Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 305th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…
Time for the 305th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest.
‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Leads Worst Summer Weekend in Two Years; ‘Logan Lucky’ Opens Soft.
Steven Soderbergh, What Happened? 4 Reasons ‘Logan Lucky,’ Wasn’t.
Premium VOD Paralysis Reflects Poorly on Studios, Exhibitors.
How Atlanta Is Taking Over the Entertainment Industry.
‘Star Wars’ Han Solo Spinoff: Michael K. Williams Role Cut Following Reshoots.
Why an Origin Movie For The Joker is a Terrible Idea.
CAA Gets Real on Diversity: “It’s Hard, It Takes a Long Time, and It’s Expensive”.
‘Despicable Me’ Is Now the Most Successful Animated Franchise of All Time.
Women Sizzle at an Otherwise Not-So-Hot Summer Box Office.
MoviePass Is Trying to Disrupt Hollywood — Will It Succeed?
James Cameron Calls ‘Wonder Woman’ “A Step Backwards”.
No, Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Logan Lucky’ Didn’t Change the Film Business.
Following Criticism, Joss Whedon Fan Site Shuts Down After 15 Years.
How Danny Strong Got the Clintons to Attend His Movie Screening.
Doug Liman Says ‘Edge of Tomorow’ Sequel Couldn’t Have Happened Without Fans.
How Hollywood Brought Out Mark Duplass’s Inner Sociopath.
‘The Lion King,’ ‘Bambi’ and Why Disney Movies Shouldn’t be Afraid of Death.
Cinefamily and the Danger in Our Own Backyard.
Overspending Is Good: Despite Expensive Risks, Studios Should Keep Opening Their Wallets at Film Festivals.
ShortList 2017: How Making a Short Can Kickstart a Young Filmmaker’s Career.
India’s 65-Year Battle Against Film Censorship: What Needs to Happen For It to End.
Hollywood Executives Flock to School to Learn Chinese for Business Opportunities.
John Steinbeck’s Feuding Heirs Head to Trial Over Steven Spielberg ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Adaptation.
Dramatic Irony and Character Deaths.
6 Filmmaking Tips from Frank Capra.
6 Filmmaking Tips From M. Night Shyamalan.
Why Do I Love Watching Someone Else’s Movie on an Airplane?
HBO’s ‘The Defiant Ones’ and the Trend of Editor As Writer.
The Return of the Episodic Anthology Series.
The Recent History of America Trying and Failing to Adapt British TV Comedies.
Amazon Expects More Straight-to-Series Orders, Output Deals.
Hollywood’s New Digital Disrupters: 15 Rising Crossover Stars.
Snapchat Is Cooler Than Facebook, According to Tweens at Least.
Snapchat Content Chief Expects First Scripted Fare This Year, Says “Mobile Is Not a TV Killer”.
The Book He Wasn’t Supposed to Write.
Dystopian Books Are Everywhere This Year.
A Timeline of Postapocalyptic Dystopias That Didn’t Actually Happen.
NYC’s Famed Village Voice Will End Weekly Print Edition.
Listen: Scriptnotes (Episode 314).
Read: Patty Jenkins (Interview).
Watch: Why The Incredibles is the BEST Superhero Movie of All Time.
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week
I recently wrapped up a private story prep workshop with Julie Tosh-Coles who then wrote me this email (reprinted by permission):
Hi Scott,
I wanted to reiterate how thankful I am that you offered me a private course. With the way my life is at the moment, it was the perfect solution to help me get past my allergy to note cards and to internalize a method to prep future projects. You allowed me to be flexible with deadlines, encouraged my process, shared your enthusiasm for all things screenwriting, and were a fount of insight and information.
Truly, I feel blessed that you took the time and allowed me (and my screenplay) to grow in an organic way.
Imagine having your very own private script workshop. A structured environment with content and a schedule tailored to meet your specific creative needs. Your own unique online course site. And a one-on-one mentor relationship with a professional screenwriter and educator.
You can do that through Screenwriting Master Class.
I have hosted private script workshops for professional screenwriters, actors, directors, best-selling non-fiction authors, playwrights, and novelists, as well as beginning, intermediate and advanced writers.
I offer one-on-one versions of any of our group workshops:
Pages II: Rewriting Your Script
One popular approach: Combine Prep and Pages I, a 16 week program to go from story concept to completed first draft.
For those who want a comprehensive approach to learning the craft — immersing yourself in screenwriting theory, then putting that to use in developing an original story and writing a script— there is The Quest, a unique 20 week program.
The Quest changed my life. It gave me the structure to be immersed in screenwriting and the flexibility needed to write and accommodate work and family life. Not only did I come out with a quality screenplay, but a practical approach that I can apply to each script I write.
Scott’s instincts as a mentor are spot on. He can tell the difference between when you need encouragement and when you need a good kick in the pants. Under his guidance, you become the kind of writer you want to be, the kind that doesn’t need to wait for inspiration.
You can spend your time reading through screenwriting inspiration, tips or shortcuts, thinking it will help more than actually doing the work, or you can take the leap and do The Quest.
— Taylor Gordon
Here are three big reasons to consider an SMC private script workshop:
- Writing a screenplay involves making thousands of choices about characters, plot, theme and so forth. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have feedback from a professional to help steer you through the process enabling you to avoid huge story pitfalls that could derail your scripting process?
- Writing a screenplay is a thankless, lonely job. Wouldn’t it be great to have the ongoing support of a professional to enable you to overcome inevitable story problems and emotional downswings?
- Writing a screenplay is a mystery. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to learn proven principles and practices from a professional with years of experience working in the entertainment industry, an approach to writing you can use again and again on your future stories?
For more information, contact me here.