E.B. White said, “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” Where’s the most productive place to write? Wherever you decide it is.
Used to, I could write anywhere. Diners, as a passenger in the car, the bathtub Trumbo-style, cabs, buses, planes, bars, and the various control ...
For several years, Australian writer/director David Michôd has been eager to make a film about the current war in Afghanistan. After reading the late journalist Michael Hastings’s book, The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, Michôd knew he had a launching pad for the exact type of war movie ...
You’ve probably had this feeling: very early in a movie (or a book) you think, "wow, this is going to be really, really good." And whenever you have that feeling you’re almost always right. So, why does that happen? It happens because the writer made it happen. The writer took care to make sure you knew exactly what was going on, and they did ...
In 1982, director Ridley Scott stunned audiences with his epic sci-fi, dystopian noir film Blade Runner. Hampton Fancher and David Peoples wrote the screenplay based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? prompting the heated debate that continues to this day: Is Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a replicant?
Coming ...
How's your screenplay pitch? Are you cool in the room? Ball of nerves?
Is there a perfect way to pitch your screenplay? Not that I’ve experienced. Depends on what I pitch, who I’m pitching to, and several other factors. My expertise has been bombing at pitching. Yep, I’m a bonafide pro at falling flat on my face in the room. And I’ll ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcthOOSCO3Y
No. 1 - Aaron Sorkin, Matthew Weiner, Vince Gilligan Roundtable
This Hollywood Reporter roundtable pulls together some of the greatest showrunners in modern times. Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball, The West Wing) discusses The Newsroom and so much more. Matthew Weiner (The Sopranos, Are ...
Most screenwriters prefer to keep the drama in their scripts. Occasionally, when working with agents, managers, development people, producers, directors and actors conflict will arise. How you deal with conflict is a huge issue and most of us spend a great deal of time trying to get good at it. Here are five ideas to put in your back pocket should the need arise.
What Would a Strike Mean To New Screenwriters? Hard to say. It’s easier to figure out what it doesn’t mean to new screenwriters than what it does. We're here to help you navigate this possible strike.
Have you ever scrapped a script idea before you finished the outline? Or have you gotten stuck in act two and put the project on “the back burner?” Have you blazed through the first draft and never looked at the project again? Hands up. I’m talking to you.
The new film, The Lost City of Z, was written and directed by James Gray and tells the true story of Percival Fawcett, a British explorer who disappeared in the Amazon jungle in 1925. If Fawcett’s name doesn’t ring a bell, you may be surprised to learn he’s one of the inspirations for the character Indiana Jones. Like Indiana, Fawcett ...
