Screenwriting

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  • Writing Comedy with Sister Betty Creator

    BLACK WRITERS REUNION & CONFERENCE
    BWRC
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:05 am
    You’re a “little left to center,” somewhat strange or often told you need therapy for that wacky gene that dominates your being. Perhaps you should parlay all that quirkiness into comedy writing.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Live the Writer’s Life AND Pay the Bills

    BLACK WRITERS REUNION & CONFERENCE
    BWRC
    7 May 2012 | 5:40 pm
    Yes, you CAN write AND get paid. Renee Flagler will teach you how to successfully develop your writing career in a way that allows you to walk away from your current 9 to 5 in this Black Writers... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Let’s talk about dialogue

    johnaugust.com
    Stuart
    15 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    Screenwriters can learn story and structure, but the ability to create real, tangible characters is more elusive — and ultimately more important. The best gauge of good writing is whether a screenplay’s characters feel distinct and alive. A lot of that comes from how the characters speak: what they say and how they say it. John and Craig offer some tests to see if your screenplay’s dialogue works: Could you take one character’s words and have another say them? Can you picture a specific actor speaking each character’s lines? Or, even better, are there actors you…

  • Forward

    Complications Ensue: The Crafty TV and Screenwriting Blog
    Alex Epstein
    7 May 2012 | 10:40 am
    This is a new Obama ad airing in Virginia. I think it's a remarkable ad because it ties together a whole raft of talking points (or claims, if you're on the other side), and really powerful visuals, into one narrative. This is just about a perfect campaign ad for Obama, I think. There's been talk about how Obama can't run on "Hope" and "Change" this time. It seems he's running on "Forward."One thing I think is remarkable is how the Democrats have dug themselves out of the rhetorical hole they were in. Post-1964, Democrats were afraid to run on patriotism. Even Bill Clinton wasn't a big…

  • Leaning into the weirdness

    johnaugust.com
    John
    15 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
    Alex Morris looks at how Happy Endings found its footing: Rather than improve ratings by noticeably changing course (as Parks and Recreation had done after its first season), the cast and crew leaned into the weirdness of their comedy. Coupe and Wayans, who play married couple Jane and Brad turned their characters’ initial overachieving-bobo quirks into a full-blown orgy of neuroses—the second season finds Brad wearing a shirtdress because “Daddy likes a deep tuck,” and Jane stalking a kid she thinks might be her egg-donor baby (in fact the parents didn’t use her egg because they…
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    Complications Ensue: The Crafty TV and Screenwriting Blog

  • Forward

    Alex Epstein
    7 May 2012 | 10:40 am
    This is a new Obama ad airing in Virginia. I think it's a remarkable ad because it ties together a whole raft of talking points (or claims, if you're on the other side), and really powerful visuals, into one narrative. This is just about a perfect campaign ad for Obama, I think. There's been talk about how Obama can't run on "Hope" and "Change" this time. It seems he's running on "Forward."One thing I think is remarkable is how the Democrats have dug themselves out of the rhetorical hole they were in. Post-1964, Democrats were afraid to run on patriotism. Even Bill Clinton wasn't a big…

  • The Bridge

    Alex Epstein
    6 May 2012 | 10:23 am
    So I'm told there's a Scandinavian TV show called THE BRIDGE about a Danish cop and a Swedish cop who have to work together when a body is found straddling the border between the two countries. And they have very different personalities, see, and speak different languages...

  • Jiggedy Jig

    Alex Epstein
    2 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    I'm back at my desk after a week of WGC National Forum, a trip to Winnipeg to rebreak a script with a director, and a trip to New York to see my folks. Next week, off I go to Kuujjuarapik. (Any of you up there?)The first thing I do for a serious rewrite is take the old script back down to index cards. That's the best way to see, feel, and reshape the structure. (I do this even if it's my own script. Not that it should matter: I try to approach any script the same whether I wrote it or not. The good parts are good no matter who wrote them; the bad parts need fixing. The only real difference is…

  • Contracts Panel

    Alex Epstein
    29 Apr 2012 | 4:48 pm
    You can now download the audio from our WGC-sponsored panel discussion on What Do I Want In My Contract?. It's an exploration of the terms that the WGC's Independent Production Agreement doesn't cover. Many of them apply whether you're in the US or Canada, and whether you have a Guild agreement or you're on your own.

  • Gertrude Stein, Failure

    Alex Epstein
    29 Apr 2012 | 4:36 pm
    We went to see the Steins Collect exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's based on the stunning collections of modern art that Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo assembled in the first half of the 20th Century. There are the paintings they bought, and the paintings they looked at but couldn't afford, and paintings of them.Gertrude Stein is famous as a modernist author; as Picasso's first champion and collector; as the gal who helped Hemingway develop his style; and as someone whose Saturday evenings gathered some of the most promising painters and art fiends in Paris in the 20's.But…
 
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    johnaugust.com

  • Leaning into the weirdness

    John
    15 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
    Alex Morris looks at how Happy Endings found its footing: Rather than improve ratings by noticeably changing course (as Parks and Recreation had done after its first season), the cast and crew leaned into the weirdness of their comedy. Coupe and Wayans, who play married couple Jane and Brad turned their characters’ initial overachieving-bobo quirks into a full-blown orgy of neuroses—the second season finds Brad wearing a shirtdress because “Daddy likes a deep tuck,” and Jane stalking a kid she thinks might be her egg-donor baby (in fact the parents didn’t use her egg because they…

  • Let’s talk about dialogue

    Stuart
    15 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    Screenwriters can learn story and structure, but the ability to create real, tangible characters is more elusive — and ultimately more important. The best gauge of good writing is whether a screenplay’s characters feel distinct and alive. A lot of that comes from how the characters speak: what they say and how they say it. John and Craig offer some tests to see if your screenplay’s dialogue works: Could you take one character’s words and have another say them? Can you picture a specific actor speaking each character’s lines? Or, even better, are there actors you…

  • Scriptnotes, Ep. 36: Writer’s block and other romantic myths — Transcript

    Stuart
    9 May 2012 | 6:54 pm
    The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: My name is Craig Mazin. John: And this is Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. How are you, Craig? Craig: Doing all right today. I finished up a draft, so I actually have a little bit of a day off here. It’s quite nice. John: That’s pretty amazing. You finished up — do you celebrate when you finish a draft? Is there a ritual for you or anything like that? Craig: You know, there isn’t. And that…

  • Spending a year on Ringer

    John
    8 May 2012 | 11:57 am
    Last year, Jay Faerber wrote a First Person post on his experience in the Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop. At that time, he was just finishing up the workshop and staffing season was underway. I asked him for an update. The great thing about the Warner Bros workshop (in addition to what I learned in the program itself) is that it creates a strong incentive for any Warner Bros show that wants to hire a workshopper: the workshop will pay your salary for about the first 13 episodes. So it really gives workshop people a leg up when going out on meetings and competing against other lower-level…

  • Writer’s block and other romantic myths

    Stuart
    8 May 2012 | 11:43 am
    John and Craig open the 36th Scriptnotes with a brief discussion about contracts, and then face writer’s block head on. “Writer’s block” is an overused term. When a writer claims to be suffering from it, he is usually wrestling with some combination of three common problems: procrastination, perfectionism, and fear. “Writer’s block” is a romanticized catch-all that distracts from these real issues. Screenwriters can use a range of techniques to get over the hump, from setting a kitchen timer, to breaking work down into manageable chunks, to writing in…
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    Scriptwriting in the UK

  • Frolleagues Films!

    4 May 2012 | 4:30 am
    Time to celebrate upcoming (or existing) stuff from friends and colleagues.First up is Dan Turner's feature film The Man Inside. It's a thriller centered on a young boxer trying to distance himself from his father's gangster past and the relationship with his trainer. It stars Michelle Ryan, Peter Mullan, Bashy and David Harewood. TRAILER!I'm pleased to say I was involved in the early script development process of The Man Inside (Screen East hiring me as script editor), and it was great to work with Dan on the script as he's very receptive to notes and isn't afraid to challenge himself and…

  • UK Scriptwriters Podcast: Mailbag

    28 Apr 2012 | 6:15 am
    The latest UK Scriptwriters podcast is live! In this edition, me and Tim round up the latest screenwriting news and opportunities, and discuss the hot screenwriting topics via our mailbag. You know the drill: listen, download, share!Email us at ukscriptwriters@hotmail.comFind us on Facebook (links, vids & extras)Follow us on TwitterThis blog has its own Facebook page HERE (news, updates, opportunities)ScriptwritingUK on Twitter Or email me/leave a comment for any suggestions regarding the podcast or blog, or anything that may be on your mind.

  • Origin wins at LIFF!

    23 Apr 2012 | 6:38 am
    Origin has won Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short Film at this year's London Independent Film Festival! It's difficult to describe just how much this means, and how happy it makes me feel. As any regular reader of the blog will know, making Origin was a real labour of love, and I got incredible help from cast & crew, not to mention amazing contributions from the blog and Twitter. It's almost three years to the day that we started filming (a terrific four-day shoot), but it took another year to get the film in the can. Since then, it's enjoyed a fairly good festival run (Brancharge, Raindance, London…

  • Origin at LIFF

    5 Apr 2012 | 4:49 am
    Very pleased that Origin, my super supernatural short film, is going to screen on the opening night of this year's London Independent Film Festival (Thurs 12th April)!Here's the full schedule & ticket info (only £2!). If anyone's going, then I will see you there. If you're fairly new to my blog ramblings, and not heard of Origin before (full blog rundown via the link), then here's the trailer:

  • Talking the Talks

    29 Mar 2012 | 6:15 am
    Recently, in amongst my usual routine of reading & writing (and the odd bit of directing), I've been doing a fair few talks and workshops. It's always nice to be asked to do these types of sessions. They're usually a lot of fun and I like the interaction. Mine tend to be a mixture of studying industry standards and expectations combined with insights of my own experiences or my own take on a well-known topic. The year kicked off with Prequel to Cannes where I did TWO workshops: Taking on the Role of Writer/Director & How To Write for TV. These were nicely contained workshops in the Lighthouse…
 
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    Screenwriting Basics : Screenwriting Help

  • How To Survive As An Indie Filmmaker

    Angelina Merkel
    14 May 2012 | 9:01 am
    Finding distribution and pre-sales deals was once a feasible task, but not so much any more. Over the years the promise of financing and production for indie films has dramatically faded, and filmmakers are struggling to stay afloat. Bottom line is that survival of the fittest relies upon mindsets that change with the state of [...]

  • Film Producer Commentary – The Walking Dead

    Kathleen Gage
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:03 am
    My 12 Feature Filmography Despite my long filmography in the genre, having produced many horror films, it doesn’t automatically imply that I always enjoy them, or for that matter that they are that easy to produce.  So when my wife suggested I watch the ‘Walking Dead’ and cleverly sold it to me with the synopsis [...]

  • The Screenwriter’s Armoury

    Brad Reston
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:23 am
    The ability to write a highly polished and professional script doesn’t come easy to anybody. It takes years, decades in fact, to master the craft. Indeed, mastery of that craft requires the mastery of a number of different skills. Screenwriting is not one single, defined skill; it is a set of skills that combine to [...]

  • Five of the Greatest Movie Villains of all Time

    Angelina Merkel
    17 Apr 2012 | 9:13 am
    They are the film characters everyone loves to hate. They terrify us, leave us scared witless and have us perched on the edge of our seats in the cinema or in our living rooms, yet we also find movie villains fascinating to observe. Here are five of the scariest bad guys to have ever graced [...]

  • The 5th Gulf Film Festival Gets Underway in Dubai

    Ashley Conway
    12 Apr 2012 | 2:46 pm
    The Gulf Film Festival (website) has been growing steadily since its inception in 2008, and this year is no exception with the best film-making talent in the region showcasing their work. The fifth Gulf Film Festival is under way, a non-profit event celebrating and promoting films and film-making in the Gulf region. Over the course of [...]
 
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    BLACK WRITERS REUNION & CONFERENCE

  • #BWRC2012 Twitter Contest

    BWRC
    16 May 2012 | 10:32 am
    Tweet your way to the BWRC! Write a short tweet and win a ticket to Black Writers Reunion & Conference 2012. This summer we will again run our Twitter contest, offering even greater prizes to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Live the Writer’s Life AND Pay the Bills

    BWRC
    7 May 2012 | 5:40 pm
    Yes, you CAN write AND get paid. Renee Flagler will teach you how to successfully develop your writing career in a way that allows you to walk away from your current 9 to 5 in this Black Writers... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Writing Comedy with Sister Betty Creator

    BWRC
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:05 am
    You’re a “little left to center,” somewhat strange or often told you need therapy for that wacky gene that dominates your being. Perhaps you should parlay all that quirkiness into comedy writing.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Format Your Book for eReaders

    BWRC
    19 Apr 2012 | 9:01 am
    By year end 2012, at least 28.9 million eReaders are projected to be in the hands of 12% of adult Americans nationwide (source: eMarketer.com). Is your book ready for the millions of digital readers... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Weaving Real-Life Stories Into Your Novels The Ethical Way

    BWRC
    17 Apr 2012 | 11:05 am
    Many authors, including this session speaker, weave real-life experiences, events, and people into their fiction. Depending on the degree of ‘real-life’ portrayed in a novel, it may be deemed... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    By Ken Levine

  • I hate PowerPoint

    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Imagine you had to give a presentation to a fairly large group. The topic is something you know something about. The quarterly report. The latest advances in merkins. Whatever.  And while you're delivering this presentation you also have to put on rock climbing gear. Bulky jacket,boots, lacing up the heavy boots, attaching one or two harnesses, stocking up on flares and picks. All this while you're analyzing T.S. Eliot poetry. Well for the most part, that's what it's like when you do a presentation with PowerPoint. Ive been to a number of conferences lately where good speakers with…

  • Now that the networks have announced their schedules, some random thoughts...

    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Unlike NBC, CBS opted to pick up comedies by proven showrunners. Max Mutchnick & David Kohan got a show along with Alan Kirschenbaum. And both show are multi-camera. Meanwhile, NBC continues to assign showrunners to new series created by inexperienced writers. Now you’d think they’d try to match the perfect writer with the perfect project? No. They’re assigning showrunners that they have deals with. NBC is the Fantastic Sams of networks. Yes, WHITNEY got picked up. But look where NBC scheduled it. In the Friday 8-9 death slot. And what did they pair it with? COMMUNITY – the show…

  • Help Wanted: Showrunners

    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Just left New York before the big Upfronts announcements – not that any of the networks would’ve invited me to any of their launch parties anyway. (“Levine doesn’t have a show and he eats all the shrimp!”) Big new trend this year: new series picked up without proven showrunners. How can you tell? When the networks told the lucky pilot creators they were on the schedule they reacted by saying, “Yay!” and not “Oh shit!” Only seasoned showrunners, who know what to expect, say that. In their quest to get new ideas and new voices, the networks have favored development with…

  • Live from the train

    13 May 2012 | 6:59 pm
    This is a first -- a live blog post. I'm on the Mariners train from New York to Boston. The team won today so I get to ride inside and not on the cow catcher. At the moment we're stopped somewhere near New Haven to let another train pass. I'll be pissed if it's the Yankees. As for the scenery -- picture the French countryside with landfills. But there's something romantic about a baseball team traveling by train. Oh for the days of club cars and Babe Ruth vomiting into spittoons! Going to sign off now. The train has started up again. And I've got a movie to watch. I hope Unstoppable is good.

  • Happy Mothers' Day to all you moms and queens

    13 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! Especially to the mom of my kids, Debby.This year I'm spending Mother's Day the traditional way -- at Yankee Stadium, calling the Mariners-Yankees game on 701 ESPN Seattle, the Mariners Radio Network, and MLB.COM.  But when you think of great mom's, who springs to mind first?  Why, Queen Elizabeth of course!   So for the first time ever, a blog post that combines Mothers' Day, the Queen of England, and baseball.  In 1991 I was a rookie play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles.I kept a daily journal that year and sold it as a book.
 
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    A Bucket of Love

  • This one hurts

    Brett
    8 May 2012 | 8:26 am
    "Where The Wild Things Are" is probably my favorite book, ever. It was written right around the time I was born, so I came into a world that had never seen that book, and I've grown up never knowing a world that didn't have that book.I recall learning how to read for myself around age 4, and I recall all the Seuss books for their silly word fun, but it was Sendak's wild phantasm that totally swallowed me like some great wild beast. The world of that book was wild, dark, and somehow both dangerous and enticing at once. I recall spending long afternoons as a small child just staring at the…

  • Can you see that you will always be my friend?

    Brett
    21 Apr 2012 | 8:38 pm
    So today is April 21, which is San Jacinto Day, the day that Texas won her independence from Mexico in 1836 when General Sam Houston's forces surprised and defeated the hugely superior force of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. And San Jacinto Day also happens to be the day of Aggie Muster, a sacred occasion when Aggies worldwide gather and remember fallen comrades and friends. If you're an Aggie, it's among the most solemn of all traditions.Today I spent the day with my two younger kids, off on a school trip which is largely irrelevant to this post except to say if there was any doubt…

  • Greatest Song Lyrics Ever, vol. 86

    Brett
    21 Mar 2012 | 11:59 pm
    "Slidell" by Grayson CappsI heard they cleaned the wreck outsida Slidelljust before the dawnI heard five people got murderedby a drunk woman talking on her cell phoneI got drunk last night in Slidellwaiting on the clean up crewI've been on the road for fifteen dayswaiting just to get home to you.Just before the dawn---- you hear the rooster crowJust before the dawn---- I'm gonna rise up... rise up... slowNighttime driving is like a dreamHallucinations rise up from the roadIt's lonesome at five amwhen the white line becomes your soulJust as the sun begins to risethe highway is foggy as hellAnd…

  • So You Wanna Call Yourself A "Coach"?

    Brett
    19 Jan 2012 | 10:45 pm
    Then go read THIS.It's the final send-off from (former) Texas Aggies football coach Mike Sherman to a long list of hundreds of Texas high school football coaches, a sort of combination thank you/so long/keep in mind sermon wherein Sherman defines and delineates several concepts which he feels are paramount to successful coaches.And what's most cool is how most of the concepts do not really limit themselves to football coaching application.Sure, advice like "Never Pass Up an Opportunity to Practice Tackling" might be rather specific and limited in non-football application, but when the bulk of…

  • First Ten Verbs 2011

    Brett
    6 Dec 2011 | 12:18 pm
    Back in the halcyon days of 2006 -- when the Internet still seemed interesting and amusing rather than just overrun with howler monkeys and hardcore Miracle Whip addicts -- I posted a meme wherein writer-type folks were asked/encouraged/ordered to post the first ten verbs from whatever project they were then currently working on:A Bucket Of Love: Your First Ten Verbs (April 2006)"Why?" you ask in that typically sniveling and mewling nasal tone of yours which sets all right-thinking people's nerves well on edge."SHUT UP," I explain.And then I continue with another ref to that long ago post:The…
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    Scriptwriting in the UK

  • Frolleagues Films!

    Danny Stack
    4 May 2012 | 4:30 am
    Time to celebrate upcoming (or existing) stuff from friends and colleagues.First up is Dan Turner's feature film The Man Inside. It's a thriller centered on a young boxer trying to distance himself from his father's gangster past and the relationship with his trainer. It stars Michelle Ryan, Peter Mullan, Bashy and David Harewood. TRAILER!I'm pleased to say I was involved in the early script development process of The Man Inside (Screen East hiring me as script editor), and it was great to work with Dan on the script as he's very receptive to notes and isn't afraid to challenge himself and…

  • UK Scriptwriters Podcast: Mailbag

    Danny Stack
    28 Apr 2012 | 6:15 am
    The latest UK Scriptwriters podcast is live! In this edition, me and Tim round up the latest screenwriting news and opportunities, and discuss the hot screenwriting topics via our mailbag. You know the drill: listen, download, share!Email us at ukscriptwriters@hotmail.comFind us on Facebook (links, vids & extras)Follow us on TwitterThis blog has its own Facebook page HERE (news, updates, opportunities)ScriptwritingUK on Twitter Or email me/leave a comment for any suggestions regarding the podcast or blog, or anything that may be on your mind.

  • Origin wins at LIFF!

    Danny Stack
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:38 am
    Origin has won Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short Film at this year's London Independent Film Festival! It's difficult to describe just how much this means, and how happy it makes me feel. As any regular reader of the blog will know, making Origin was a real labour of love, and I got incredible help from cast & crew, not to mention amazing contributions from the blog and Twitter. It's almost three years to the day that we started filming (a terrific four-day shoot), but it took another year to get the film in the can. Since then, it's enjoyed a fairly good festival run (Brancharge, Raindance, London…

  • Origin at LIFF

    Danny Stack
    5 Apr 2012 | 4:49 am
    Very pleased that Origin, my super supernatural short film, is going to screen on the opening night of this year's London Independent Film Festival (Thurs 12th April)!Here's the full schedule & ticket info (only £2!). If anyone's going, then I will see you there. If you're fairly new to my blog ramblings, and not heard of Origin before (full blog rundown via the link), then here's the trailer:

  • Talking the Talks

    Danny Stack
    29 Mar 2012 | 6:15 am
    Recently, in amongst my usual routine of reading & writing (and the odd bit of directing), I've been doing a fair few talks and workshops. It's always nice to be asked to do these types of sessions. They're usually a lot of fun and I like the interaction. Mine tend to be a mixture of studying industry standards and expectations combined with insights of my own experiences or my own take on a well-known topic. The year kicked off with Prequel to Cannes where I did TWO workshops: Taking on the Role of Writer/Director & How To Write for TV. These were nicely contained workshops in the Lighthouse…
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    Living the Romantic Comedy

  • Girls Talk

    mernitman
    14 May 2012 | 2:47 pm
    Oh, shut up about it, already: The entitlement and the unconscious racial elitism and everything else that's wrong with the kids these days, namely Lena Dunham.  You go write some scenes that are as smart and funny and surprising and button-pushing as Dunham did in this past Sunday night's episode of Girls and get your material produced, and then we can talk.  Love her or hate her, Dunham was inarguably articulate in responding to her critics re: the "all white girls in an all white world" issue on NPR with Terri Gross last week, noting that she takes such…

  • Rom-Com Lessons Learned

    mernitman
    1 May 2012 | 8:41 pm
    You may've heard about the disappointing performance of The Five Year Engagement, which was bested at the box office this past weekend by Think Like a Man.  Full disclosure: I work at the studio that released this Nicholas Stoller-directed, Judd Apatow-produced comedy, but I come here not to praise Engagement, nor to bury it.  I just think that anyone who's currently writing a romantic comedy can draw a few helpful lessons from the movie.  Call it a teachable moment. 1) Nobody likes too long. With the inevitability that its self-fulfilling prophecy title suggested,…

  • Little Screen, Big Characters

    mernitman
    16 Apr 2012 | 2:40 pm
    By now you've heard the news, if you haven't already articulated the meme yourself.  War's over: The movies lost, and TV won.  For both the writers and the fans of good storytelling, the action used to be at the multiplex on Friday and Saturday night, and now it's in your living room on Sundays. I mean, really: If you're over 25 years old, can you think of a single feature release in the past couple of years that has galvanized your attention and made you care, fiercely and consistently (in an OMG, I can't wait for the next episode way) as a season of Mad…

  • Rom-Com Archetypes: The Buddy and the Buddy Group

    mernitman
    1 Apr 2012 | 4:32 pm
    One of the most useful tools in the romantic comedy screenwriter's shed is the Buddy.  The Buddy acts as the lead character’s support and sounding board, and gives us a bigger window into this protagonist’s inner life.  Though lesser Buddies exist merely to crack wise and provide exposition, the best of them have a key function in the plot: They help move the story forward.  Tom Hank’s buddy (Rob Reiner) in Sleepless in Seattle goads him into dating again, while Meg Ryan’s buddy, played by Rosie O’Donnell, makes Meg realize she’s more into Tom than her actual…

  • The Triumph of Truthiness

    mernitman
    26 Mar 2012 | 1:38 pm
    Sorry if this post is on the brief side, but the chemo has me a little woozy.  Actually, it's just a hangover, but that first sentence got your attention, didn't it? If you're tempted to leave this page to read something else right now, know that in doing so you'll be tripping a cyber-wire that'll unleash a deadly virus on your computer.  Well, not exactly, but you'll feel a little guilty - mainly because I'm about to tell you something unbelievably vital that could change your life.  Or that you'll find kind of interesting.  Not…
 
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    INDELIBLE FRECKLES

  • GOODBYE MY FELENI: Peek

    d f mamea
    14 May 2012 | 2:33 pm
    Read-throughs can be fun to attend as a reader or gopher but when you’re the writer, you can only gird your loins and approach it as an instructive exercise. One of the nice things about a closed read-through is that the atmosphere is collegial: it’s okay to say, This dialogue sucks because it’s understood that the speaker will then say why it sucks, and maybe even suggest how it can be made to suck less, all in a thick fug of We’re here about the work. A public reading – well, that’s a different kettle of hedgehogs. There’s the possibility – no…

  • SKYBLUE: Post-match

    d f mamea
    13 May 2012 | 1:37 am
    I’d forgotten about that interview they stitched seamlessly into an intro. I sound reasonably coherent – score! Some link-love for the masochists amongst you – – and in downloadable format:     Ogg Vorbis       mp3 I believe the links self-destruct a fortnight from today so, y’know, no rush or anything. In the meantime, I’m wondering if this other story I’m working on might make for good radio drama….

  • SKYBLUE

    d f mamea
    9 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    In December 2010 I went down to my oul’ home toon to sit in on the recording of a radio drama I wrote. I bragged about it, of course. Now it’s about to hit the airwaves. SKYBLUE will be broadcast on SUNDAY 13 MAY 2012 at 3:05pm (New Zealand time) on National Radio. Getting stuff out is a collaborative effort so even though I wrote it, other people made it a reality. Big ups to – – the actors: Tess Jamieson, Jamie McCaskill, Nigel Collins, Mick Rose, Nick Dunbar, Asalemo Tofete, Amy Tarlton, Phil Grieve, Tina Cook, Rob Lloyd, Duncan Smith, and Prue Langbein; –…

  • GOODBYE MY FELENI: Revised First Draft

    d f mamea
    9 May 2012 | 2:44 am
    For some reason – and it’s not just my usual laziness – the idea of revision has, of late, been quite a mountain to climb. As if it wasn’t bad enough circling a blank screen, approaching a draft with revisory intent always makes me think of that saying about dogs and their vomit. A script doesn’t get better on itself, but. So. I took the notes I was given from the read-through, some more from the director hisself, and some of my own, and tried to integrate those that were most applicable (ie., felt right) into the next iteration of the draft. If nothing else,…

  • GOODBYE MY FELENI: The First Read Through

    d f mamea
    1 May 2012 | 12:19 am
    You want names? They’re right here and here. … Um, yeah: more to follow, obviously. So, yesterday was the read-through and…. Read-through’s are always an heady, anxious, butterflies-in-the-bowels kind of experience. You’ve just emerged into the light with a draft that you think/hope/pray hits the mark. You anticipate the joy of hearing your dialogue sing and await the inevitable praise to be heaped upon you from your readers. This read-through was no different. The actors reading their lines sounded nothing like the voices I’d heard when writing the script.
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    Running With My Eyes Closed

  • Women in the Media

    admin
    11 May 2012 | 10:04 am
    “Of 5,554 speaking roles in family films, only 29% were female.” “Almost a quarter of all female characters in family films are undressed or partially nude compared to 4% of male characters.” Source: TruthOUT

  • Women in the U.S. Workforce

    admin
    11 May 2012 | 9:57 am
    Source: TruthOUT

  • Tech Scout

    admin
    11 May 2012 | 8:20 am
    Tech Scout coming up today. On the scout, we’ll visit each place we’ll be shooting and assess it from a technical point of view — and by we, here I mean the people who actually know what our tech needs are: director, DOP, first AD, grip, gaffer, sound department, production manager. I’m along to get a good look at each spot and hear what Kelly has planned so that I can adjust the script as needed. We have many of the same crew members as first season, so it’s a good time to look back at our first tech scout as shot by Jennifer Liao. We’re very excited about…

  • Internet Speed Around the World

    admin
    10 May 2012 | 7:48 am
    In case you’re wondering about high-speed penetration and connection speeds around the world: Presented By: OnlineUniversities.com

  • Ruby – T Minus 13

    admin
    9 May 2012 | 7:41 am
    Is it only Wednesday? So much has happened this week. We locked our library location yesterday. That was huge. We’ll be shooting at a gorgeous old library at University of Toronto. It is a dream location. Waiting to hear back has been very difficult. We’re 13 days out from shooting and we don’t have a shooting schedule yet because we’ve been waiting to find out what location we would have and what days they can accommodate us. The pressure is on our first AD Jason Bourke now. Hopefully, we’ll have a schedule by the end of the weekend and that will make everything…
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    The Athletic Nerd

  • Blockbuster Repeat Viewings

    jasonmckinnon
    16 May 2012 | 8:42 am
    IT’S OKAY…  GO BACK AND SEE IT AGAIN. When I was growing up, seeing a movie in theaters twice was unheard of.  Before I had my driver’s license it was pretty much an impossible feat to accomplish.  I lived about 30 minutes outside of a reasonably large city and trips to the theater were few and far between. But you aren’t a movie nerd if you’ve never seen a movie twice during it’s theatrical run.  I finally did it in 1999 when Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released.  A group of my friends cut school (sorry mom) and took a bus into the…

  • Game Of Thrones Moment: A Man Without Honor

    jasonmckinnon
    15 May 2012 | 12:07 am
    SEASON 2 EPISODE 7 “A MAN WITHOUT HONOR” And so we enter the second half of the unbelievable second season of Game of Thrones.  A Man Without Honor wasn’t as action packed as the last few chapters but it was still full of important moments.  Last week, I complained slightly about Daenerys storyline in Qarth.  It felt like the whole arc had stalled. Thankfully, she seems to have finally hit rock bottom which, to me, means action is coming soon.  Daenery’s is now completely demoralized in her quest for the iron throne.  She has no army, no boats and most…

  • Total Film Calls The Athletic Nerd A Cool Blog To Visit

    jasonmckinnon
    15 May 2012 | 12:05 am
    Everyone who starts a blog feels a great sense of pride when someone links to them or mentions their site in any way.  They are tiny victories and for me, they are the fuel that keeps me writing each and every week. Today, The Athletic Nerd was mentioned in Total Film’s weekly newsletter as a cool film blog to visit.  I’m also a part of their extensive ‘600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed.’ If you haven’t seen Total Film’s website or the extremely popular magazine be sure to check them out here. Thanks to Total Film for the mention and to…

  • Dark Shadows Cursed My Wallet

    jasonmckinnon
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    QUICK COME HERE, NO OVER HERE, NOW BACK HERE, THEN HERE, NOW HERE… Let’s get the obvious out of the way…  I did not care for Dark Shadows.  It’s unfortunate because I was really hoping it would end up being a fun little vampire tale.  The latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration is a complete mess.  It seemed like they examined the story arcs of the TV series and crammed every single one of them into a movie that suffers from ADD. XTRA | A Conversation With Tim Burton The opening was fantastic, it set up Depp’s Barnabas well.  But then we spend 30 minutes…

  • What If Steve Jobs Was A Screenwriter?

    jasonmckinnon
    10 May 2012 | 9:19 am
    REVEW: STEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON “My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products.  Everything else was secondary.  Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products.  But the products, not the profits, were the motivation… ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach.  Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.” (Steve Jobs p567) I’m an Apple fan.  For years I resisted because I felt Windows based…
 
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    R.W. Ridley

  • A special Mother’s Day post – A message from my late mother

    R.W. Ridley
    13 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    Feeling loved! You shouldn’t be surprised that a writer with horror leanings would write a post featuring a message from his dead mother on Mother’s Day, but you might be surprised that this isn’t a macabre entry.  On April 3 of this year I had a very vivid dream involving my mother.  For those of you who don’t know, Mom passed on April 29, 2011.  Obviously my subconscious was aware of the coming anniversary of her death, even if my conscious mind had blocked it from my memory.  I was blissfully unaware of the coming milestone. So, on April 3, 2012, my Mom visited me.  Yes, it…

  • Did the North Carolina ban on same-sex marriage go too far or not far enough?

    R.W. Ridley
    10 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    This isn’t my typical post.  I have to admit I was dumbfounded by the recent ban on same-sex marriages in North Carolina.  I had high hopes the voters would rebuke the attempt to deny some of their citizens equal rights, but they didn’t.  I’m disappointed.  Not in the voters as much as us, the whole of society.  We’ve failed miserably at being fundamentally American by allowing this to happen.  This isn’t about sexual orientation to me.  Far from it.  It’s equal rights for all.  It’s as simple as that.  These are my random thoughts on the…

  • Maurice Sendak on life, death, love, and children

    R.W. Ridley
    8 May 2012 | 12:43 pm
         

  • R.I.P. Maurice Sendak

    R.W. Ridley
    8 May 2012 | 9:18 am
    Let the wild rumpus start! I was saddened to hear about the passing of Maurice Sendak this morning.  As a kid, Where the Wild Things Are was a major part of my life.  When I wasn’t reading it, I was flipping through the pages and studying the illustrations, wishing I had monster friends.  Everyone always draws comparisons between The Oz Chronicles and The Wizard of Oz, and there is no denying there are similarities.  Some people even believe that my series is an homage to Frank Baum’s books.  It’s a logical conclusion to make, but it’s not entirely accurate.  I…

  • Profanity laden review of The Avengers

    R.W. Ridley
    7 May 2012 | 2:26 pm
    Somebody please make a good Thing movie! I found this review of The Avengers on Youtube by The Amazing Atheist.  If you’re not familiar with TAA, he is a world-class ranter.  He is a proud misanthrope and there are not a lot of things he likes.  I find him wildly entertaining at times.  That’s not to say I always agree with his point of view.  I just appreciate humor and passion, and TAA has both in spades. I love movies based on comic books because they were a way of life for me when I was a kid.  I used to beg my mom to buy me a new one every Sunday after church. …
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    Screenwriting from Iowa

  • Microbiology & Screenwriting

    Scott W. Smith
    16 May 2012 | 3:15 am
    “I believe luck favors those who are prepared.” Screenwriter Marc Maurino “Dans les champs de l’observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.” Louis Pasteur French chemist & microbiologist I know very little French and even less about microbiology, but I think you’ll find the above quote helpful in your screenwriting and filmmaking endeavours. It’s [...]

  • The Myth of “Breaking-in” (Tip #58)

    Scott W. Smith
    15 May 2012 | 4:19 pm
    “The question about breaking in seems perfectly legit, but really it’s not. A writer must create compelling work, and then try to sell it. Once sold, the writer has to do the same thing again. It’s really not true that the writer ‘breaks in’—that’s an artifact of the belief that the person is being judged, [...]

  • Go Big or Go…Small

    Scott W. Smith
    14 May 2012 | 1:20 am
    “The industry is moving toward the big and the small. I think studios will always want a few of the high-budget high-profile projects. And there will be more and more of the micro-budget stuff. Everything in between is getting cut back, the marketing costs and production costs are too high, they don’t make sense in [...]

  • Kalamafrickin’zoo’s Talent Pool

    Scott W. Smith
    11 May 2012 | 7:35 am
    Even though I’ve traveled to all 50 states in the U.S. and have been to every major city and most midsized cities, I’ve never been to Kalamazoo (metro pop. 326,589). I have been to Grand Rapids, Michigan and South Bend, Indiana— so I’ve been close. But did you know there’s been some big league talent [...]

  • “Detroit is Not for Sissies”

    Scott W. Smith
    10 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    Since I’ve been kicking around Michigan recently on this blog I thought I’d find a quote from a Detroit son. Producer/director/actor/writer Scott Spiegal went to Wylie E. Groves High School in Birmingham, MI with Sam Raimi.  He and Raimi wrote Evil Dead II, he directed Hostel: Part III, and acted in both Spider-Man and Spider-Man [...]
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    Script Magazine

  • Meet the Reader: A Few Brief Thoughts on the Death of Movies

    Ray Morton
    15 May 2012 | 8:25 pm
    There’s been a lot written lately on the decline of the movies as a relevant and vital entertainment medium and –like it or not — it looks like we are living in the last days of cinema as we have traditionally known it. There are three primary reasons for this: The technology is dying: the [...]

  • The Scoggins Report: May 2012 Pitch Sales Scorecard

    Jeanne Veillette Bowerman
    15 May 2012 | 7:25 am
    The Scoggins Report is a compilation of sales and trends in the industry. The Report is reprinted at ScriptMag.com by permission of the authors. The Scoggins Report by Jason Scoggins & Cindy Kaplan May 14, 201 May 2012 Pitch Sales Scorecard This week’s edition of the Scoggins Report was a blast to pull together, thanks [...]

  • Behind the Lines with DR: Writer as Sacrificial Lamb aka Doug a la Carte

    Doug Richardson
    14 May 2012 | 10:28 am
    Gary Ross, writer-director of films such as Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, invited me to join in a round-table luncheon with Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey. The congressman had shown interest in meeting with movie-making word-merchants to discuss a subject plaguing that particular news quarter: Violence in Movies. The tragic events of Columbine were still in the rearview [...]

  • Beyond the Page: Funny Changes Everything

    Script Magazine
    14 May 2012 | 9:09 am
    If you ask a comedian what it’s like to perform onstage, don’t expect a lighthearted response. “Doing standup is like walking on a tightrope over a tank filled with sharks while the audience is hacking at the tightrope with machetes,” notes J.D. Shapiro, a regular at venues including world-famous L.A. club the Comedy Store. Yet [...]

  • Ask the Expert: Can an Out-of-the-Box Indie Succeed?

    Script Magazine
    10 May 2012 | 9:52 pm
    This week’s Ask the Expert is answered by screenwriter of Buried and ATM, Chris Sparling. Before I say a word, let me simply ask why the default settings for Microsoft Word are eleven point Calibri font?  Has anyone ever – and I mean ever – written something in those settings?  This might seem like a [...]
 
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    Write Here, Write Now

  • Quick Question: How Do I Find A Paid Writing Gig?

    9 May 2012 | 2:40 am
    Richard Standen asks on Twitter: I'm a writing graduate with 2 shorts I've written screening at festivals. Where should/can I look to find that first paid job?Getting work AND getting paid for it is the Holy Grail for most writers - it's fair to say most of us dream of giving up our day jobs. In terms of finding your first paid job as a writer, I'd recommend following these steps:WHAT do I want to do? Think first of your mega dream job. Don't worry if it's working for continuing drama or writing for huge Hollywood action epics, this is YOUR dream. Work on the basis anything is…

  • Quick Question: Novel Writing

    8 May 2012 | 6:17 am
    Bang2writer Erinmaochu asks via Twitter:What software are people using to write novels on these days celtx or other examples, or simple pen and paper?First up, I use Microsoft Word. It's what I started with, it came with the machine and it's got everything I need (for those wondering, format-wise that's 12point Times New Roman, double spaced. End of).A straw poll of Bang2writers revealed MS Word to be the most popular choice, with Scrivener and Word Perfect close seconds. Writers' Cafe, CeltX, Write Way Pro and Final Draft also figured. Here is a great list of writing software…

  • Quick Question: Graphic Novels, Contracts & Collaborating

    4 May 2012 | 4:21 am
    Bang2writerDavid asks:"Hi - I've got a short story that could really suit a 'Graphic Novel' type approach. 1. How do i go about approaching an Agent or Publisher to get the ball rolling on that; and 2. As it will be a collaborative project with a graphic artist, is there a Contract thats in existence that they could sign so as not to pinch my idea?"Scriptwriting is a collaborative medium, so recognising *what* your script is and which audience it would be suited to (ie. graphic novels) from the offset is really advantageous. An agent or publisher is unlikely to take you up on your own,…

  • Genre & Tone, A Case Study: BEETLEJUICE

    30 Apr 2012 | 2:29 am
    This post is inspired by  two separate Twitter conversations over the last two weeks between myself and Michelle Goode & Claire Yeowart and then Hina Malik – so stand by for some serious musing. Years ago I attended a conference held by The British Board of Film Classifcation (BBFC). It was a very interesting  - and of course the notion of film censorship reared its head. Since the majority of us in the room were students, many of us expressed outrage that censorship existed at all; we claimed that as artists we should be “trusted” to make the “right” stuff. The chap…

  • How To Get An Agent

    28 Apr 2012 | 10:08 am
    One question I get a lot is "How do I get an agent?" My first reply is usually, "Do you REALLY NEED one?" This is because, nine times out of ten, the writer asking the question is at the start of his or her writing journey and prizes getting an agent as his/her validation in STARTING that journey, when in reality, agents are not likely to be interested in writers who are just "beginning". If that is you, then my recommendation would be to a) write a selection of scripts so you have a portfolio and b) collaborate and network as much possible FIRST.If however you have already done those first…
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    Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)

  • Hall Pass

    29 Apr 2012 | 2:14 pm
    "Hall Pass" draft by Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Kevin Barnett, Pete Jones

  • Win Win

    28 Apr 2012 | 6:55 pm
    "Win Win" draft by Tom McCarthy

  • Fright Night

    28 Apr 2012 | 5:24 pm
    "Fright Night" draft by Marti Noxon

  • Warrior

    27 Apr 2012 | 6:32 pm
    "Warrior" draft by Gavin O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman

  • War Horse

    25 Apr 2012 | 2:11 pm
    "War Horse" draft by Lee Hall, Richard Curtis
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