: Kid, you just don’t get it. You think they think like you think, that you’
Movies You Made: “Layover” Want to see what kind of movie you can make for $6,000? Check out Layover, written and directed by Joshua Caldwell. Here is some background on the movie which is being self-released on VOD as of today: Joshua Caldwell is an accomplished director, writer, producer, former digital exec
THR: TV Agents Roundtable Via THR: Ted Chervin (ICM), Matt Rice (UTA), Ari Greenburg (WME), Adam Berkowitz (CAA) join THR’s executive editor Matt Belloni and television editor Lacey Rose to discuss “destructive” network execs, which clients they would poach and what a hit showrunner can earn. Here is the full uncensored 25 minute
Interview: Michael Werwie (2012 Nicholl Winner, 2012 Black List) The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition is the most prestigious of its kind and holds a primary place of importance in Hollywood movie development circles. With the recent announcement of the 2014 Nicholl Fellowship winners, I thought it would be a good idea to reprint all of the interviews
Movie Trailer: “Fury” Written by David Ayer April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust
Great Scene: “Schindler’s List” October is Great Scene month at Go Into The Story whereby we put a spotlight on notable movie scenes, then analyze and discuss them. Their structure, themes, character dynamics. Why do they work? What are their narrative elements that elevate them to greatness? Let’s face it: In a fundamental
On Writing “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you’ve got something to say.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Daily Dialogue — October 13, 2014 Paige: I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not, to agree to disagree on red velvet cake, and to live within the
