Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 307th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest.

2017 Toronto International Film Festival: 21 Must-See Films.

Toronto Film Festival: 12 Hot Titles Likely to Spark Bidding Wars.

Oscar Season Hits Toronto: 25 TIFF Movies With a Lot to Prove.

Toronto: The Black List, Martin Katz Name Fellow.

Industry Anxiety at Telluride Proved Even Critics Must Embrace Oscar Hype.

Telluride 2017: Seismic Rumble in the Rockies.

Is Moviegoing Dead? Lessons Learned From The Worst Summer At The B.O. In Over A Decade.

Summer Box-Office Debacle: Moviegoing Hits 25-Year Low as Revenue Plummets.

The Winners and Losers of Summer 2017.

After Dismal Summer, Hollywood Pins Hopes on Fall Ticket Sales.

Attacked by Rotten Tomatoes.

Not so super: Why Hollywood’s cinematic universes are on the way out.

Disney Remakes: The Collapse Of Creativity For The Sake Of Nostalgia.

The rapture of nostalgia.

Disney, Cable Stocks Take Hit as Investors Worry About Long-Term Media Trends.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Marvel, Star Wars Movies Will Be on Streaming Service.

From ‘The Big Sick’ to ‘Brigsby Bear,’ what does box office mean for indie movies these days?

China’s Summer Box Office Soars 24 Percent as North America Sinks.

The New ‘It’ Has Already Made A Record-Breaking Amount Of Money.

The History and Consequences of Hollywood’s Gender-Flipping Obsession.

New Academy President John Bailey is Willing to Ask if Movies Need Theaters For Oscar Qualification.

It’s Back: Orion Pictures Returns, and Just in Time for Toronto.

Paramount Settles Production Assistant Defecation Class Action For $700K.

When Horror Movies Impact the Real World.

Watch Out Studios: Apple And Amazon Are Vying For James Bond Film Rights Too.

Lord of the Flies to Ocean’s Eight: How Hollywood reboots are flipping gender.

All-Female ‘Lord of the Flies’ Vies for Coveted Title Of Least Desirable Hollywood Project.

Why Is John Denver’s Music in So Many Movies This Year?

Colin Trevorrow Out as ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Director.

Why Do ‘Star Wars’ Films Keep Losing Directors?

Colin Trevorrow’s Firing From ‘Star Wars’ Is Another Reminder That No Director Will Ever Be Bigger Than the Franchise.

How Film Forum’s Expansion Plans Could Impact Indie Distribution.

Fangs For The Memories: The Lost Boys And The Infantilization Of The Vampire.

When the Heroine Is Less Than Perfect.

Shane Black and the Art of Wit.

Indiana farmer plants corn maize tribute to Carrie Fisher.

Jenji Kohan Recounts Sexism She Faced While Building Her Writing Career.

‘The Deuce’ Offers a Look at the ’70s That’s Entirely Void of Glowing Nostalgia.

TV is having a ‘true hero’ moment.

Why Virtual Reality Is Getting More Important at the Emmys.

‘Netflix Is a Joke’ Billboards Appear in New York, Los Angeles.

Facebook to Spend Up to $1 Billion on Original Shows: Social Giant Wants to Stay on Hollywood’s Radar.

Why It’s SO Important That Comics Are Finally Including More Girls.

LA Times Owner Tronc Buys New York Daily News.

8 Ways to Get Creative with Your Boring Tripod.

Alleged Author of Legendarily Bad Fanfic ‘My Immortal’ Steps Forward, Announces Book Deal.

Listen: 3rd & Fairfax (Episode 32).

Listen: Scriptnotes (Episode 316).

Watch: Every Face Tells A Story | The Language of Cinema.

Watch: Spielberg: How to Introduce Characters.

Watch: Quentin Tarantino Talks at AFI’s Opening Day: Part 1.

Watch: Quentin Tarantino Talks at AFI’s Opening Day: Part 2.

Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week

When I launched ScreenwritingMasterClass.com over 7 years ago, I created the Core curriculum: 48 lectures, dozens of insider tips, 250+ pages of my original content. It is a comprehensive approach to theory and practice, a deep immersion into Character Based Screenwriting, moving way beyond the typical formulas promulgated by so-called screenwriting ‘gurus’.

The Core curriculum has resonated with hundreds of writers, cutting through the confusion of all the different takes offered in ‘how to’ screenwriting books, providing a coherent take on the craft based on my 30 years of experience as a screenwriter and 15 years as a teacher.

I only teach my Core classes once a year and the 2017 cycle begins next month. Everything you need to know about screenwriting theory in this unique curriculum based on eight principles: Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time.

If you sign up for The Core Package, you gain exclusive access to the content in all eight Craft classes which you can go through on your own time and at your own pace, plus automatic enrollment in each 1-week online course — all for nearly 50% the price of each individual class.

“I’m a huge fan of Scott’s classes, and I signed up for his Core Package, which I cannot speak highly enough about. If anyone wants to take a serious look at improving their writing, there is more than enough material to keep you busy for a few… dare I say, lifetimes? He’s the best. No bones about it.”

~ Heather Farlinger

Here are the eight courses offered in the Core curriculum:

CORE I: PLOT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Plot = Structure and explores the inner workings of the Screenplay Universe: Plotline and Themeline. Start date: September 11.

CORE II: CONCEPT — A one-week class which begins with the principle Concept = Hook and examines multiple strategies to generate, develop and assess story ideas. Start date: September 25.

CORE III: CHARACTER — A one-week class which begins with the principle Character = Function and delves into archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, and Trickster. Start date: October 9.

CORE IV: STYLE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Style = Voice and surfaces keys to developing a distinctive writer’s personality on the page. Start date: October 23.

CORE V: DIALOGUE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Dialogue = Purpose and probes a variety of ways to write effective, entertaining dialogue. Start date: November 6.

CORE VI: SCENE — A one-week class which begins with the principle Scene = Point and provides six essential questions to ask when crafting and writing any scene. Start date: November 13.

CORE VII: THEME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Theme = Meaning and gives writers a concrete take on theme which can elevate the depth of any story. Start date: November 27.

CORE VIII: TIME — A one-week class which begins with the principle Time = Present and studies Present, Present-Past, Present-Future and time management in writing. Start date: December 11.

These eight Core classes represent decades of my work on the front lines of the entertainment business as a writer and producer, and engaging the craft as a teacher as well, over time pulling together a coherent, comprehensive, and cohesive approach to screenwriting theory.

This is not about secret systems or magic formulas, rather the Core content presents a story-crafting process that starts with characters, works with characters, and ends with characters. That process of engaging you with your story universe through your characters and getting you in touch with these living, breathing individuals informs every step of your creative process, leading you to story structure, themes, conflict, subplots, and all the rest. As I say, Character Based Screenwriting.

NOTE: I provide feedback and am actively involved in our online chats. That includes a 90 minute teleconference for each Core class.

Check out the Core Package to ground yourself in a proven, professional approach to screenwriting theory and practice.

To learn about any of the Core classes, click here.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!