Go Into The Story

Daily Dialogue — September 21, 2013

JACK: Wendy? GRADY: lt’s Grady, Mr. Torrance. Delbert Grady. JACK: Grady? Grady. Grady, uh…Hello, Grady. GRADY: Mr. Torrance. l see you can hardly have taken care of the — business we discussed. JACK: No need to rub it in, Mr. Grady. l’ll deal with that situation as soon

October: Hidden Movie Gem Month!

Got a great response from this post the other day: In my never ending quest to motivate folks to watch movies, why not a Hidden Movie Gem Month? What’s more, what if I reached out to the GITS community and offered any of you interested to write a guest

Dispatch From The Quest: Miranda Sajdak

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview (Part 5): Mynette Louie

This week, we are fortunate to have as our interview guest Mynettte Louie, a New York-based independent film producer. Her film credits include Children of Invention, California Solo and Stones in the Sun. Most recently, Louie produced Tze Chun’s crime thriller Cold Comes the Night starring Alice Eve,

Declare Your Independents: Volume 10

GITS development assistant Wendy Cohen here, and welcome to another edition of Declare Your Independents, our new series highlighting the latest developments in the world of independent film. This week… Why Getting on Upworthy is the New Goal for Kickstarter Campaigns Penn Jillette Makes a Horror Film The Future of

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 10: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 10 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Nebraska”

Written by Bob Nelson An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. IMDB Release Date: 22 November 2013 (USA)

September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 14

As noted in this post, September is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to

Great Character: Glinda (“The Wizard of Oz”)

Since the kids are heading back to school, this month’s theme: Mentor. Today in his regular weekly guest post, Jason Cuthbert looks at Glinda from the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, screenplay by Noel Langley & Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, adaptation by Noel Langley, based

Daily Dialogue — September 20, 2013

Scarlett: It’s me, Melly. Melanie: Promise me? Scarlett: Anything. Melanie: Look after my little son. I gave him to you once before. Remember? The day he was born. Scarlett: Please, Melly, don’t talk this way. I know you’ll get well. Melanie: Promise me college… Scarlett: Yes and

“How do I know I’m the good guy?”

One of the best things about teaching screenwriting in my spare time is how much the writers I work with provide insights and resources so that as a result, I find myself learning something on almost a daily basis. In a recent Screenwriting Master Class course, we were talking about

Dispatch From The Quest: Troy Klith

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview (Part 4): Mynette Louie

This week, we are fortunate to have as our interview guest Mynettte Louie, a New York-based independent film producer. Her film credits include Children of Invention, California Solo and Stones in the Sun. Most recently, Louie produced Tze Chun’s crime thriller Cold Comes the Night starring Alice Eve,

“Making a movie is easy: A 3‐step process that worked for ‘Prisoners’”

Yesterday in Hollywood Journal, there was a first-person essay from Adam Kolbrenner, co-founder of Madhouse Entertainment, a literary management and production company based in Century City, CA, about the long journey from concept to screen for the movie Prisoners. In the piece, Kolbrenner provides a good take on

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 10: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 10 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Open Windows”

Written by Nacho Vigalondo Jill, the most exciting actress of the moment, refuses to have dinner with Nick, a fan who won a date with her in an Internet contest organized by the distributor of her latest film. In return, a guy named Chord, posing as Jill’s campaign manager,

September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 13

As noted in this post, September is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to

Writing and the Creative Life: Writing as Pilgrimage

I am a pilgrim and a stranger Traveling through this wearisome land I’ve got a home in that yonder city, good Lord And it’s not, not made by hand — Music and lyrics by Merle Travis Perhaps because I am a military brat, having been transferred so often from

Daily Dialogue — September 19, 2013

Maggie Fitzgerald: I do have one favor to ask of you boss. Frankie Dunn: Anything you want. Maggie Fitzgerald: Remember what my daddy did for Axel? Frankie Dunn: [long pause] Don’t even think about that. Maggie Fitzgerald: I can’t be like this, Frankie. Not after what I’ve

Maybe the sky isn’t falling…

In June 2008, movie producer and former president of Miramax Films went public with an opinion piece titled “Yes, the Sky Really is Falling” [I covered it here]. Last week, an old friend who is a director called to catch up. It almost seemed as if he was seeking reassurance.

Dispatch From The Quest: Waka Brown

Over the course of the 24 weeks I am working with the writers in The Quest, each will write a weekly dispatch to share with the GITS community. There are several reasons for doing this, the main one educational: Hopefully you will learn something of value for your own understanding

Interview (Part 3): Mynette Louie

This week, we are fortunate to have as our interview guest Mynettte Louie, a New York-based independent film producer. Her film credits include Children of Invention, California Solo and Stones in the Sun. Most recently, Louie produced Tze Chun’s crime thriller Cold Comes the Night starring Alice Eve,

Go On Your Own Quest — Week 10: Prep

The 2013 version of The Quest starts Week 10 today. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by because you can Go On Your Own Quest by following the structure of The Quest to dig into screenwriting theory [Core — 8 weeks], figure out your story [Prep — 6 weeks], and write

Movie Trailer: “Beneath the Harvest Sky”

Written by Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly Two best friends are fiercely loyal to one another, as they come of age in a small farming town in Maine. One is a potato farmer raising money so he and his pal can start over, while the other is drawn into a drug-

September is Scene-Writing Month: Day 12

As noted in this post, September is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to