Saturday Hot Links
Time for another installment of Saturday Hot Links!
Today: The Joseph Campbell 109th Birthday Celebration Edition!
Ain’t It Cool News Harry Knowles: The cash-strapped king of the nerds plots a comeback.
The 5 best uses of music in Coen brothers films.
An interactive analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fiction. [Shaula Evans]
9 famous athletes who lied about their age.
10 of the juiciest memoirs written by women.
The 25 most powerful stylists in Hollywood 2013.
The greatest fantasy films you haven’t seen.
TV writing remains a white man’s world.
LAT: Old moviegoers on the rise.
An appreciation of screenwriter Fay Kanin who died this week.
THR coverage of Fay Kanin’s death.
IFC releases its first trailer for the Marc Maron scripted series. [video]
NPR ending “Talk of the Nation”.
Has the movie industry decided to opt for special effects over sex scenes. [Shaula Evans]
The secret world of star-on-star real estate deals.
A scientific guide on saying “no”.
Charlie Kaufman returning to TV with comedy pilot “How and Why”.
Why a failed TV pilot means success.
What portable computers were like in 1987.
Forrest Whitaker takes over Richard Pryor biopic.
How did Nickelodeon make the green slime.
The brains of the animal kingdom.
Blowing bubblegum bubbles in slo-mo. [video]
12 actors and directors on shooting sex scenes.
14 TV commercials made by famous movie directors.
5 ways big data is going to blow your mind and change your world.
The best breakup lines in film.
Where are our next male comic superstars.
The most secret of secret units.
Netflix poised to have 46M streaming U.S. subscribers by 2021. [Shaula Evans]
Where did the Easter Bunny come from.
17 phrases that make you sound like a Hollywood rookie when pitching.
The early jobs of 24 famous writers.
Chinese film studio sues Apple.
The Birds turns 50: Alfred Hitchcock drew fear from real-life flock.
Newly revealed storyboards from Hitchcock’s The Birds. [Shaula Evans]
The 16 funniest “Game of Thrones” parodies. [video]
The story behind the gay marriage symbol taking over Facebook.
Prana acquires Rhythm & Hues.
Paramount’s Brad Grey wants to build a TV studio.
Funny Or Die CEO explains business model: “Be nothing like Kevin Costner.”
James Cameron donates submarine to science.
7 questions for Bill Gold, master of the movie poster. [Teddy Pasternak]
10 reasons why we struggle with creativity.
8 dating deception tactics men and women use.
Read the first poems of 10 famous poets.
11 brilliant scientist tattoos.
30 movies that aren’t as bad as you remember.
How Beau Willimon ended up as showrunner on “House of Cards”.
Chuck Wendig: 25 ways to be a happy writer.
16 fantastic behind-the-scene photos from famous films.
10 old-fashioned swears to spice up your cussin’.
“Breaking Bad” script stolen from Bryan Cranston’s car.
Watch 6 adorable baby animals standing up for the first time. [video]
Can Bill Gates help build a better condom.
Cameron Crowe’s thoughts on Ernst Lubitsch. [Shaula Evans]
What’s the safest seat in an airplane.
FX announces a new TV network to launch in September.
More FX: Net orders a “Fargo” limited series.
Are the studios stuck in a creative groove.
Miramax, Scorcese developing “Gangs of New York” TV series.
Rare 1959 audio: Flannery O’Connor reads “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”
Malala Yousafzai, child activist shot by Taliban, signs a book deal.
Lionsgate stock hits an all-time high.
See every video game played on “The Simpsons”. [video]
IRS apologizes for “Star Trek” tax evasion training video.
8 crazy pop culture lawsuits.
Is Tilda Swinton sleeping in a box at MoMA today.
Why Will Smith turned down Django Unchained: “I needed to be the lead.”
Sony Pictures Classics soccer team wins LAFEST Industry Tournament.
J.J. Abrams talks Star Wars: Episode VII.
7 words guaranteed to make you a better writer.
Chord progressions of 13,000 songs.
io9: Why can’t Hollywood make a decent fairy tale movie. [Shaula Evans]
The U.S. Army’s plans for WWII bat bombs.
What’s actually wrong with Yahoo’s purchase of Summly.
The 30 most hilarious autocorrect struggles ever.
Plot details on Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.
The biggest cyberattack in Internet history happened this week.
Sold: George Harrison’s Blue Jay Way home.
Participant Media launches new cable network Pivot.
The dangers of the “Veronica Mars” Kickstarter victory.
“Chicago Fire” spinoff in the works at NBC.
Jon Hamm: Don’t talk about my penis.
10 authors who loved the filmed adaptations of their books.
The Wachowskis are making a show on Netflix.
“Game of Thrones” death generator: How would you die in Westeros.
A lost scene from Chinatown. [Shaula Evans]
What it was like to be a writer on a TGIF sitcom.
Why some state budgets are banking on weed.
King of Comedy to close 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.
“Girls,” “Louie,” “Southland,” “Game Change,” “Switched at Birth” win Peabody Awards.
And finally the announcement you’ve all been waiting for: Writers Guilds Award set for February 1, 2014.
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: I have another class in my Craft series starting Monday, April 8 called Character Introductions. In a few days, I’ll have more information on why I think that 1-week course is something you should consider taking, but I want to use this opportunity to promote The Core Package. For nearly 50% off the regular price, you can have access to eight Craft classes:
- Character Development Keys
- Character Introductions
- The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
- Create a Compelling Protagonist
- Handling Exposition
- Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling
- Story Summaries: From Loglines to Beat Sheets
- Write a Worthy Nemesis
You may take each course as it is offered. Or go through them all at your own pace. You can even do both.
It’s great to learn screenwriting theory at a macro level: That’s why I offer The Core Package, enabling writers to learn my character-based approach to screenwriting covering Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time.
But there are more practical matters that we face on a daily basis related to everything from character development and narrative voice to exposition and loglines. The Craft series is a great way to augment your overall understanding and help you drill down into specific aspects of the screenwriting trade.
For instance, introducing characters may seem like a mundane issue, but when you consider that scripts typically have anywhere from 15–30 characters, you can see it’s actually no small matter. That is especially the case because how a writer introduces characters is one of the first clues a script reader picks up on about how good and how professional the writer is.
So consider taking my 1-week Craft class Character Introductions. Then check out The Craft Package. It’s a great way to hone your skills as a screenwriter.
Thanks for your support and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!