On The Rise 2014: 13 Screenwriters To Watch Although I’m not personally a fan of these type of lists — seriously, how does one determine who is on / not on the list — the fact they shine a spotlight on particular screenwriters is, I think, a net plus for screenwriting in general. The latest entry comes from The Playlist
Spec Script Sale: “Moonfall” Audax Films acquires science fiction spec script “Moonfall” written by David Weill. From Deadline: Audax had company for a film that centers on an FBI agent who travels to a moon colony to investigate its very first death. Weill is repped by CAA and Unified Management. By my count, this
Spec Script Sale: “The Three Tenors” Lionsgate acquires comedy spec script “The Three Tenors” written by Johnny Rosenthal. From Deadline: Think A Night At The Opera meets Anchorman here as the comedy traces the rise and fall, and then another rise and fall and then rise, of a fictional trio of internationally beloved operatic superstars. Rosenthal
5 Screenwriting Skills: #4 — Voice [Originally posted March 21, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the
Movie Trailer: “My Old Lady” Written by Israel Horovitz An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident. IMDB Release Date: 10 September 2014 (USA)
Free Screenwriting Resource: Film School On The Cheap In order to work as a screenwriter in Hollywood, you have to immerse yourself in the world of movies. Based on suggestions from the GITS community, here is a ‘poor’ person’s version of film school, a list of resources in five subject areas you can use to do precisely
Writing and the Creative Life: “Come to the edge” Going beyond the edge of the Old World into the New World can be a terrifying experience, but a necessary one for the transformation process. A poem by Christopher Logue: “Come to the edge,” he said. “We’re comfortable back here,” they said. “Come to the edge,” he said. “We’
Daily Dialogue — August 21, 2014 “Mr. Madison, what you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I’ve ever heard. At no point were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.” — Billy Madison (1995), written
Reader Question: How to write about a historical figure, but not basing it off previous material? Question from Bretton Zinger: I’m wondering about how you go about writing about a historical figure but not base it off of previous material. For example, let’s say I want to make a movie about George Washington. (He’s not the subject of my idea.) Numerous books have
Update: Go Into The Story Interviews Two things about interviews I conduct for this blog. First, one of the earliest goals I had with Go Into The Story was to use it to put a spotlight on screenwriters. This pertains to the weekly Screenwriting 101 series featuring writing quotes, the How They Write A Script series,
5 Screenwriting Skills: #3 — Experience [Originally posted March 20, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the
Movie Trailer: “Big Hero 6” Written by Don Hall & Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird and Daniel Gerson, comic by Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle A group of six superheroes are recruited by the government to protect the nation. IMDB Release Date: 7 November 2014 (USA) Comment Archive
Free Screenwriting Resource: The Definitive Spec Script Sales List [1991–2013] When I first broke into the business in 1987, one of my agents told me this: “Movies coming out in theaters represent what the studios were buying 3–5 years ago. If you want to know where their heads are at today, track what projects they’re buying now.” As
Script To Screen: “All About Eve” A scene from the 1950 movie All About Eve, written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and featuring one of the most famous lines of dialogue in movie history. Plot Summary: An ingenue (Eve) insinuates herself in to the company of an established but aging stage actress (Margo) and her circle of
Daily Dialogue — August 20, 2014 Sandy: Let it rain. He shots a basketball and misses. Reuben: So I did a lot of thinking last night, and there’s something I’m pretty excited about. Sandy: What’s that? (off basket) Nice. Let it rain. He shoots and misses again. Reuben: I feel like I might
The First 15 Pages A guest post from Tom Benedek, screenwriter (Cocoon), educator and co-founder of Screenwriting Master Class. Structure is everything. Perhaps. Breaking down the moving parts of the opening pages of the best screenplays yields a means to understanding their creative DNA. Putting all those pieces together — character intros, plot points,
The myth of the overnight screenwriting success One of the choice members of the Mystery Hollywood Twitter community is @MysteryBritExec. She is candid, can be wickedly funny and has a wonderful way with the English language, apparent even at 140 characters per tweet. She also offers keen insights into the business. To wit, earlier today MBE went
The Film Before The Film: The Evolution Of Movie Opening Titles Created by Nora Thoes and Damian Pérez. Via /film. Comment Archive
5 Screenwriting Skills: #2 — Knowledge [Originally posted March 19, 2013] During the nearly 5 years I’ve run this blog, I have been privileged to do one-on-one interviews with a number of screenwriters, especially this year as I set a goal to post a Q&A per week for 2013. Over the
Movie Trailer: “Ouija” Juliet Snowden (screenplay), Stiles White (screenplay) A group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. IMDB Release Date: 24 October 2014 (USA) Comment Archive
Free Screenwriting Resource: 200+ Story Ideas Every April for 7 years, I have run a monthly series: A Story Idea Each Day for a Month. Over the course of 12 months, I’ll flag 30 story ideas I find in my daily trek through all of my news sources and write posts about them. And here’
Screenwriting 101: Brian Koppelman “The job of the writer on a studio assignment is to deliver a shootable script as defined by other people — the director, actors, producers, and studio. Has the writer been devalued in town? For sure. And wrongly so. And the practice has no doubt made the overall quality of studio
Daily Dialogue — August 19, 2014 “There’s a name for you ladies, but it isn’t used in high society… outside of a kennel.” — The Women (1939), screen play by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Smack Talk. Today’s suggestion
Quest Writing Workshop: Chapel Hill, October 16–19, 2014 In October 2013, ten writers from across the United States and Canada converged at The Writers Junction in Santa Monica for a 4-Day Quest Writing Workshop with me as their host and teacher. It was a remarkable weekend, so much so I held another workshop in Santa Monica in
