All cinefiles love a good Western. High Noon, Shane, The Good the Bad and the Ugly and Unforgiven are a few of the best. But a Western doesn’t have to take place in the past, or even in the Old West. Some Westerns take place in space, like Outlander, Star Trek and Avatar. Others take place in modern day like Hell or High Water or Black Hat. Some are set in the future, like Mad Max or Logan.
“It’s not about the answers you come up with,” says Gilroy, “It’s the questions you ask.” Gilroy also gives some of the best advice to up and coming screenwriters we’ve ever heard.
“People say that acting is listening, but I find that writing is listening as well,” says Greta Gerwig, writer and director of the beautiful new film Lady Bird. Gerwig’s successful acting career has led her to forge an unconventional, yet organic way to tell stories. We sat down with her to find out more about her screenwriting process.
We sat down with Michael Green, screenwriter for the latest remake of Murder on the Orient Express, to talk about the mystery genre and what writers can learn from Agatha Christie.
“We always forget,” says Richard Linklater, “it’s just not natural to want to kill or be around death. You see the toll it takes on our returning vets. It’s horrific. A national tragedy. Unless you’re a psychopath, it isn’t fun. It isn’t manly. It’s damaging. We’re not cut our for it.”
Like many screenwriters, Jason Hall started his career as an actor. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other TV shows kept him busy, but he was eager to move into film roles. When an actor-buddy gave him a movie script and suggested Hall audition for a role, his agents tried, but couldn’t get Hall the audition. The most frustrating part was the ...
Ever wonder how the creators of shows like Orange is the New Black, House of Cards or Stranger Things get us to stay up late on a work night or spend an entire weekend watching a full season of their show?