Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 189th installment of Saturday Hot Links.
Black List Live! presents THE SHOWER, Saturday, June 13, 2015, 8:00 PM, Los Angeles.
Critics’ Choice TV Awards: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises.
Top 10 Takeaways: ‘San Andreas’ Opens Big But Box Office Continues to Sag.
Comedies, Superhero Movies to Battle at Fierce Summer Box Office.
The 15 Indie Films You Must See This June.
16 Good Movies to Watch on Netflix in June 2015.
Hollywood Execs Size Up Talent Agencies: WME “Swinging Their Dicks,” CAA “Like a Bunch of Old Guys in Suits”.
Now, It’s Personal: The Epic, Inside Drama Behind the New Hollywood Agency Wars.
Akiva Goldsman Explains ‘Transformers’ Writers Room As Paramount Adds Scribe Pair.
BBC ‘paying prospective scriptwriters the equivalent of £2 an hour’.
Warner Bros. Exec Talks DC Movie Strategy Including Multiple Screenwriters and Tone.
‘Birdman’ director lashes out at ‘corporate’ cinema and ‘the cruel emperor of profit’.
Love “Game of Thrones?” Thank “unfashionable” Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who went against the grain and conquered pop culture.
“Reality Matters”: Christopher Nolan Talks The Ending Of ‘Inception’.
Jason Blum’s 5 Tips for Low-Budget Filmmaking Success.
Riverstone Pictures To Fund Open Road Pic Projects In Multi-Year Deal.
The Editing of MAD MAX: Fury Road.
The feminine desert of Mad Max: Fury Road.
There’s a Museum in the Australian Outback Dedicated to Mad Max.
Showtime Stand Alone Streaming Service Undercuts HBO Now.
Google Wants the MPAA’s “Project Goliath” Documents.
Godzilla Officially Declared a Japanese Citizen.
Josh Trank sets the story straight on why he left ‘Star Wars’.
“Let’s talk about genre”: Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation.
In Jurassic Park, Spielberg made a family favorite from an adult book.
Steve Martin Roasted and Toasted at AFI Life Achievement Gala.
Read Tina Fey’s Touching, Hilarious Tribute to Steve Martin.
Anatomy of a Villain: The Secret of the Success of “Daredevil’s” Kingpin.
Antiheroines are the New Antiheroes: The Killer Women of ‘Penny Dreadful,’ ‘Orphan Black’ and More.
‘Game of Thrones’ Characters, Ranked by Severity of Daddy Issues.
ESPN’s Matthew Berry Quietly Launches Fantasy Movie League.
Note to Hollywood: Women Directors Abound in Indie and Documentary Film.
The Director List: Database with 850+ Female Directors.
Now you can buy action figure versions of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
Bob Berney to Head Amazon Studios Movie Marketing, Distribution.
Long-Lost Script by Pulitzer-Winning Writer Finally Headed to Screen After 29 Years.
Gawker Media Votes To Unionize.
The Best Movie Theaters In Los Angeles.
Army Approves Ryan Gosling, John Travolta L.A. River Movie Landmark for $1B Overhaul.
China to Clamp Down on Reality TV Shows.
Silicon Valley Is the Anti-Entourage.
TIFF Ditches Telluride Screening Policy.
Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Scarlett Johansson Have an Older-Man Problem.
Billy Mernit: Reflections on the rom-com Man Up.
Doug Richardson: Hollywood Success — Swallow the Money.
The Black List Table Reads: The Other Side (Part 4).
Chicks Who Script: Episode 43.
Scriptnotes: Episode 200.
Women in Hollywood: Episode 13.
Written By: Paul Feig
Watch: ‘Kung Fury’ Short Will Make Your Brain Explode With ’80s Nostalgia [video].
Watch: Here’s What ‘The Shining’ Would Look Like If It Were Directed By Wes Anderson [video].
Watch: 10-Minute Tribute To The Films Of Steven Spielberg [video].
Watch: 15-Minute Video Analysis Of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ [video].
Watch: 26-Minute Detailed Analysis Of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’ [video].
Vintage 24-Minute Talk With Orson Welles [video].
Fault in Our Stars Author John Green on Writing: ‘It Ain’t Coal Mining’ [video].
Love Movies? 4 Awesome YouTube Channels You Need to Watch [videos].
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: If you’re ready to prep a story or primed to go to script, I’ve got two online writing workshops geared for you:
Prep: From Concept to Outline: This 6-week online workshop guides you through the story development process from concept to outline.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
A proven, professional approach to prep-writing: From a Protagonist Character Treatment to a Master Brainstorming List, Ten Major Plotline Points to Narrative Throughline.
COURSE DETAILS
- Six lectures to guide you through the prep-writing process
- 24/7 online forum discussions moderated by instructor
- Weekly writing assignments to develop and build your story
- Instructor and class feedback
- Due dates to motivate you to write and post assignments
- A weekly teleconference with instructor and class members
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE
Screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, and playwrights who want to develop their story to an outline enabling them to have the confidence to pound out a first draft.
“The Prep class has given me a set of practical tools to use to take the bare glimmer of a concept to outline in six weeks.”
— James Tichenor
Start Date: Monday, June 8.
For more information, go here.
Pages I: Writing the First Draft: There is only one rule about a first draft: “Get the damn thing done.” In this 10-week online workshop, you will use a series of lectures and weekly writing assignments to pound out pages and push you from FADE IN to FADE OUT.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
A professional approach to writing a first draft, everything from hitting deadlines to constructive critique, how to handle page notes to finding the motivation to write even when you don’t want to, and much more.
COURSE DETAILS
- One written lecture posted each week
- 24/7 Online Forum Q&As moderated by instructor
- Page-writing assignments with instructor and class comments
- Due dates to motivate you to write and post pages
- A weekly teleconference with instructor and class members
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE
Screenwriters who will benefit from the structure of an online class to encourage them to start and finish a complete screenplay draft.
“Pages I: The First Draft is the best screenwriting workshop I’ve ever taken, hands down.”
— Valli Leigh
Start Date: June 22, 2015
For more information, go here.
Many writers benefit from the structure of a writing workshop to encourage them through their story-crafting process. Plus in both of these classes, you receive the benefit of feedback and support from your peers and myself. Finally, you not only work your way through your story, you also learn proven principles and practices you may adopt and adapt on all future writing projects.
If you think either of these workshops would help you and your creative process, consider them. As always, I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!
And if you would prefer to work with me live-and-in-person, there’s my upcoming Quest Writing Workshop!
What is the Quest Writing Workshop?
I work with a select group of writers over a long weekend teaching the foundation of Character Based Screenwriting, then put that theory into practice on each writer’s story, workshopping their ideas from concept to outline.
“The Workshop time was unbelievable; your ability to foster such a positive, encouraging environment for the exchange of ideas is the reason it worked. Every single person grew their story from a loose idea into something that resonated deeply with the group.” — Jonathan Barger
What is the time frame for the Workshop?
Three days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Each session lasts from 10AM-5PM. Then we go to a local watering hole to socialize and engage in informal discussion about the writing craft.
“As an advertising writer I’ve been in a million brainstorms. But Scott’s classes are special. They’re more like braincyclones, where we generated a mass of powerful ideas that elevated our stories into places that surprised and delighted us all.” — Matt Sherring
When and where is the next Workshop?
Friday, July 24-Sunday, July 26. Santa Monica, California.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with Scott and the other participants in the inaugural Quest Writers’ Workshop. There was a palpable electricity in the air while we worked, the kind you wish you could bottle up to take a drag from whenever you need to be inspired.” — Lisa Meacham
What is the cost?
The three day Workshop is $200 less than the original version. Enrollment fee: $695. However if you sign up now, you pay only $600.
“I went in thinking that I was maybe-sorta-kinda a writer(ish), and I left feeling like a WRITER. Scott’s workshop gave me the tools to work productively on my own and the confidence to present myself as a professional.” — Elisabeth Allore
Who would benefit from taking the Quest Writing Workshop?
Just about everybody.
* If you have a story idea you want to wrangle in a structured, supportive environment…
* If you want to learn a Prep-writing process you can use for all future projects…
* If you’d like know how to develop your characters so they lead you through the story-crafting process…
* If you would like to be part of a writers group that can continue on after the Workshop…
* If you could use an immersive three day experience to give your creativity a jolt…
* If you’d enjoy working with me as your mentor…
The Quest Writing Workshop is something you should consider.
“I’ve had the experience of getting feedback on a spec script by someone who pointed out everything I had done wrong, then left me to decide for myself how to fix the flaws. In contrast, Scott has ways of helping a writer discover and articulate the story they want to tell, and then pointing the way forward.” — Marsena Dufresne
In the Workshop, you will be immersed in Character and Plot, the foundations of a unique approach to screenwriting theory I have developed, used, and taught for over a decade. Then we will put that theory into practice on your story, growing your narrative from concept through brainstorming exercises, plot and character work, all the way up through the outlining process. This is a proven, professional approach to crafting a story, one you can adopt and adapt for all of your writing projects.
“I’m not trying to blow sunshine up your skirt when I say I got more out of those four days than I did all of grad school.” — Michelle Burleson
This is a real hands-on, immersive experience where we explore solid screenwriting theory, then put that theory into practice on your story, developing it from a concept into a full-blown narrative, laying the groundwork for you to pound out a first draft.
To enroll, go here.
If you think any of these workshops would help you and your creative process, consider them. As always, I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!