Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 304th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest.

Why Oscar-Winning Stars Flopped at the Summer Box Office.

Box Office: Hollywood Faces August Death March and a Bummer Summer.

Bart & Fleming: How Bad Was Movie Summer 2017?

Ken Ziffren: Profits Elusive for Studio Tentpoles.

Can Rotten Tomatoes Crush a Movie at the Box Office?

Box-Office Milestone: ‘Girls Trip’ Crosses $100M in U.S..

Emma Stone Tops Forbes’ 2017 Highest-Paid Actresses List.

‘The Conjuring’ Has Launched a Cinematic Universe That Actually Works.

Five Easy Steps to Making a Better Horror Sequel.

What the Koch Brothers’ Seeming Financial Gain From ‘Wonder Woman’ Says About Entertainment Discourse.

How ‘Baby Driver’ Exemplifies The Best of Genre Cinema.

Edgar Wright on ‘Baby Driver’ Blowing Past $100 Million, Making Original Movies, and Baby Driver 2.

China Box Office: ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Wins Third Weekend, Marches Towards $700M.

German Box Office Recovers in First Half of 2017.

What China’s Latest Crackdown Means for Hollywood.

Hollywood Earnings Season Trends: Direct-to-Consumer, Cord-Cutting and More.

Netflix vs. Disney: Why the Companies Are Waging ‘Studio-on-Studio Violence’.

Can Disney Create a Netflix of Sports?

For $10 a Month, Unlimited Movies at the Theater Is Now a Possibility.

What Is MoviePass? The Pros and Cons of $10-a-Month Unlimited Films.

Can MoviePass Become the Netflix of Going to the Theater?

AMC Slams MoviePass, Threatening Legal Action.

Apple is in Discussions to Offer $50 Home Movie Rentals of Big Theatrical Releases.

Apple and Hollywood Pose New Threat to Sinking Movie Theaters With Digital Download Talks.

Weinstein Company Launches Mizchief Animated Film Label.

‘Star Wars’ Spinoff: Obi-Wan Kenobi Film In Works, Stephen Daldry in Talks to Direct.

These Australians Are Here to Scare the Hell Out of You.

YA Movies Get Real: Black Lives Matter, Activism Explored in New Projects.

“Hidden Figures” Inspires #HiddenNoMore Educational Exchange Program.

The Hollywood Insider’s Guide to L.A. Private Schools.

John Ridley on Politics, Superheroes and History Repeating in ‘The American Way’.

Miyazaki, Lynch, Soderbergh — why are so many directors un-retiring?

Steven Soderbergh Opens Up His Office and His Process, If You Ask the Right Questions.

When Did James Cameron Become Hollywood’s Blockbuster Punch Line?

6 Filmmaking Tips From Nicolas Roeg.

Amy Heckerling and Beyond: The Evolution of Teen Girls On Screen.

Alfred Hitchcock and The Terrors of the Bathroom.

John Cleese Disses U.S. Comedies, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch.

Setting the Scene: Screenwriter Kerry Williamson Discusses ‘What Happened to Monday’.

A Screenwriter Who Was Homeless.

What Made ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ Become The Highest Rated Movie On IMDb.

In a Body-Positive Moment, Why Does Hollywood Remain Out of Step?

WGAW Statement in Response to President Trump’s Comments on Charlottesville.

It’s the Golden Age of TV. And Writers Are Paying the Toll.

Tribeca Launches Its First-Ever TV Festival With ‘Gotham,’ ‘Will & Grace,’ ‘Queen Sugar’.

HBO Twitter Accounts Hacked.

Shonda Rhimes Moves to Netflix From ABC With Huge Overall Deal.

What Shonda Rhimes’ Big Move Could Mean for Netflix, Broadcast TV and Her Shows.

Hollywood’s new love affair with the internet.

Netflix Losing Disney and Pixar Movies: No Big Deal?

Apple Sets $1 Billion Budget for Original TV Shows, Movies.

Why Apple’s $1 Billion Investment in New Content Isn’t a Threat to Netflix — for Now.

Apple’s TV Content Push: Who Will Get a Piece of That $1 Billion?

Listen: Scriptnotes (Episode 313).

Watch: How To Make A Blockbuster Movie Trailer.

Watch: No Country For Old Men: Ending Explained.

Watch: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: Visual Echoes.

Watch: Movie Dancing 101 — a Supercut.

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!