Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 244th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest.

The THR 100: Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful People in Entertainment.

Hollywood’s Corporate Overlords: 8 People Who Pull the Strings Behind the Scenes.

The Consiglieres of Hollywood: 4 Power Players Who Work Behind the Scenes.

The 16 Most Powerful Entrepreneurs In Hollywood.

‘Finding Dory’: 5 Reasons the Pixar Sequel Smashed Records.

From ‘Toy Story’ to ‘Inside Out’: Every Pixar Film Ranked by Box Office.

Summer Box Office Secret Weapon: the Hot, Hot Sun.

When Remakes Are Disguised as Sequels.

The Sequels of 2016 Aren’t About Storytelling; They’re Just Brand Extensions.

Brexit: Seven Likely Consequences for the British Film and TV Industry.

Brexit Is “Major Blow” to Film, TV Industries.

Does binge culture pose a serious threat to cinema?

‘Star Wars’ Helps Licensed Merchandise Sales Grow to $251.7 Billion.

‘Star Trek’ Sets New Rules for Fan Films.

When It Comes to Supervillains in Movies, Less Really Is More.

Forget Jaws. The Real Shark Movie to Beat Is Deep Blue Sea.

The Breakout Movie Star of the Summer Is the Seagull From The Shallows.

Writers Guild of America, West Announces Candidates for 2016 Board of Directors Election.

Why We Should Care About the 2016 National Film Registry.

Study: Millennial Moviegoing Changes Dramatically After Age 30.

Millennials Go to the Movies Way More Than You Think, Study Says.

Study Shows Film Criticism Is Just as Male-Dominated as Filmmaking.

The Inside Drama: How Stacey Snider Pulled Off a Coup at Fox.

Executive Buyouts Signal a Generational Transition in Hollywood.

Both Sony and Paramount Jockey to Develop Agatha Christie Films.

A Rare Interview With Megaproducer Arnon Milchan: What He Spent on ‘The Revenant’ and Why “the Movie Business Stinks.

In-Depth With Disney CEO Bob Iger on China Growth, ‘Star Wars’ Reshoots and Political Plans.

Aaron Sorkin Teaching Online Screenwriting Course for MasterClass.

Max Landis: 6 Tips on Breaking Into the Screenwriting Business.

Quentin Tarantino Gives Stirring Speech On Film & Culture After Receiving AFI Honorary Degree.

John Singleton Sounds Off On the ‘Dismal’ State of Contemporary Black Cinema.

Pedro Almodóvar Reveals the Spanish Films That Inspire Him Most.

Guillermo Del Toro’s 11 Rules for Becoming a Visionary Filmmaker.

Dustin Lance Black writes powerful essay on Orlando shooting.

George Lucas is taking his museum and going home.

Amy Schumer announces massive world tour.

Eight Female Producers on What it Takes to Make it in Hollywood.

Jim Henson’s daughter expands on his creative legacy, on- and off-camera.

FAA Announces Final Rules for Use of Drones on Film Sets.

Self-Driving Cars Could Be $20 Billion Boon to Hollywood.

How Can We Help the Working Mothers of Hollywood? Raising Films Has a Plan.

A Shrink Reveals How to Win at Hollywood’s Real-Life Game of Thrones.

‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ Finally Getting A Soundtrack Release 30 Years On.

Scientology Opens $50 Million Movie And TV Studio Complex In Hollywood.

Why 2016 Is a Great Moment For Black Film History.

Hollywood Flashback: In the 1930s, Darryl F. Zanuck Had a Killer Instinct.

The Shadow Of German Expressionism In Cinema.

The 10 Best Jean Renoir Films.

Film Inquiry Recommends: Silent Film Of The 1920’s.

A cinematic history of farting.

A Chat With the Creator of Can’t-Miss Classic Hollywood Podcast ‘You Must Remember This’.

Arthouse Audit: ‘Tickled’ Leads Long List of Modest Openers.

Despite VOD Ascendance, Indie Execs are Bullish on Theatrical Release.

As Vimeo CEO Exits, The Question Remains: Can the Popular Platform Become a Profitable Indie Market?

Beatles Documentary ‘Eight Days a Week’ Gets September Launch.

Revisiting the Coen Brothers Debut Movie: Blood Simple.

To Go or Not to Go: The Pros & Cons of Going to Film School.

Spielberg, Bruckheimer & More: Why Some of TV’s Biggest Producers Have Gone Indie.

TV’s Top Writers Sound Off on the Secrets of Their Craft.

The Spring TV Cliffhanger Frenzy.

PBS’ ‘American Masters’ Launches Podcast and Digital Archive.

Why CBS’s Latest Appointment Is a Big Deal for Its New Streaming Service.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves Outlines Streaming Ambitions.

Is the FCC’s “Unlock the Box” Plan for Cable TV in Trouble?

Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizens Brigade Signs First-Look Deal with Universal Cable.

‘Better Call Saul’ Writers Describe How They Earned Their Writers’ Room Spots.

Damon Lindelof on Perfect Finales and How to End ‘The Leftovers’ Season 3.

On “UnREAL,” a former producer of “The Bachelor” satirizes her experience.

Seed&Spark, SeriesFest Partner to Find the Next Great Voice in Independent TV.

How Much Time Do the Women of Orange Is the New Black Have Left in Their Sentences?

Winter is Coming, and It’s About Time HBO Changed Its Game Plan.

‘Vinyl’ Scratched by HBO: 3 Big Takeaways.

HBO’s Nick Hall Joins Amazon Studios as Head of Development for Half Hour TV.

Netflix Offline Playback Could Be Coming This Year.

Netflix Chews Up Less Bandwidth, as Amazon Video Streaming Surges.

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

Miranda Sings Leads the Way for Digital Stars Leaping to TV.

Q Scores Stats Reveal Who’s More Popular: Digital Stars vs. Mainstream Celebs.

Instagram, Topping 500 Million Monthly Users, Sees Video Fueling New Stars.

Facebook Paying $50 Million in Live-Video Pacts With Media Companies, Celebs.

BitTorrent Is Looking to Launch a TV News Network.

One Decade Later, Lonelygirl15 Is Back on YouTube With a New Series.

‘Cheers’ Stage Show to Debut in September.

Are you ready for “Monopoly”: The Musical?

As E-book Sales Decline, Digital Fatigue Grows.

The Definitive List of Must-Read Poetry Books from 2016 (So Far).

Spotify Now Has 100 Million Monthly Active Users.

Yondr is turning concerts into “no-phone zones”: Technology disables phones in venues big and small.

Writers Guild Foundation (Podcast): Inside the Writers Room with Better Call Saul.

Watch: New Teaser Trailer for HBO series “Westworld”.

Watch: The Radical Beauty of ‘Tangerine’.

Watch: Taking Time to Hear: Accented rests in Michael Haneke’s cinema.

Watch: A History of Horror.

Watch: Atmosphere of Menace.

Watch: 15 Most Beloved Disney/Pixar Animated Shorts, Ranked.

Finally Hollywood tributes continue to pour in for Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin.

Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week

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 this through Screenwriting Master Class.

Maybe you have gotten through a few drafts of your story, but you need to do a page 1 rewrite.

You could have already worked out your story and want guidance during the first draft process.

Or you’re starting with a concept and want to do prep and page-writing.

Maybe you are a beginner looking to learn the essentials of screenwriting and end up with a finished screenplay.

At Screenwriting Master Class, we can create private script workshops to match up with your individual goals as a writer.

Since launching SMC in 2010, Tom Benedek and I have worked with writers of all backgrounds and interests in the context of numerous private script workshops. Here are testimonials from two:

“Working with Scott in SMC’s private workshop was an invaluable experience. The private workshop gave me the attention I needed to address my script’s problem. I was so impressed with the quality of his teaching, the way the course was structured and the interactive process. In the end, not only did Scott help me solve my character problem, he elevated my script as a whole. He is a wonderful mentor and I learned a lot about the craft of screenwriting.” — Gladys Stone, screenwriter of “Tulio” (Semifinalist, Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition)

“Working with Scott in a private workshop arrangement through SMC greatly accelerated my screenwriting knowledge and craftsmanship. Scott is a most dynamic, gifted and generous educator. He offered a holistic, character-driven approach to story that helped bring out my best as a writer. The flexible syllabus of the mentorship invites exploration of creative impulses without fear of losing direction or purpose. The script on which Scott consulted placed in the top one percent of the 2011 AFF screenwriting competition and has opened industry doors. Most importantly the SMC has cemented lasting self confidence in my abilities as a writer.” — Gyan Alexander, screenwriter of “Convinced” (Seminfinalist, Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition)

People who have done private script workshops through Screenwriting Master Class include professional screenwriters, best-selling non-fiction authors, playwrights, and novelists, as well as beginning, intermediate and advanced writers.

Here are some private one-on-one workshops you can do with either Tom or myself:

Prep: From Concept to Outline: This 6-week online workshop guides you through the story development process from concept to outline.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

A proven, professional approach to prep-writing: From a Protagonist Character Treatment to a Master Brainstorming List, Ten Major Plotline Points to Narrative Throughline.

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING THIS PRIVATE SCRIPT WORKSHOP

Screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, and playwrights who want to develop their story to an outline enabling them to have the confidence to pound out a first draft.

“From Concept to Outline is a course I wish I had known about years ago. I would recommend this wholeheartedly for anyone who is about to embark on their first script or ANY script. This lays the foundation stone to your story.”

— Camilla Castree

Pages I: Writing the First Draft: There is only one rule about a first draft: “Get the damn thing done.” In this 10-week online workshop, you will use a series of lectures and weekly writing assignments to pound out pages and push you from FADE IN to FADE OUT.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

A professional approach to writing a first draft, everything from hitting deadlines to constructive critique, how to handle page notes to finding the motivation to write even when you don’t want to, and much more.

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING THIS PRIVATE SCRIPT WORKSHOP

Screenwriters who will benefit from the structure of an online class to encourage them to start and finish a complete screenplay draft.

“Over the years I’ve bought and read many books on screenwriting. None of them got me as far in my goals and understanding as the Pages I: The First Draft workshop with Scott Myers. Scott was a mentor, brain-stormer, and cheerleader. I felt encouraged and informed all the way to Fade Out.”

– Dawn LeFever

Pages II: Rewriting Your Script: In this 10-week workshop, you will not only drill down into your story and understand it more clearly, you will get from FADE IN to FADE OUT on your next draft, and move your script toward the point you can bring it to market.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

A professional approach to rewriting your script, everything from how to do a clean read assessment to identifying things that work and don’t work, characters and theme, structure and pace, and a structure to spur you from FADE IN to FADE OUT.

• Four weeks to analyze your existing draft and work up a revision outline
• Four weeks to rewrite your pages
• Two weeks to polish and edit your new draft

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER TAKING THIS PRIVATE SCRIPT WORKSHOP

Writers who could benefit from a structured environment to motivate them to get through the rewrite process and want to learn a professional approach to rewriting.

“Ever since taking this class, my own ability and confidence as a screenwriter has blossomed and brought my writing goals and ambitions closer than ever.”

— Aarthi Jayaraman

The Quest: The Quest is a 20 week private online screenwriting program that teaches you all the theory you need to know and a structured environment in which you prep an original story and write a full-length feature screenplay.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN AND DO

CORE: Four weeks covering the essential aspects of screenwriting: Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time. 48 lectures [over 250 pages] written by Scott Myers, weekly workshop exercises, and teleconferences with Scott as your private mentor.

PREP: Six weeks, six lectures, six writing assignments to develop one of your original stories from concept to outline, all lectures written by Scott, who also provides extensive one-on-one feedback on your writing assignments, plus teleconferences.

PAGES: Ten weeks, ten lectures, ten writing assignments to pound out a first draft of your original screenplay, all lectures written by Scott, who also provides extensive script page notes, plus teleconferences.

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER JOINING THE QUEST

• If you have studied screenwriting, but feel confused by contradictory and confusing screenplay paradigms…
• If you are just beginning and want a comprehensive, coherent approach to screenwriting, but don’t know where to go…
• If you want to learn screenwriting theory, then put it to use in writing an original full-length screenplay…
• If you need the structure of an online course environment to compel you to really make progress in your learning and writing…
• If you are looking to take a giant stride forward in your understanding of the craft and your writing ability in a compressed period of time…

The Quest is for you!

“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. And not only did I come out with a quality screenplay, but a practical approach that I can apply to each script I write.”

— Taylor Gordon

Here are three big reasons to consider a private script workshop with us:

* 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 us here.

Tom and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.