Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 192nd installment of Saturday Hot Links.

Dino Might, Muscle Cars Push Universal To Studio-Best Year Worldwide — In June.

Disney Passes $1 Billion in U.S. Grosses in Record Time.

Box Office: Moviegoing Isn’t Extinct After All as Revenue Hits Record Levels.

Is Hollywood Making Too Many Movies?

TV Takes Over Comic Con as Film Studios Back Out.

Quentin Tarantino Saddles Up To Bring ‘The Hateful Eight’ To Comic-Con.

The AMPAS invites 322 new members.

Hollywood and History Collide: A 1,200-Year Timeline of TV’s Period Drama Boom (Timeline).

Netflix Approves 7-for-1 Stock Split After Shares Hit All-Time High.

6 of Top 10 Movies This Weekend Feature Female Protagonist.

The 5-Point Plan to Solve Hollywood’s Lady Problem.

The Dissolve Picks the 50 Most Daring Film Roles For Women Since ‘Alien’.

Film Blogs Grow Up and Go Corporate.

Academy to Weigh Oscar Best-Picture Race, Vote in Members From More Diverse Pool.

Academy’s New Oscar Rules Stick with Best Picture Status Quo.

Academy Museum wins final L.A. City Council approval.

Universal Loses Bid to Toss Lawsuit Claiming ‘The Purge’ Was Stolen From Writer.

Disney Settles ‘Frozen’ Copyright Lawsuit.

Fox’s Writer Development Program Names 2015 Fellow.

Meet the Real Estate Moguls Behind Some of Your Favorite Indie Films.

A Deadly Adoption’: 10 Most Absurd Moments in Will Ferrell-Kristen Wiig Lifetime Movie.

Why TV Movies and Limited Series Are More Diverse Than Feature Films.

Whit Stillman’s ‘Metropolitan’ to Get 25th Anniversary Re-Release.

Movie Theater Scares Kids by Playing ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’ Instead of ‘Inside Out’.

Amazon’s Stunningly Progressive Children’s Shows Are the Streaming Site’s Hidden Gems.

Faith-Based Content Community Takes Hard Look at Growing Market.

Apple Bows To Taylor Swift, Reverses Payment Policy on Music Royalties.

Duplass Brothers Ink Seven-Film Distribution Deal with The Orchard.

Why Is Hollywood Still So Sexist?

8 Things ‘Inside Out’ Teaches Viewers About Emotions, Memory and the Mind.

This Fan Theory Will Make You Feel Better About That Heartbreaking Moment In “Inside Out”.

‘Inside Out’ And The Vital Importance Of Sadness In Pixar’s Blockbuster Hit.

10 Movies That Take Place Inside a Character’s Head.

Marvel Wins Supreme Court Victory Over Spider-Man Toy.

NBC Cancels ‘Hannibal’ After Three Seasons.

AwesomenessTV Launches Film Division.

CAA’s Doc O’Connor to Exit for Madison Square Garden CEO Post.

CAA’s Doc O’Connor Exit Means the End of an Era (But Not the End of an Agency).

Louisiana Movie, TV Industry Fears Slowdown After Limits Placed on Tax Credits.

Infographic: When Filmmakers Turn Their Shorts Into Features.

The Back List Table Reads: Terrible Parents, Part 3.

The Black List Interview: Matt Young.

John August: Stack of Needles, and giving your characters too much of a good thing.

Diablo Cody: Walk in Like You Own the Place.

Bob Saenz: The Writer Roller Coaster.

Chicks Who Script: Episode 46.

Creative Something: Episode 6.

Scriptnotes: Episode 203.

Watch: Documentary Details Production of ‘Dr. Strangelove’ on Film’s 50th Anniversary [video].

Watch: Chuck Palahniuk Reading a Children’s Version of Fight Club [video].

Watch: ‘The Wolfpack’s’ Former Shut-In Brothers Made a Dark, Surreal Short Film [video].

Watch: Jon Stewart Age 16 Years in 2 Minutes Thanks to the Miracle of Time-Lapse [video].

Watch: ‘Your Month of Zen’ Bids An Epic Farewell to Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’ [video].

Finally R.I.P. James Horner (1953–2015) Plus Listen To His 10 Best Film Scores.

Read James Cameron’s Fond Farewell to James Horner.

Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: As I often remind people, you don’t need to spend a dime to learn what you need to become a professional screenwriter. If you watch movies, read scripts, and write pages, you can immerse yourself in the world of cinema via numerous free online sites which provide quality content including this one.

That plus talent plus persistence is one way to maximize your chances of success.

However you can use online educational resources to jump-start your learning process and help steer you past innumerable pitfalls and stumbling blocks along the way.

I honestly believe there is no finer resources available than what we offer at Screenwriting Master Class. Indeed several writers who attended major film schools have told me what they learned at SMC is superior to their graduate school education.

Yes, I’m biased. But I’m also proud of what we do at SMC.

Then there’s this:

“There’s a reason I wanted Scott to be the official screenwriting blogger for the Black List. He’s the best there is. Period.” — Franklin Leonard, founder of the Black List

I’m beginning the next round of my comprehensive screenwriting theory Core curriculum on July 6. Here is a great opportunity for you to elevate and focus your understanding of essential subjects relative to screenwriting: Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, and Time.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!

Comment Archive